Kristie has spent 25+ years as a practitioner, student, and scholar in human resource management and holds the SPHR and SHRM-CP certifications. Her expertise encompasses employee burnout, engagement, and retention, employer branding, inclusion and belonging, organizational culture, and talent development. In the Jones College of Business at MTSU, she emphasizes practical, experiential learning in both undergraduate and graduate courses. Kristie earned her Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Tennessee and is an award-winning research reviewer and scholar with publications in renowned outlets like the Journal of Business Research and the Journal of Management. She is a past-president and Fellow of the Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning (ABSEL) and the Southeast Case Research Association (SECRA). Kristie is a member of RUTHERFORD Cable, the Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management, and several academic organizations. She grew up in Tennessee, and her family calls Murfreesboro home. She volunteers regularly for events like the Invention Convention and DECA, and she serves in the special needs ministry at her church.

Mr. Appleby is an information technology executive focused on Cybersecurity with over 20 years of progressive experience in information security and large-scale project/program management. Mr. Appleby has worked for various commercial companies, US government agencies, law enforcement organizations and consultancies such as Citibank, Mandiant, FireEye, Iridium, USF&G Insurance, and Fujitsu. Tim also has extensive experience speaking at conferences and events, has published articles for numerous professional journals and magazines, and has participated in many industries round table events. 
Tim is currently accountable for the delivery of the Strategic Portfolio of Professional Services at Global Public Sector. As such, he is responsible for the management and oversight of more than 46 strategically aligned professional services. Further, Tim has led internal focus areas such as Supply Chain Risk Management, Election Support, Cloud Services, Zero Trust architecture and Framework development, Significant Event Coordination, Large scale National capacity and capability planning, and Long-Term Strategic and Operational Development.  
Tim has maintained thought leadership in all of these subject areas through various industry and global writings, presentations, and research projects. He also leads our participation in various government sanctioned efforts such as the Department of Homeland Security Joint Cyber Defense Collective, the Department of Homeland Security Continuous Diagnostics and Monitoring program. Tim is also serving as the President of the North Texas Members Alliance of the FBI Infragard Private Sector Outreach program.

Jim Bryson became commissioner of Finance and Administration on June 15, 2022, after joining Gov. Bill Lee's administration in May 2019 as deputy commissioner for Parks and Conservation in the Department of Environment and Conservation, where he was responsible for Tennessee State Parks, Tennessee Division of Archaeology, Tennessee Division of Natural Areas, Partnerships and Development, Recreation Education Services, Administration, Facilities Management, Interpretive Programs, and Marketing.
Jim is founder and president of 20/20 Research Inc., a market research consulting, project management and technology firm based in Nashville. He served three terms as international president of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, supporting skills, abilities and competencies that help companies better understand customers' needs.
Jim also served as state senator representing Williamson County from 2003 to 2007.
Jim is Past President of The Sycamore Institute, an independent, nonpartisan public policy research center focused on Tennessee issues. He is also a member of the Nashville Downtown Rotary Club and the Brentwood Methodist Church in Brentwood. Jim earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and received a Masters in Business Administration from Vanderbilt. He and his wife, Carol, a Greeneville native, have four children and two grandchildren.

With over 3 decades of experience in the technology industry, Ron is a passionate leader and innovator who specializes in business process automation. As the Founder and CEO of KnowledgeLake, he oversees the vision, strategy, and execution of our solutions that help organizations achieve super-efficient AI powered workflow automation. Ron is proud to be part of AIIM and the Forbes Technology Council where he shares his insights. His company, KnowledgeLake, has been recognized as the Top Workplace for the last 5 years in a row and has won the Microsoft Partner of the Year award 5 times. Ron enjoys collaborating with customers, partners, and team members to create value and solve problems.

As Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the state of Tennessee, Curtis Clan leads the State of Tennessee’s security program. He is able to utilize his vast technical knowledge in networking and information security as well as his leadership skills developed over his career. With this knowledge and skills, Curtis keeps the State well ahead of any threats to the state information technology assets.
After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Kentucky University, Curtis worked his way up the Information Technology ranks through positions at Fort Knox, Keesler Air Force Base, Fort Campbell, and finally the State of Tennessee. In addition, he has received his Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) certification.
During his 23-year career at the State, Curtis has held multiple key positions in Information technology. Positions held being network engineer, engineering manager, director of network and finally in 2015 was named Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
As CISO, Curtis has expanded the capabilities of the security program and drastically reduced the risk to the State.
Curtis believes in a strong work ethic, which he learned during his upbringing in a very small, but industrious farming community.
Curtis is a dedicated father to his young son Hunter.

Jim is a Managing Director with KPMG supporting State and Local Government. With nearly 30 years of experience in a variety of positions within the Information Technology, Software Development, Government, and Data/Information Management industries, Jim provides Technical Advisory Services, Project and Program Leadership, Strategic Planning, Governance, Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy development and implementation, Quality Assurance, and leadership in Data Governance, Data Management and Enterprise System Implementation and Integration.
Jim has a broad range of experience in both the public and private sectors and has served as executive leadership responsible for systems development and systems integration for several Fortune 100 companies including those that serve government clients. Jim has also provided subject matter expertise and acts as a trusted advisor to organizations undergoing large scale transformation and modernization, especially during implementation of large enterprise solutions.

Mr. Crawford is seasoned professional with a robust background in cybersecurity strategy and an in-depth technical knowledge of complex issues with a deep understanding of tools, techniques, procedures, and attack vectors used by cyber adversaries. Experienced in providing strategy, collaboration and engineering support to a multitude of organizations ranging from State and Local Governments, Education, Intelligence, and the Department of Defense in support of their Cyber Security mission.
Artie's career spans roles at Microsoft, FireEye, MITRE, LMCO, and SAIC, where he developed Techniques, Tools, and Procedures (TTPs) for Joint Service Components, and the National Security Agency. Notable achievements include establishing the Joint Cyber Center for US Central Command and implementing Active Defense concepts for real-world operations with United States Central Command. A 27-year Marine Corps veteran, Artie retired in 2011 as the Cyber Security Chief of the Marine Corps, serving as the Senior technical advisor to the CIO and Director of C4.
Artie holds a Graduate Degree in Computer Engineering with a focus on Cyber Security from the Air Institute of Technology. He is actively pursuing a Ph.D. and has published works on topics such as "Total Cost of Ownership for Software Protection" and participated in conference hearings on "Cyber Warfare Defensive Operations," "Return on Investment for Building Secure Software," and "Building the Cyber Security Workforce."

Dr. Erin Crisp leads the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center where her team is expanding the educator pipeline through registered teacher apprenticeship programs. Prior to joining the GYO Center, Crisp held the chief academic officer's role for a software development startup for two years. The first two decades of her career were spent in K-12 education and higher education where she designed pathways for innovative programs including competency-based education, project-based learning, micro-credentialing, and online programs to better serve working adult learners. Erin's research interests revolve around the instructional technology, curriculum, and feedback design to improve the learner experience. She holds a doctorate in education, instructional technology, from Indiana University, a masters in instructional technology from Towson University, and a bachelor's in English education from Indiana Wesleyan University. When she isn't thinking about teaching and learning, she is probably visiting her 3 adult sons, camping, backpacking, or exploring Knoxville with her spouse, Eric.

David Cumbow is a seasoned security professional and Principal Architect at Palo Alto Networks. With 22 years of experience in the field, he has a passion for helping organizations improve their security posture. David has led engineering teams across the U.S. to deliver innovative solutions that tackle security challenges faced by State Government, Local Government, and Education customers. Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, he worked for 13 years in the public sector and has held various technical roles from Database Administration to Virtualization. His passion for security and focus on leveraging intelligence and automation have helped many organizations achieve a stronger security posture with limited manpower and budget.

Brad Freeze is the Deputy Director of the Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure. He joined NDOT on November 1, 2021, with a mission to improve our city's transportation network, connecting neighborhoods, residents, and businesses in a safe and efficient manner.
Brad is a licensed engineer and holds degrees in Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee. Prior to his current role, he worked as the Director of the Traffic Operations Division at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
A native of the Nashville area, Brad resides in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, with his wife, Rachel, and their two daughters, Eliza and Emajean. In his role as Deputy Director, Brad is dedicated to serving Nashville's residents and commuters, striving to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of our transportation system.

John Griffey is the current Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro) Chief Information Security Officer and interim Chief Information Officer.  He has been the CISO for 8 years, overseeing Metro’s information security management program, including policy development, cyber risk management, incident response and awareness training, as well as supervising various security related divisions within the Information Technology Services department.  He has worked in various public sector information technology and security roles for 27 years.  Most recently he has led efforts in developing Metro’s first Artificial Intelligence and Generative Artificial Intelligence Use policy and building out standards, guidance, and training around the use of artificial intelligence at Metro.

Dr. Sherry Lawdermilt is the Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Austin Peay State University, collaborating with campus constituents to align technology initiatives with the University’s strategic goals. She has over 26 years of experience in IT in both higher education and municipal government having worked in many different technical and managerial roles. Prior to working in IT, she served in the United States Marine Corps for seven years. Sherry has a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, an MBA with a focus on management information systems, and a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.

Anthony Lawson is a seasoned expert with over two decades of experience in the realm of secure enterprise networking technologies, coupled with profound expertise in 5G cellular wireless and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) security solutions. His career journey embodies a relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in the rapidly evolving landscape of telecommunications and cybersecurity.

Trena Maynard has been with the Department of F&A for over 20 years. She currently serves as the Department of Finance and Administration’s (F&A) Chief People Officer since January 2023. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the people strategy, human resources, and talent management functions within the department. The department currently has over 2200 positions to support eight divisions of which 1200 of those positions are currently in the IT division known as Strategic Technology Solutions (STS).
She started her state career with F&A in March 2004 in Benefits Administration. She has served in various HR and Operational roles throughout her state career and led the Next Gen IT effort for the division of STS to establish new IT job classifications which led to the recruitment and reassignment of more than 700 IT employees within a span of three years.
In her spare time, Trena enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. She has grandchildren and a 2-year-old Australian shepherd who help to keep her active.

Clyde Roark serves as a Cybersecurity Advisor (CSA) for Region 4 of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In this role, he coordinates CISA’s efforts to reduce risk and enhance the cyber resiliency of critical infrastructure throughout the eight southeastern states (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC and TN) with a focus on the gulf-coast. He works with public sector partners, such as state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as private-sector organizations essential to the nation’s critical infrastructure.
Prior to becoming a CSA, Clyde successfully served CISA in numerous roles as the Deputy Section Chief of Threat Hunt Industrial Control Systems Section, Deputy Section Chief of Threat Hunt Advisary Pursuit, Section Chief of Federal Network Defense, and the Pensacola Section Chief for the Threat Hunt Detection Branch. Prior to his positions at CISA, he was a senior information systems engineer and deputy program manager at the United States Army Network Technology Command.
Clyde enlisted in the United States Navy as an Aviation Boatswain Mate, Landing Signal-men. After his enlistment, Clyde obtained a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Old Dominion University. While he pursued a career in cybersecurity, Clyde affiliated with the Navy Reserves in 2010 and commissioned in 2012. He currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander and serves as the Operations Department Head for Navy Information Operations Command Pensacola-Georgia.
Clyde holds numerous military and industry certifications and is the recipient of multiple awards and accolades. He lives in Pensacola with his 13 year old son.

TBI Special Agent in Charge Cesar Salazar has been with the TBI approximately 17 years. He's in charge of the Cybercrime and Digital Evidence Unit, consisting of 4 squads, Digital Forensics, Internet Crime Against Children, Operational Technologies and Cybercrime Investigations. During his career with the TBI he has been involved in investigating primarily technical investigations including Internet Crimes Against Children and Cybercrime investigations. He is also a Task Force Officer with the FBI Cyber Squad. Prior to joining the TBI he worked as a Software Engineer developing different kinds of software. He holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Computer Science. He also holds a CISSP certification.

In 2018, Nashville State Community College hired Rob Tudor as the Director of IT Partnerships and Student Placement to develop work-based learning opportunities for IT students, create deep partnerships in the IT community and innovate the college’s credit programs and non-credit IT training. Rob is an IT Leader with 35 years of project and people management experience in many industry verticals: automotive financing, publishing, retail, supply chain / logistics and higher education / state government. He holds a BS degree in MIS from Western Kentucky University and a Certificate of Graduate Studies in CBE from Lipscomb University.

As the Director of Operations for Center for Enterprise Data and Analytics (CEDA), Sergio is fortunate to work with a great team, some of the smartest folks at the State, helping Departments and Agencies traverse through their analytical endeavors.