November 8-9, 2026
CISO/Executive Leadership Forum
Grand Hyatt Vail Resort & Spa
1300 Westhaven Dr.
Vail, CO 81657
Set amid the alpine beauty of Vail, this refined mountain retreat offers a quiet, inspiring setting designed for thoughtful dialogue and meaningful connection. Surrounded by sweeping mountain views and natural tranquility, the accommodations provide a comfortable, well-appointed environment that supports both strategic collaboration and personal downtime. Attendees can expect a carefully curated experience that blends fresh perspective, peer engagement, and focused conversation—creating space to think clearly, connect deeply, and recharge throughout the event.
November 8-9, 2026
Sunday, November 8
Starts at 2:00 PM MT
Monday, November 9
Ends at 4:00 PM MT
Grand Hyatt Vail Resort & Spa
1300 Westhaven Dr.
Vail, CO 81657
Meet Our Guest Speakers
Who’s Accountable When AI Decides?
A board-level conversation on risk, oversight, and responsibility in agentic AI.
Laura Harder
Vice President
ISSA International
Layer 8 and 9 Security: AI and Humans
What happens when machines become human-like?
Dr. Erik J. Huffman
Cyberpsychologist
Handshake Leadership
Burnout-Proof Leadership: Securing Your Team Against the Unspoken Threat
Natalia Samman
LCSW & CEO
Burnout Solutions LLC
Thanks to Our Partners
Agenda
Sunday, November 8, 2026
2:00pm - 2:10pm
Gore ABC
Opening Remarks
Gina Gianikos, Founder, Mindfluence
2:15pm - 3:00pm
Gore ABC
Invited Guest Speaker:
Who’s Accountable When AI Decides?
A board-level conversation on risk, oversight, and responsibility in agentic AI.
Laura Harder, Vice President, ISSA International
3:00pm - 3:45pm
Gore ABC
Invited Guest Speaker:
Burnout-Proof Leadership: Securing Your Team Against the Unspoken Threat
Burnout is reported in 71% of cybersecurity professionals. 45% report that leaders are not doing enough to support them. Not only does burnout hurt culture and employee well-being—it's also an operational risk. Exhausted teams are more vulnerable to mistakes, disengagement, turnover, and reduced effectiveness. In a profession defined by constant vigilance, high pressure, and rapidly evolving threats, sustainable performance is not a luxury—it's a strategic necessity. Leaders have a critical role in shaping the conditions that either fuel burnout or foster resilience.
In this thought-provoking and lively session, Natalia Samman introduces the 8 Organizational Drivers of Burnout, and the toolkit to systematically mitigate each one. Participants will leave inspired with a deeper understanding of the neuroscientific and systemic mechanisms of Burnout, and a clear roadmap to fortify themselves and their teams through the efforts of today, to the success of tomorrow.
Natalia Samman, LCSW & CEO, Burnout Solutions LLC
Natalia Samman is a clinical psychotherapist, coach, and CEO of Burnout Solutions, where she helps top-performing leaders and teams sustain excellence in high-pressure fields. Drawing on a 20-year career specializing in trauma, neurodivergence, and relational success, Natalia translates the science of stress resilience and interpersonal dynamics into practical strategies for preventing burnout in today's workplace.
More about Natalia Samman
Natalia goes beyond the typical burnout prevention advice with cutting-edge science, instantly actionable tools, and a healthy dose of humor to teach the strategies that corporate spaces are missing, but psychology has confirmed.
A sought-after specialist in cybersecurity well-being, Ms. Samman has developed deep expertise in the unique pressures facing security teams. Through individual and group coaching, consulting, workshops and keynotes, Natalia teaches true solutions to one of cybersecurity’s most prevalent (yet unaddressed) threats. Her work helps leaders manage their own stress, strengthen team engagement, improve retention, enhance performance, and stop dreading Mondays.
3:45pm - 4:15pm
TBD
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #1
4:15pm - 4:45pm
TBD
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #2
5:30pm - 6:30pm
Front Nine, Back Nine & Gore Zen Garden
Casting, Cocktails and Topgolf Reception
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Dinner at Makoto Vail featuring world renowned Chef Makoto Okuwa
Monday, November 9, 2026
7:30am - 8:30am
Gore Foyer
Breakfast & Networking
8:30am - 9:30am
Gore ABC
Invited Guest Speaker:
Layer 8 and 9 Security: AI and Humans - What happens when machines become human-like?
Artificial intelligence is transforming cybersecurity at an unprecedented pace, but still the most exploited vulnerability remains the human mind. While organizations are rushing to invest heavily in AI-p[powered detection, automation, and threat intelligence, attackers are leveraging the same technologies to manipulate trust, exploit cognitive biases, and scale highly personalized social engineering attacks.
This presentation explores cybersecurity through the lens of psychology, examining why intelligent people make predictable security mistakes and how AI is amplifying both attack and defense. Drawing from behavioral science, cyberpsychology, and real-world security incidents, attendees will discover how fear, urgency, authority, social proof, confirmation bias, and cognitive overload influence decision-making in digital environments.
Rather than focusing solely on technology, this session challenges the traditional "human error" narrative and introduces a human-centered security model that designs systems around how people actually think, decide, ad behave. The modern OSI model no longer stops at layer 7 but should now include AI agents at layer 8 and humans at layer 9.
Dr. Erik J. Huffman, Cyberpsychologist, Handshake Leadership
9:30am - 10:15am
Gore ABC
The "Goldilocks" Strategy: Right-Sizing Your Security Stack
Most organizations are either dangerously under-secured or "over-tooled" with expensive software they don't have the staff to run. This session focuses on finding the "just right" balance for your specific headcount and revenue.
What the Audience Can Expect:
- A framework for auditing current tools against actual risk.
- A guide on when to hire in-house vs. when to use a Managed Service Provider (MSSP).
- Strategies for "de-cluttering" a security budget to fund higher-impact initiatives.
Moderator:
Julia Rosen, Senior Vice President, IT, Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
Panelist:
Michael Myint, CISO, Accordion
Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer, Freshworks
James Dasher, CISO, Jack in the Box
10:15am - 10:45am
TBD
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #3
10:45am - 11:15am
TBD
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #4
11:15am - 12:00pm
Gore ABC
Beyond the Bot: Governing Autonomous AI in the Enterprise
Autonomous AI is no longer a future concept—it’s already reshaping how decisions are made, how systems behave, and how risk propagates across the enterprise. As AI agents gain the ability to act, learn, and adapt without direct human oversight, traditional governance models begin to break down.
This panel brings together security, risk, and technology leaders to explore how organizations can govern autonomous AI responsibly, ethically, and securely. We’ll examine the new categories of risk introduced by self‑directed AI systems, the vulnerabilities created by AI‑to‑AI interactions, and the emerging responsibilities of CISOs as AI becomes an active participant in enterprise operations.
The conversation will move beyond hype and into the real work of building guardrails, accountability structures, and governance frameworks that can keep pace with autonomous AI.
Moderator:
Richard Staynings, Chief Security Strategist, Cylera
Panelist:
Tyler Jacobs, IT Manager, Honey Stinger
Dylan DeAnda, Field Chief Technology Officer, Doppel
Jay Wilson, CIO & CISO, Insurity
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Gore Foyer
Lunch
1:00pm - 1:30pm
TBD
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #5
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Gore ABC
From Firewall to Boardroom: The Evolving Role of the CISO in the Age of AI
Technology leadership roles are rapidly evolving as organizations navigate cybersecurity risk, digital transformation, and the rise of AI. The traditional boundaries between the CIO, CTO, and CISO are shifting, and many organizations are introducing new roles such as Chief AI Officer. As expectations expand, security leaders are increasingly being asked to guide enterprise risk, influence business strategy, and communicate with the board. This session explores how these roles are changing, where responsibilities may converge, and what it takes for CISOs to earn—and keep—a seat at the boardroom table.
Moderator:
Bart Waress, Director of IT, Liberty Energy
Panelist:
Cindy Heiner, CISO, Aiden
Emily Cellar, CISO, Flexential
Christian Barnes, VP, Systems Engineering, Fortinet
2:15pm - 2:45pm
TBD
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #6
2:45pm - 3:30pm
Gore ABC
Calm in the Chaos: Lessons in Resilience & Leadership
Derek Booth, Director of Technical Services, Trend AI / Retired ASAIC of the US Secret Service
3:30pm - 3:45pm
Closing Remarks
Kick off your heels and loosen your ties! (Actually, ties not required) Thank you!
Dress Attire:
Business Casual
Questions:
Gina Gianikos
847-800-4433
gina@mind-fluence.com