November 13, 2025
CISO/Executive Leadership Forum
Ironworks
25 Larimer St.
Denver, CO 80204
Ironworks is Denver’s newest iconic special event venue, located conveniently in the heart of Downtown Denver. It is an alluring venue offering a space that is suited for a wide range of styles and types of events. With over 6,900 square feet of historic event space, we cater to those that know the value of hard work. A captivating bar, elegant chandeliers, creative drink menu, and taps featuring our local brewers, and a full kitchen are at your service.
Meet Our Guest Speakers
Assessing ROI in the Era of the AI Augmented Worker: Interactive Session
Gina Yacone
Regional & Advisory CISO
Trace3
The Art of Storytelling
Michael Piacente
Managing Partner & Cofounder
Hitch Partners
Rising Hybrid Threats, Powerful Threat Actors, and the Challenge of Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Richard Staynings
Chief Security Strategist
Cylera
Thanks to Our Partners
Thanks to Our Affiliate Partners
Agenda
Thursday, November 13, 2025
8:00am - 9:00am
Main Floor
Stop by the Welcome Table and say “Hello” and pick up your Name Tag!
Coffee and Tea will be available!
9:00am
Main Floor
Welcome and Opening Remarks; Gina Gianikos, Mindfluence
9:15am – 9:55am
Main Floor
The Executive Exchange with Richard Staynings
Rising Hybrid Threats, Powerful Threat Actors, and the Challenge of Protecting Critical Infrastructure
This session will focus upon evolving threats and the rapidly expanding AI and IT/OT/IoT cyber-attack surface; the targeting of Critical National Infrastructure Industries like government, healthcare, and energy; growing evidence of collaboration between nation-state actors and organized crime syndicates engaged in cyber theft, and extortion; growing use of criminal proxies to create disruption while providing the veneer of plausible deniability for state actors; and the challenge of formatting a successful tactical and strategic defensive approach against almost overwhelming odds. This presentation will examine the challenges faced by cybersecurity and technology leaders as AI and digital transformation re-shape business objectives, while at the same time cyber threat actors and their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) evolve at an alarming rate. How should we deal with technology churn, non-human identities, and the rapid growth in AI and IoT, while building a mature threat aware, organization-wide culture of cybersecurity?
Richard Staynings, Chief Security Strategist, Cylera
Richard Staynings is a globally renowned thought leader, author, public speaker and advocate for improved cybersecurity across the Healthcare and Life Sciences industry. He has served on various industry and international cybersecurity committees, and presented or lectured on cybersecurity themes or concerns all over the world. He has advised numerous government and industry leaders on their healthcare security strategy and defensive posture, and has served as a subject matter expert on government Committees of Inquiry into some of the highest profile healthcare breaches.
More about Richard Staynings
Richard is currently Chief Security Strategist for Cylera, a pioneer in the space of medical device and HIoT security. He is also author of Cyber Thoughts, a leading healthcare cybersecurity blog, teaches postgraduate courses in cybersecurity, health informatics and healthcare management at the University of Denver University College, and is a retained advisor to a number of governments and private companies.
A recovering CISO, with more than 25 years’ experience of both cybersecurity leadership and client consulting mostly in healthcare, Richard has lived in over 30 countries and delivered innovative solutions to organizations in all of them.
Some of his more notable successes include work for: Amgen, Childrens' National, Cisco, Childrens' Hospital of Philadelphia, CSC (now split between DxC and General Dynamics), Intermountain Healthcare, PeaceHealth, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Intel, Microsoft, and Zurich Financial, to name a few.
After spending many years based out of the UK, Australia and various parts of Asia, Richard now resides in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado, USA. When he’s not flying between clients and conferences or teaching classes, Richard enjoys most things between mountaineering and scuba diving. Although he doesn’t get to spend a lot of time at home, Richard is active in his local community and serves on several company boards in a pro-bono capacity.
10:00am - 10:40am
Main Floor
Invited Guest Speaker
Gina Yacone, Regional & Advisory CISO, Trace3
Assessing ROI in the Era of the AI Augmented Worker: Interactive Session
As enterprises accelerate AI adoption, many are struggling to define and measure the return on investment. Traditional ROI models fall short when applied to AI-augmented workflows, where productivity gains, decision support, and innovation can't be easily quantified in financial terms. In this interactive session, we’ll unpack why only 25% of companies currently report positive ROI from AI initiatives, explore how to move beyond cost-cutting narratives, and reframe ROI as a measure of strategic advantage. Join this executive-level dialogue to rethink how we assess value in a world where AI is not replacing workers, but redefining what work is.
10:45am – 11:10am
Second Level
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #1
11:10am – 11:30am
Main Floor
Trupti Shiralkar, Director of Product Security, Illumio
Trupti Shiralkar is Director of Product Security at Illumio, with 18 years of experience driving security and privacy strategies at leading organizations including Amazon and Datadog. She specializes in building scalable, holistic security programs and guiding organizations to maximize cyber investment returns. Trupti holds an M.S. in Information Security from Johns Hopkins University and multiple industry certifications. She serves on the advisory board of application security startup Backslash and is completing Stanford’s Executive Education Program – LEAD. A patent holder and seasoned speaker, Trupti is passionate about advancing security innovation and mentoring future leaders.
Adaptive Defense: AI Meets Zero Trust
As AI-powered enterprise applications redefine business operations, the role of security is undergoing a profound transformation. Traditional perimeter-based models are no longer sufficient to protect dynamic, distributed environments. This session explores why CISOs must adopt a proactive strategy that integrates Zero Trust-based micro segmentation and Cloud Network Detection and Response (NDR) as foundational pillars. These approaches not only limit lateral movement during breaches but also provide real-time visibility and containment capabilities to mitigate the impact of cyber disasters. Attendees will gain actionable insights into building resilient security architectures that align with the evolving AI-driven enterprise landscape.
11:30am – 11:50am
Main Floor
Chris Hughes, Senior Solutions Consultant, Immersive
Be Ready! Preparing Your People for a Cyber Crisis
Security leaders face unprecedented challenges as evolving threats, including those posed by GenAI, rapidly increase enterprise risk. While new technologies offer defenses, they also introduce vulnerabilities. A cyber-ready workforce is crucial for organizational resilience, but how do you equip your organization to face the future of threats with confidence? Join this session to discuss:
- Acting decisively under pressure to manage and mitigate threats
- Maintaining stakeholder confidence and protecting reputation during disruptions
- Sharing threat intelligence and preparing for long-term attack consequences
11:50am – 12:15pm
Second Level
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #2
12:15pm – 1:00pm
Main Floor
Networking Lunch
1:00pm – 1:25pm
Second Level
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #3
1:30pm - 2:10pm
Main Floor
PANEL #1
Risk Management - Security Awareness Program
Attendees will learn different opportunities to mature their security education program. Additionally, attendees will gain insight on how to use phishing metrics to identify potential education gaps in their business. Panelists will dive how to stay current with emerging threats and technologies to continuously evolve their security awareness program.
Moderator:
Reanna Schultz, Team Leader of Information Security, Garmin
Reanna Schultz, from Kansas City, MO, holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Cybersecurity. With over six years of professional experience, Reanna has contributed to various corporate environments, leveraging her expertise to strengthen cybersecurity practices. Throughout her career, Reanna has worn many hats, including roles in Endpoint Security Engineering, Detection Engineering, and leading a Security Operations Center (SOC) team. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Reanna serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and is also an entrepreneur. Reanna is the founder of CyberSpeak Labs, a platform dedicated to fostering community engagement through collaboration. She hosts the podcast Defenders in Lab Coats, where she delves into cyber threats and occasionally invites passionate guests to share their insights. Driven by her passion for cybersecurity, Reanna frequently travels to speak at events, sharing her industry knowledge and empowering others to improve their organizations' cybersecurity practices.
Panelists:
Gaëlle Koanda, ISSO, Bae
Elizabeth Horton, Former CIO
Rohbair (Robert) Jean, CISO, American Financing
2:10pm – 2:30pm
Main Floor
Aaron Debelak, Sales Engineer, Cyera
Data Security - Why Now?
In an era of exponential data growth, fueled by GenAI and data democratization, the need for strong data security has never been greater. This session will explore how organizations can safeguard sensitive data while still driving innovation and agility, including:
- Strategies for balancing robust data protection with business enablement in a fast-changing digital environment.
- Approaches to tackling the unique security challenges introduced by GenAI and expanded enterprise data access.
- Tactics for aligning key stakeholders and building consensus around data security priorities.
2:30pm – 3:10pm
Main Floor
Invited Guest Speaker
Michael Piacente, Managing Partner & Cofounder, Hitch Partners
The Art of Storytelling
3:10pm – 3:20pm
Main Floor
Break
3:20pm – 3:40pm
Main Floor
Toby Scales, Chief Information Security Officer, Media & Entertainment, Google
Securing Your AI Journey: From Experimentation to Production
Security has become the top concern for developers and data professionals working with AI, a natural response to the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks and the complexity of AI systems. Organizations grapple with a trifecta of challenges: staying ahead of emerging threats, ensuring ethical AI by mitigating bias and promoting fairness, and balancing robust security measures with the need for innovation. These hurdles can feel daunting and difficult to navigate. During this session we'll discuss how to move beyond AI experimentation and achieve scalable, secure value in production environments.
3:40pm – 4:00pm
Main Floor
Jake Turner, VP, Partner Solution and Domain Architecture, Tanium
Autonomous Endpoint Management: AI-Driven Security and IT Operations at Scale
Discover how Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) is transforming endpoint security and IT operations. Powered by AI and real-time intelligence, AEM helps organizations overcome visibility gaps, skill shortages, and growing attack surfaces. Learn how predictive, generative, and agentic AI capabilities accelerate decision-making, reduce costs, and strengthen resilience across millions of endpoints.
4:00pm – 4:20pm
Main Floor
Jason Robbins, Sr. Solutions Engineer, Swimlane
Jason is a Swimlane Engineer and AI practitioner who helps organizations adopt AI safely and quantifiably. His work spans agentic AI security, secure MCP architectures, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Purview deployments, identity and secrets management, DSPM, and SOC automation. Jason has operated across federal and private sectors, from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Fortune 5 enterprises to venture-backed startups, translating complex programs into auditable, defensible, pragmatic operations. He is known for practical frameworks such as the SOAR goes SOLAR model and multi-quarter governance roadmaps that align policy, controls, and metrics with business outcomes. A decorated U.S. Army veteran, he supported Special Forces teams as a network communications specialist during deployments.
Demystifying AI Agents
Join us for a discussion on Agentic AI and its role in hyperautomation. Learn about the differences between Agentic and Generative AI, as well as the benefits and potential risks of AI in cybersecurity. Discover best practices and strategies for implementing AI in the SOC, including threat detection, human-in-the-loop systems, and ensuring data privacy. Explore the strengths and weaknesses of AI and automation. We’ll provide actionable tips for getting started with AI in your SOC and discuss some challenges and things to consider in your journey.
4:20pm – 5:00pm
Main Floor
Executive Chat
Aligning Strategy, Identity, and Governance
As organizations scale and adapt to evolving threats and regulatory demands, identity has become a cornerstone of both strategy and governance. Yet, many leaders still struggle to balance operational needs, user experience, and compliance mandates. This executive chat will explore how to place identity at the heart of strategy, ensure governance frameworks remain effective, and align business priorities with secure access and accountability.
Guests:
Merlin Namuth, CISO, City and County of Denver
Gregg Braunton, Global Head, Insider Threat, UBS
Cody Burrows, Advisor, Acacia Advisors
5:00pm
Main Floor
Closing Remarks
Dress Attire:
Business Casual
Questions:
Gina Gianikos
847-800-4433
gina@mind-fluence.com
Think Boldly!
What People Are Saying
Anna Zapata
Information Security Manager at Natural Grocers
I had a wonderful time. I learned a lot. The vendors were kind and not intrusive. Really one of the best events for IT cyber leaders I have been to in a very long time. I hope to attend again. Thank you!
Elliott Lillard
Cyber Identity Services Product Leader at Gallagher
On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to attend another Mindfluence Event? 10! - Great day and wonderful event 🙂
Jay Martinage
Immersive Labs
Really enjoyed the event. Great set of cyber professionals for us to connect with. Looking forward to the next one! - (Napa 2025) Mindfluence events are not only educational and informative, but they also build an awesome sense of community among security professionals. Attendees really lean into a day full of thoughtful and engaging speakers, which makes the day feel worth the time commitment. - (Denver 2025) Mindfluence Napa provides a unique opportunity to learn, network, and have fun with your peers. Respected thought-leaders fully open up and share their experiences in an effort to help other security leaders get better within their roles. (Napa 2026)
Meagan Raley
Senior Director of Global Solutions Architects at Flashpoint
The Mindfluence Denver event was incredibly insightful and thought-provoking. I have continued the conversations had at the event with my colleagues and used them as discussion points in my ongoing interactions with others in the field.