September 25-26, 2025
CISO/Executive Leadership Forum
Grand Geneva Resort and Spa
7036 Grand Geneva Way,
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is a picturesque getaway, wrapped in the charm of crystal-clear waters and rolling green landscapes. Known for its serene beauty and cozy small-town feel, it’s a place where life slows down. Whether you're strolling along the scenic shore path, enjoying a peaceful boat ride, or soaking up the charm of historic homes and boutiques, Lake Geneva offers a perfect escape into tranquility and natural splendor.
Meet Our Guest Speakers
State of Stress 2025: Are You Driving Resilience or Dousing Flames?
Steve Shelton
Chief Executive Officer
Green Shoe Consulting
The Importance of Being in Third Place
Robert Wagner
Advisory CISO
NetSPI
Thanks to Our Partners
Thanks to Our Affiliate Partners
Agenda
Thursday, September 25, 2025
8:30am - 9:30am
Stop by the Welcome Table and say “Hello” and pick up your Goody Bag!
10:00am - 10:15am
Linwood Ballroom
Mindfluence Introductions and Ice Breaker
What's one interesting way you've found ChatGPT to be useful or helpful in your cybersecurity work?
10:15am - 11:00am
Linwood Ballroom
Invited Guest Speaker
Steve Shelton, Chief Executive Officer, Green Shoe Consulting
State of Stress 2025: Are You Driving Resilience or Dousing Flames?
Join Steve Shelton, Chief Resilience Officer of Green Shoe Consulting, for a data‑driven look at CISO stress and burnout in 2025. In this briefing you’ll discover:
- Top‑Line Findings: Key shifts in burnout and resilience since last year
- Resilience vs. Firefighting: How leading CISOs balance proactive strategies against reactive firefighting
- Root Causes & Red Flags: The six organizational predictors most linked to burnout, illustrated with real‑world examples
- Actionable Frameworks: Evidence‑based techniques for spotting early warning signs, making decisions under pressure, and building a culture of sustained well‑being
Walk away with fresh insights and practical tools to assess your own resilience profile and drive lasting change in your cybersecurity organization.
More about Steve Shelton
Steve Shelton is the visionary CEO of Green Shoe Consulting, where he combines his passion for peak performance with a flair for creativity. With a background in psychology and years of experience in the tech industry, Steve has dedicated his career to helping cybersecurity professionals manage stress and prevent burnout. Known for his engaging and lighthearted approach, he believes that laughter and connection are powerful antidotes to workplace stress. Under his leadership, Green Shoe Consulting has become a trusted partner for organizations seeking to cultivate resilience and boost employee engagement. When he's not strategizing innovative workshops or delivering thought-provoking presentations, Steve can be found exploring the great outdoors, indulging in sci-fi films (Star Wars and The Men Who Stare at Goats are personal favorites), or enjoying a good cup of coffee—always on the lookout for the next opportunity to inspire others to thrive in their personal and professional lives!
11:00am - 11:15am
Break
11:15am - 11:45am
Linwood Ballroom
Surprise Invited Guest Speaker
Topic: Extreme Security Awareness - How I Became the Most Hated Person in my Company
11:45am - 1:00pm
Chop House
LUNCH
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Linwood Ballroom
Cybersecurity Jeopardy!
Host: Suprise!
1:45pm - 2:30pm
Linwood Ballroom
Roundtable: Threat-Informed Defense, Threat Modeling and Attack Path Risk Analysis, hosted by:
Derek Milroy, Network Security Architect, Gallagher
Today’s cyber threats demand more than traditional defenses. This roundtable will bring executives together to discuss how a threat-informed approach can help organizations better understand where attackers are most likely to strike, and how to focus resources on what matters most.
We’ll explore:
- How to identify and anticipate potential attack paths into your business
- Ways to connect threat modeling to real-world risks and business impact
- Strategies to move from reactive security to a proactive, intelligence-driven posture
This conversation is ideal for CISOs, senior executives, and risk leaders looking to align cybersecurity decisions with organizational priorities.
1:45pm - 2:10pm
Maple Lawn C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #1
2:15pm - 2:40pm
Maple Lawn C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #2
2:45pm - 3:30pm
Linwood Ballroom
PANEL #2
After the Breach: CISO War Stories and Lessons That Changed Everything
No playbook survives first contact with a real-world incident. In this raw and revealing panel, veteran CISOs share what happened after the alarms went off—from ransomware takedowns and insider threats to cloud misconfigurations and public disclosures. Rather than focusing on blame, this discussion is about what they learned, what they wish they had done differently, and how you can be better prepared when it’s your turn in the hot seat.
Moderator:
Jamie Knobles, Director, Cyber Resilience and Readiness Director, Immersive Labs
Panelists:
Trent Ridgway, Head of Security and Infrastructure | CISSP, Anson Industries
Tim Morris, Chief Security Advisor, Americas at Tanium
Tim is a visionary leader and an expert in IT and cyber security, with decades of experience in various industries. He joined Tanium after retiring from Wells Fargo, where he was an SVP and led several teams in cyber operations, engineering, and research. He holds 24 US patents and has written many articles on cyber security topics. He is also a trusted source of insights and opinions for major publications and web shows, where he shares his knowledge and passion for the field.
Jerry Young, Senior Sales Engineering Manager, CATO Networks
3:30pm - 3:55pm
Maple Lawn C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #3
4:00pm - 4:25pm
Maple Lawn C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #4
4:30pm - 5:15pm
Linwood Ballroom
Fireside/Executive Chat:
Cyber Meets Trade: What CISOs Need to Know About Tariffs, Tech Sanctions, and Global Risk
In an era where cybersecurity is no longer confined to the IT department, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) must navigate a broader landscape—including the ripple effects of tariffs, tech sanctions, supply chain regulations, and international data laws. This high-level panel will unpack the strategic impact of trade policies—like U.S.-China tariffs, semiconductor export bans, and regional data sovereignty laws—on cybersecurity strategy, procurement decisions, and global risk postures.
Facilitator:
Fred Kwong, VP, Chief Information Security Officer, DeVry University
Guests:
Michael Boucher, Executive Director - Global Information Security, JLL
Adam Marsh, Sr. Director of Cybersecurity Architecture and Identity, Jacobs
5:15pm - 5:20pm
Linwood Ballroom
Closing Remarks and Partner Appreciation Spotlight
6:00pm - 6:30pm
Pavilion
Cocktail Reception
6:30pm to 9:30pm
Pavilion
Dinner & Casino Night
Friday, September 26, 2025
7:30am - 8:30am
Linwood Ballroom
Networking Breakfast
Kickstart your day with premium java, tea, and AM favorites.
8:15am - 8:30am
Linwood Ballroom
Opening Remarks; Gina Gianikos, Mindfluence
8:30am - 9:15am
Linwood Ballroom
Workshop
Prioritizing Vulnerabilities: What’s the Real Risk?
Dive into the challenge of prioritizing vulnerabilities based on risk to the business. Discuss the methodologies for risk assessment, such as CVSS scores, exploitability, and business impact, and explore whether they truly represent the risk to an organization. Share how organizations are looking at new ways to operationalize and reimagine vulnerability management and remediation efforts.
Erik Hart, CISO, Cushman & Wakefield
9:15am - 9:40am
Maple Lawn C-D
Peer-To-Peer Meeting #5
9:45am - 10:10am
Maple Lawn C-D
Peer-To-Peer Meeting #6
10:15am - 11:00am
Linwood Ballroom
Invited Guest Speaker
The Importance of Being in Third Place
Cybersecurity is facing a quiet crisis of isolation, and this talk explores how rebuilding informal, in-person community spaces—our “third places”—can restore resilience, connection, and belonging across the industry.
More about the topic
In an industry driven by high-stakes pressure, remote work, and digital isolation, many cybersecurity professionals are quietly burning out. We’ve built our lives around work and home—but what’s missing is a third place where we can connect as people, not just professionals. This talk draws on decades of sociological and psychological research to explore how local hacker meetups, conferences, and informal gatherings can serve as vital sanctuaries for mental health, social capital, and career growth.
We’ll examine the science behind why humans—especially those wired for introversion, ADHD, or autism—need community to thrive, and how the breakdown of social ties is making us more vulnerable than we think. You’ll hear real-world stories, surprising statistics, and actionable ideas to help rebuild belonging in cybersecurity, one third place at a time.
Whether you're a security leader looking to support your team or a burned-out practitioner searching for your people, this talk offers a roadmap for reconnecting—with each other, and with ourselves.
Robert Wagner, Advisory CISO, NetSPI
Robert Wagner is an Advisory CISO and highly respected security practitioner, advisor, and strategist with over 20 years of experience. His security experience ranges from defending everything from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies, major universities, and financial institutions. He is a co-founder of the not-for-profit organization Hak4Kidz, serves on the board of the Chicago ISSA chapter, and regularly volunteers for various hacker cons including Bsides312, BlueTeamCon, and others.
11:00am - 11:45am
Linwood Ballroom
PANEL #3
Secure by Design: Application Security in the Era of Cloud-Native Development
Moderator:
Sumi Gorla, Director of Systems Engineering, Illumio
Her responsibilities include executing Illumio strategic product vision, field engineering enablement, and enterprise customer selling and support across US West, US Central and LATAM. Prior to Illumio, Sumi has held several engineering and technical sales leadership roles in companies such as EMC, Brocade, Citirx and BigSwitch Networks. As a sales leader, Sumi brings a unique approach to problem solving, from both a technical and a business perspective. Sumi’s strengths are in her ability to explain how technical features can meet business requirements for all levels of audience.
Panelists:
Michael Lyborg, CISO, Swimlane
Tejas Shah, Senior Director - Information Security, Northern Trust
Shafia Zubair, Director, Cybersecurity GRC, Johnson Controls
Tyler Agypt, Vice President of Global Enablement, Checkmarx
11:45am - 12:45pm
Linwood Foyer
Lunch
12:45pm - 1:00pm
Closing Remarks and $250 Amazon GC Winner
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
Think Boldly!
What People Are Saying
Adam Marsh
Sr. Director of Cybersecurity Architecture and Identity
I found Mindfluence to be the most relevant event I had attended all year. The networking opportunities with my Milwaukee and Chicago peers was excellent and the content was dialed in on what senior cybersecurity leaders need.
Andrew Young
Senior Director - IT Security & Risk
An excellent, mix of valuable insights, technical discussion, fun and networking.
Carlos Munoz
Cloudflare
Gina and Todd are the best hosts!
Heath Tow
Fortinet
Thank you for including Fortinet we look forward to seeing you again next year.
Jennifer Steffen
CISO
Mindfluence is a great way to connect with CISO peers (2025 Lake Geneva) Mindfluence is a great conference to connect with peers in our field and to strategize on ways to handle similar problems in our industry. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Jim Georgis
Tanium
Great event, format encourages networking without the awkwardness of vendor/prospective client engagement that you get at your typical tradeshows. We were able to mix a little bit of business with some casual networking. Every session was interesting and attendees were smiling from the beggining to when we wrapped up.
Joel Heric
Director of Network & Security
Thank you again for a wonderful event! Hands down one of the best security conferences I've been to. And I have been to a lot over the years. Great content, great speakers. Kudos! (2025 Lake Geneva) My favorite event of the year! Well-organized with quality content, strong networking opportunities, and relevant discussions. Looking forward to next year. (2026 Lake Geneva)
John Kellerhals
President
Mindfluence is a must attend event!
John Strezo
Red Canary
Always one of my favorite events each year... always look forward to Mindfluence.
Lalit Arora
Northwestern Mutual
It was my first event but I really enjoyed it. I look forward to attending future events.
Notoane Russell
VP Enterprise Security Architecture
Great event to learn, network and help problem solve with local IT leaders who are currently or have tackled some of the ever evolving cybersecurity challenges.
Steve Shelton
Chief Executive Officer
Mindfluence provides a relaxed and engaging experience for CISOs and their peers to network, learn from one another, and enjoy community. I highly recommend any cybersecurity leaders to experience these events.
Tim Morris
Tanium
Great event and location.