Scott Howitt

Founder, SVH Cyber

Scott Howitt is an acclaimed cybersecurity leader, enterprise executive, and the Founder of SVH Cyber. With more than 30 years of IT and security experience spanning Fortune 100 companies and tech start-ups, Scott excels at aligning technical strategies with overarching business objectives. He has previously served as Chief Digital Officer at UKG, CIO at McAfee Enterprise, and CISO at MGM Resorts International and JCPenney. A passionate advocate for modernizing the CISO role, Scott is a frequent speaker at the RSA Conference and Gartner, and an advisor on board-level security risk and cloud innovation.

Kevin Dunn

SVP & Chief Information Security Officer, Daybright Financial

I've spent my career helping organizations navigate complexity. What began as an early fascination with how systems fit together grew into a leadership philosophy centered on clarity, steadiness, and the belief that people perform at their best when they understand the path forward. I've learned that the real work of a technology and cybersecurity executive is not eliminating uncertainty but creating confidence inside it. My approach is grounded in bringing enterprise-grade thinking into organizations that weren't built for it. Mid-market businesses carry real complexity: legacy systems, constrained resources, and leadership teams that need technology to serve the business, not the other way around. I meet organizations where they are, apply enterprise cloud architecture with discipline, and build toward maturity without sacrificing the pragmatism that keeps things running. The result is technology leadership that translates — for the board, for the business, and for the team doing the work. Across three decades, I've led teams through outages, reorganizations, mergers, and the quiet, relentless pressure of keeping critical systems running. The work spans: unifying Microsoft cloud environments across more than 60 acquired firms, leading enterprise business continuity governance through COVID‑19, building transaction‑grade diligence processes for private equity recapitalizations, and creating board‑level security documentation that translated program complexity into governance-ready clarity. I've operationalized Data Loss Prevention as an enforceable control, embedded security awareness into cultural expectations, and helped organizations move from reactive posture to disciplined, measurable resilience. The outcomes matter — but so do the moments behind them. The shift in a room when a team realizes they can handle whatever comes next. The clarity that emerges when a complex risk becomes understandable. The sense of calm that replaces chaos when people trust the process and each other. I'm drawn to the intersection of leadership and technology: cybersecurity, AI governance, operational resilience, and the connected systems reshaping work itself. At the center of it all is a simple belief: resilient organizations are built by resilient people, and the best leaders create the conditions for others to thrive. If you're working on something that requires clarity, steadiness, or the ability to make complexity actionable, I'm always open to a conversation. All insights and opinions shared here are my own & are not official statements from my employer.

Brent Forrest

Chief Information Security Officer, Crash Champions

Leader, architect, and strategic advisor of holistic cybersecurity. Developed security programs across Oil & Gas, Financial, Insurance, and Construction industries including architecture of endpoint visibility/protection, managed detection and response (MDR), and security awareness as well as leading real-world cyberbreach response efforts. Driven by a passion for leading organizations back to the basics through a focus on reducing tool set complications without sacrificing critical visibility. Possesses 8+ years of experiencing establishing Cybersecurity programs for an Oil & Gas organization, achieving a security culture that extended from executive leadership down to the personal lives of individual employees- the most important assets for any organization. Graduate of Western Governors University, holder of CISSP, C|CISO, & other technology certifications, and background of expertise including: security strategy, SOC creation and development, cybersecurity tools landscape, Incident Response (IR & CIRT), process and policy development, vendor relationships & budgeting, staff development and mentoring, regulatory compliance (O&G), risk management, and vulnerability program management.

Pratibha Aphale

Chief Information Security Officer, Dimensional Fund Advisors

With 20+ years of experience as a leader in Global Information Technology, I have integral expertise in cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, ERP evaluation, application support, Global Service desk, as well as data analytics. By forming and leading IT steering committees from the ground up, I have been a trusted leader within the business.

James McQuiggan

Advisory CISO / Founder, Apparent Security

James McQuiggan, CISSP, and author brings over 25 years of experience to the cybersecurity field and is the founder and Advisory CISO of Apparent Security, a consulting practice to help organizations deal with Human Risk Management, Artificial Intelligence, and social engineering, as well as vCISO for various organizations. His extensive background includes CISO Advisory at Knowbe4, providing thought leadership on various cybersecurity topics. McQuiggan was a senior cybersecurity roles at Siemens Energy and Wind Divisions, where he developed expertise in industry standards, incident response, and industrial control system (ICS) security. In addition to his corporate work, James serves as part-time faculty at Full Sail University, teaching Cyber Threat Intelligence. A dedicated community leader, he currently volunteers with ISC2 as Co-chair of the North American Region Advisory Council and Chair of the Southeast Chapter Regional Management Committee, following an eight-year tenure as President of the ISC2 Central Florida Chapter.