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Conference Program

2025 Security Conference Program

Aug. 14, 2025

Event held in Hilton Richmond Hotel Short Pump at 12042 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23233

(Subject to change.)

Open all sessions

7:30 - 8:35 a.m.
Registration and breakfast
8:35 - 8:40 a.m.
Welcome - Michael Watson, Chief Information Security Officer of the Commonwealth

Mike Watson, CISO, Virginia

With over 20 years of experience working in the information security field, Michael leads the commonwealth security and risk management team which provides security governance, oversight, and risk management for the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government in Virginia.

Michael holds a graduate degree in telecommunications with a focus on security and management from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), incident handler, intrusion analyst, penetration tester and information systems auditor. 

8:40 - 8:50 a.m.
Opening remarks - Robert Osmond, Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth

Robert Osmond, Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth

As CIO, Osmond leads the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA). He brings vast experience in public and private sector technology to the role, having most recently led information technology, process improvement, and strategic innovation as the Chief of Technology and Business Strategy at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Prior to his role as Chief, he served as the division administrator of VDOT’s information technology division.

Read full bio

8:50 - 8:55 a.m.
Remarks - Margaret “Lyn” McDermid, Secretary of Administration

2022-Secretary of Administration Lyn McDermid

Secretary of Administration, Lyn McDermid brings vast knowledge and experience to the Commonwealth. At a young age, Lyn was the first woman accepted to the Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding. She received a B.A. from Mary Baldwin College and an MBA from the University of Richmond.

Read full bio

8:55 - 9:05 a.m.
Break

Break before keynote kick-off.

9:05 - 10 a.m.
Keynote: Keyaan Williams - Risk Governance Leader, CLASS, LLC (Cyber Leadership and Strategy Solutions)

Keynote speaker for IS Conference, Keyaan J. Williams

Keynote title: “Beyond GRC: How governance of enterprise risk can transform the security and resilience of modern organizations.”

The objective is to encourage attendees to move beyond compliance management often produced by GRC frameworks and instead inspire them to use “classical governance” principles to engage the board, the c-suite, and the entire organization in activities that meaningfully reduce risk and ensure promises made to stakeholder are delivered successfully. This conversation is valuable because the concepts apply equally to public and private organizations of all sizes in all places.

10 - 10:30 a.m.
Networking break with vendor partners

Please join us outside Capital Rooms C & D for a vendor meet and greet.

10:30 - 11:20 a.m.
Topical sessions (choose one)

Track 1: Technical

Location: Capital Room (C & D)

Track 2: Leadership

Location: Capital Room (E, F & G)

Track 3: VITA

Location: Capital Room (A & B)

Attacking and Defending ServiceNow: A Hands-on Lab for Red & Blue Teams

Nicholas Popovich, Rotas Security LLC 

Crisis-Tested Data Controls: Lessons from Major Breaches

Chris Burroughs, Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics (ODGA)

Zero Trust Requirements Built in to the MSS Contract

Virginia CISO and VITA security team representatives

11:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Topical sessions (choose one)

Track 1: Technical

Location: Capital Room (C & D)

Track 2

Location: Capital Room (E, F & G) 

Track 3: VITA

Location: Capital Room (A & B)

From Prompts to Pipelines: How AI is Powering Cyber, Risk and Operational Insight at the DMV

Beau Hurley, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

AI Governance for the C-Suite

Ross Broudy, Woods Rogers Law Firm

 

Looking Ahead: Changes to SEC520

Matthew Steinbach, VITA

12:20 - 1:20 p.m.
Lunch

Lunch will be served in the main ballroom.

1:20 - 2:10 p.m.
Keynote: Kadi McKean - Community Manager, ReversingLabs

Keynote for 2025 IS Conference

Keynote title: Death By Pickle: "Python's Betrayal ML"

We’ve got a REALLY good story around an evil pickle file found in the wild. Abstract: In The Matrix, Neo learns Kung Fu through an upload. In ML, pickle files let models 'learn' similarly. But what if Agent Smith tampered with the module? That's what's happening in pickle files—malicious code can sneak in. This talk covers the threat and detection techniques. You’ll KNOW Kung Fu!

2:10 - 2:30 p.m.
Networking break with vendor partners

Please join us outside Capital Rooms C & D for a vendor meet and greet.

2:35 - 3:25 p.m.
Topical sessions (choose one)

Track 1: Technical

Location: Capital Room (C & D)

Track 2: Leadership

Location: Capital Room (E, F &G) 

Track 3: VITA

Location: Capital Room (A & B)

Zero Trust Branch: An Architectural Deep Dive

Raazi Zain, Zscaler

AI is in Your Network, Now What?

Sabrina Amjad, Vanbri Consulting

Aissac to Splunk Transition (ATOS and VITA)

Richard White, VITA; Greg Booth, VITA; Kevin McLees, Atos


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