Conference Program

Trey Stevens is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with more than 30 years of experience designing, implementing and leading information security programs across the public sector, commercial and healthcare industries. He joined VITA as Deputy Chief Information Security Officer in January 2021, and became Acting Chief Information Security Officer in April 2026. In a previous role, he partnered with the Commonwealth of Virginia to build incident response capabilities and oversaw a landmark redesign of the vulnerability management program serving 65+ executive branch agencies.

Throughout his career, Trey has built a reputation for delivering innovative security solutions, cultivating high-performing teams and forging strong relationships with clients and stakeholders. His expertise spans vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, IT governance, risk management, compliance and frameworks, including NIST 800-53, HIPAA, PCI and IRS Publication 1075. He holds a B.S. in Internetworking Technologies from Strayer University and maintains certifications including CISSP, CCSK and ITIL Foundation.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Commonwealth Mike Watson was appointed by Gov. Abigail D. Spanberger in April 2026. Mike is also the agency head for VITA.

Mike brings over 17 years at VITA and more than two decades of public sector technology leadership to the CIO role. He has earned a reputation for bridging technical depth with strategic execution, leading cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, product management and technology teams that deliver secure and innovative solutions aligned to the missions of state government. As the Commonwealth's technology executive, he leads enterprise IT strategy, cloud transformation, AI adoption and digital modernization across the Commonwealth's IT portfolio.

Mike is a recognized leader in technology and cybersecurity, with a career built on ensuring that modernization efforts are grounded in sound judgment and deliver lasting value to the agencies and citizens they serve. He brings that perspective to every dimension of technology leadership, ensuring that innovation is built on a foundation of trust and resilience. Mike is a graduate of James Madison University and the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing additional education at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Secretary of Administration Traci J. Deshazor brings vast knowledge and experience to the Commonwealth. She is a seasoned public administrator with years of experience across municipal and state government, and federal intergovernmental affairs. Her career reflects a deep commitment to strengthening public institutions, modernizing government operations and ensuring that public systems deliver effectively, equitably and with integrity for the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Secretary Deshazor served as Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia under governors Ralph S. Northam and Terence R. McAuliffe, supervising a team across eight divisions responsible for core constitutional and administrative functions. As Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth, she played a pivotal role in supporting the governor with clemency, contributing to historic actions restoring the civil and voting rights of more than 300,000 Virginians across the two administrations and the granting of thousands of pardons and sentence computations for Virginians well overdue for second chances.

Consistent with Governor Spanberger’s vision, Secretary Deshazor brings ethical leadership, operational rigor and a people-centered approach to building a Commonwealth government that is effective, accountable and worthy of public trust. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Political Leaders Program, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Virginia Executive Institute and Minority Political Leadership Institute, and the Women’s Campaign School at Yale. She earned degrees from Virginia Tech and Hollins University.

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Beyond GRC: How governance of enterprise risk can transform the security and resilience of modern organizations

Dr. David A. Bray will encourage attendees to move beyond compliance management often produced by governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) frameworks and instead 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 stakeholders are delivered successfully. The insights shared are valuable concepts that apply equally to public and private organizations of all sizes in all places.

Death By Pickle: Python's Betrayal ML