Guardians of the Future: How AI is Transforming Cybersecurity

In an era where digital threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the convergence of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity is not just a trend—it's a revolution. Join us for an insightful and forward-thinking event, Guardians of the Future: How AI is Transforming Cybersecurity, where industry leaders will explore how AI is redefining the landscape of cyber defense.

• This meeting is a hybrid meeting and is free for SIM Boston Members and approved invited guests.
• This September we will be hosting a secondary location in downtown Boston! When you go to register, you can select which location you plan to attend.
• We will have one In- Person pre-meetings from 4:30-5:30 pm; Member Career Development. When you register on the next page, please select whether you plan to attend. *This is a Waltham based Pre-Event only. There will be no access to virtual attendance.

TLS is a SIM Boston exclusive event. Please ensure you're logged into your membership profile to be able to register. Please reach out to help@simboston.org for any questions or concerns.

Our Moderator:

Craig Holbrook, Vice President, Northeast, Centric Consulting

Craig L. Holbrook is an accomplished consultant and currently serves as Managing Partner, Centric Consulting, Northeast.  Centric is a business consulting and technology solutions firm providing full-service management consulting services.

Mr. Holbrook has diverse consulting experience in Business and IT strategy, process improvement and technology delivery including financial, human resources, outsourcing and electric/gas utilities. His additional areas of expertise are in customer care and operations management.

Prior to his consulting career, Craig served his country with distinction during his 6 years as a decorated Aircraft Maintenance Officer in the U.S. Air Force serving globally. 

Our Panel:

David Vidoni, CIO, Pegasystems 

David oversees the Global Technology team overseeing enterprise business systems, infrastructure, AI, digital web, end client services, business intelligence, analytics and data platforms, project management, DevOps, and quality assurance. David leads Pegasystems’ IT vision, strategy and digital transformation enabling the company to achieve efficiencies at scale.

David’s professional experience is complemented by an MBA from Bowling Green State University. He additionally holds a BS in Engineering from Clarkson University. Outside of work, he is a member of the Governing Board of Gartner Evanta and an Executive Board Member for the Society of Information Management (SIM) – Boston Chapter.

Jeffrey Wheatman, SVP, Cyber Risk Evangelist, Black Kite

A strategic thought leader with extensive expertise in security and cyber risk management, Jeffrey Wheatman is regarded as a foremost expert in guiding public sector clients and Fortune 500 companies in connection with their cybersecurity and risk management programs. Jeffrey’s history of working with clients to plan, grow, and transform their cyber risk management programs has been instrumental in ensuring organizations' continued viability and health as they define short- and long-term expansion plans. Under Jeffrey’s guidance, board and C-level leaders are fortified with the best practice solutions to realize exceptional performance outcomes.

In his current capacity as SVP, Cyber Risk Strategist at Black Kite, Jeffrey has been tasked with raising awareness of the enterprise-wide risk impacts of third party risk, both in the digital and traditional supply chain and supporting the strategic vision of the executive leadership team and investors.

Laura Ellis, VP of Data & Artificial Intelligence, Rapid 7

Laura Ellis is the Vice President of Data and AI at Rapid7, a cybersecurity company. Her mission is to make artificial intelligence, data science and analytics accessible to everyone in a secure and scalable manner.

She has worked in the data field holding a variety of positions for almost 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Software Engineering from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Science in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University and a Chief Data Officer executive certificate from Carnegie Mellon.

She is the co-founder of Data Mishaps Night (www.datamishapsnight.com), an evening for data practitioners to share their data mistakes and learning. She has a long time blog where she writes about all things data: www.littlemissdata.com

Waltham In-Person Agenda:

Location: Pegasystems, Waltham MA

4:30 pm TLS Pre-Event Discussions: Member Career Development

5:30 pm Registration, Networking, Hors D’oeuvres/Drinks (cash bar)

6:00 pm Buffet Dinner, Networking

6:30 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks

6:45 pm Sponsor Introduction

6:50 pm Outreach Partner Introduction

6:55 pm Feature Presentation - Panelist speakers

8:00 pm Closing Remarks

8:30 pm Peer Discussion until 9 pm

Boston Agenda:

Location: Markley Group 1 Summer St, Boston, MA 02110

5:30 pm Registration, Networking, Hors D’oeuvres

6:00 pm Buffet Dinner, Networking

6:30 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks

6:45 pm Sponsor Introduction

6:50 pm Outreach Partner Introduction

6:55 pm Feature Presentation - Panelist speakers

8:00 pm Closing Remarks

8:30 pm Peer Discussion until 9 pm

Virtual Agenda:

Location: Zoom 

6:00 pm Networking

6:30 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks

6:45 pm Sponsor Introduction

6:50 pm Outreach Partner Introduction

6:55 pm Feature Presentation - Panelist speakers

8:00 pm Closing Remarks

Member Career Development Pre-Event Discussion: 

Topic To Be Determined. 

*This is a Waltham based Pre-Event only. There will be no access to virtual attendance.