Contributors

Marc Frankel is the CEO and co-founder of Manifest, a venture-backed cybersecurity company focused on operationalizing software bills of materials (SBOMs). Marc led public sector business operations at attack surface management company Expanse, acquired by Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) in 2020. Prior to Expanse, Marc led customer engagements at Palantir (NYSE:PLTR) and was the recipient of a 2006 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

Jeff Johnson is an accomplished corporate security professional and leader. Jeff has held security positions, including Head of Security, Global Head of Cyber Security Defense and Intelligence, Senior Director, Information Security, Global Lead - Information Security Competence, Awareness, and Training, and Data Privacy and Information Security Manager. He also holds the honor of the coveted One2Watch distinction.

Jodi Daniels is the founder of Red Clover Advisors, now one of the few certified Women’s Business Enterprises focused solely on privacy. Jodi is a Certified Information Privacy Professional, National Keynote Speaker, and author featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., The Economist, Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, and Medium. She is also a member of the Forbes Business Council.

Tamika Bass is a highly qualified IT security analyst and adjunct Professor with 15+ years of experience specializing in business continuity, disaster recovery, IT security, and knowledge transfer. She applies methods for assessing and mitigating risk, analyzing impacts, and managing incidents. Her extensive IT security experience includes security auditing, governance risk and compliance, ITGRC implementation, and business continuity planning.

Jane Rainer has held many roles in organizations, from security analyst, IT manager, senior IT support, infrastructure administrator, bank security officer, and data analyst. She had a unique opportunity to learn how pieces of technology fit together to increase process efficiency and security. Jane is passionate about helping others and helping businesses understand the criticality of technology and security in today’s environment. She also holds the honor of the converted One2Watch distinction.

Lesley Heizman is a manager of risk and compliance who’s worked in various industries, from healthcare to e-commerce to tech. She’s passionate about privacy, self-development, helping people's career pivots, Diet Coke, and spicy margaritas! In her spare time, she’s a boy mom, wife, and dog mom who loves lifting heavy things, reading, and podcast listening! She also holds the honor of the converted One2Watch distinction.

Melissa Sanford is a Desert Storm veteran who has served honorably in the United States Navy. She is an experienced leader with a strong track record in managing and leading teams of 200+ personnel. For the past 20 years, she has worked for some of the largest companies in the world, including Apple, Capgemini, and Dell. She is recognized as a trusted partner for clients seeking innovation, strategic guidance, and protection against cyber threats in today’s digital age. She has first-hand experience helping global corporations work through data breaches with law firms, thriving under stressful and ambiguous situations to provide the best outcomes for clients in times of uncertainty.

Adam Maruyama is a cybersecurity and national security professional and the current Field CISO for Garrison Technology. He served over 15 years in the Intelligence Community supporting cyber and counterterrorism operations, including numerous warzone tours and co-leading the drafting of the 2018 National Strategy for Counterterrorism. During his time in the industry, Adam has served commercial and government customers at McKinsey & Company and Palo Alto Networks.

Chinedu Ekukinam is an accomplished cybersecurity professional with over ten years of experience as a Security Architect, Cloud Security Manager, and cybersecurity entrepreneur. He has successfully secured healthcare, financial services, education, and pharmaceutical organizations. With expertise across cybersecurity domains, Chinedu has developed security architectures and programs for many complex environments. 

Chinedu enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences to help build the next generation of cybersecurity talent. He aims to make an impact by making cybersecurity more accessible, understandable, and achievable for everyone.

Amanda Sue Walker is based in Missouri and serves as a VP of Community Engagement, focusing on people and networking within the cybersecurity industry. Passionate about the critical role of operational technology security in national defense, she views cybersecurity as a key battleground affecting all citizens. An avid fan of decodingCyber, Amanda combines her expertise in community dynamics with an understanding of the economic impacts of security, advocating for comprehensive national cybersecurity strategies.

Ethan Largent is a tech veteran with 20 years of experience. He started coding when the a la carte menu of languages wasn’t quite as long. Then, he spent ten years mastering project and quality control before diving into data privacy and security. While passionate about all the related concepts, his love of risk management takes the lead, given its criticality to regularly apply in his personal life to maintain sanity with his five children. Ethan has tailored solutions across insurance, finance, and retail to protect customers while striking a balance with operational goals.

Becky Gaylord has 20 years of experience in Information Security. She advocates for practices that help people improve their cyber resilience at work, at home, with their families, and in their communities. Her passion and purpose are assisting secure organizations and being a lifelong learner.

She has her CISSP and is a former award-winning writer with Dow Jones and The New York Times.

Mike Kaplan is an experienced professional services leader who helps organizations better their security postures and extract the most value from their security technologies. Throughout his 15+ year career, he’s had a passion for cybersecurity, helping customers address complex problems with technology, and operationally improving teams to become more effective. In his spare time, he travels the world with his wife, hikes whatever mountain they can find, brews beer, and works toward becoming a respectable amateur photographer.