SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

                             DATA BREACHES: DEFENSE & RESPONSE –  SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES – DECEMBER 3, 2025

 

Don Balis, Global IT Security Director, Griffith Foods, Inc.

Don Balis is the Director of Global IT Security for Griffith Foods, leading cybersecurity strategy, governance, and global security operations across its worldwide manufacturing footprint. With over two decades of experience spanning food manufacturing & retail, consumer electronics, sports media, and global supply chain organizations, he has overseen multimillion-dollar technology portfolios, modernized infrastructure and networks, advanced cloud adoption, and driven security and compliance initiatives. A former United States Marine Corps IT engineer and veteran of multiple overseas deployments, Don brings a calm, mission-focused leadership style to every challenge.

 

 

 

Landen Brown, Field CTO, MIND

Landen Brown is the Field CTO at MIND. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and cybersecurity strategist with over a decade of experience leading data protection and governance programs. He has held senior roles at Trace3 and Symmetry Systems, where he helped enterprises modernize data security and insider risk programs across healthcare, finance, and technology. Today, Landen partners with global CISOs to align governance, security and compliance into unified strategies that withstand regulatory pressure and keep sensitive data protected without stalling the business.

 

 

Johnny Burton, Vice President of IT and Security Officer, The Family Institute at Northwestern University

I have fourteen (14) years of IT experience, a Bachelor’s degree, CISSP certified and have been focusing on Network and Cybersecurity for the past eight (8) years. My expertise includes managing secure network infrastructure, conducting risk assessments, and creating security policies. I lead teams to build security strategies from scratch, following cybersecurity frameworks and best practices. I implement processes to reduce attack surfaces and manage risks, which have proven effective in safeguarding sensitive data. I have worn several hats within my role and experience with cross-functional/cross-team communication. My team relies on me for guidance as the standard bearer for cybersecurity. I design secure cloud solutions that satisfy business requirements and adhere to regulations such as HIPAA and PCI. I worked quickly to understand the business and develop customized security solutions to protect the company’s most valuable assets.

I am a team leader and player motivated to work with a company that values innovation and security. I advocate for cybersecurity to be incorporated in the planning stage of every project and for SDLC to ensure a proactive and continuous approach to security.

As part of my commitment to mitigating potential threats, I prioritize attending tech summits and participating in cybersecurity clubs. Continuous learning and improvement are essential to enhance my cybersecurity skills and the profession and protect my company’s infrastructure.

 

 

Kendra Cooley, Senior Director, Security and IT, Doppel

Kendra Cooley is a senior information security and IT leader with 14+ years of experience building security and tech programs in high-growth startups (Mailchimp, Webflow, Flock Safety, Doppel). She advises organizations on security strategy, speaks at major conferences, and helps embed cost-effective, scalable security across global teams.

 

 

Victor Hsiang, CISO, GATX

Victor Hsiang is an accomplished Information Security, Risk and IT Professional with over 19 years of experience working within the Financial Services and Healthcare sectors. He has an established track record of delivering successful IT and Information Security solutions that manages risk while supporting business requirements. His experience includes implementation of technology, security audits, risk assessments, information records management, privacy concerns, compliance and legal issues related to security, forensics, security practices and policy development. He currently leads the Information Security program at GATX Corporation.

 

 

Bruce Parr, Manager Cloud Security, Paylocity

With over 20 years of experience in the software development and engineering, and more recently, the software security space, Bruce has worked to develop and secure applications from small to scalable enterprise systems.

Since 2021, Bruce has worked as an Application Security manager in the DevSecOps and Cloud Security Engineering and Automation roles at Paylocity. Prior to that, Bruce worked as a Software Engineer and Senior Software Engineer at Paylocity, gaining invaluable product and technical expertise as a member of at least six different engineering teams.

As a manager, Bruce has led major initiatives such as Secrets Management, Secrets Scanning, and procurement of enterprise-level tooling for Secrets Scanning, SAST, and CSPM. Bruce has also continued to develop proofs of concept, such as the CVSS Rescore project, which leveraged rules engine technology and internal knowledge to reduce the severity of discovered vulnerabilities using automation.

In January 2025, Bruce took on the Cloud Security Engineering and Automation Manager role as part of a broader reorganization that seeks to consolidate essential security functionality under one manager, and recreate the program to better streamline operations and better satisfy internal customer needs. Re-implementation of Cloud Security within the organization included solidifying work streams between Compliance, Security Architecture, Cloud Security, Cloud Platform Engineering, Software Engineering, and Risk Management, as well as performing gap analysis at both the team member and tooling level.

In addition, as a manager, Bruce has also taken on hiring, reviewing, budget, and procurement responsibilities for a team of 5-10 engineers and a tooling portfolio of $1-2mm. During his time as manager, Bruce has focused heavily on team development and coaching, building a unique Career Matrix to manage role expectations. This not only enabled his team to achieve Cloud Security certification at varying levels, but it enabled Bruce to promote five team members.

Prior to his management engagements, Bruce worked with Microsoft C#, DotNet and SQL Server. Bruce expanded his tool set over time to include frameworks and platforms such as MongoDB, API architecture, Docker, AWS, ReactJS, and Python.

Between Bruce’s experience in building software and his ability to learn to lead, Bruce has been able to build scalable secure solutions, teams, and programs with a track record of success.

 

Nick Schloemer, Cybersecurity Solutions Architect & Leader, WWT

Nick Schloemer is a Security Solutions Advisor at World Wide Technology with 20 years of experience. In his current role he provides consultation to the Fortune 500 on strategies to reduce risk, improve security postures, educate on market dynamics and vendor innovations.

Across his career he has been in service delivery, sales, solutions engineering and consultation. With a wealth of experience, in varying facets of the industry, he offers unique insights with an eclectic approach.

Nick holds his undergraduate in Network Administration with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from WGU.

 

 

Ricardo Reati, General Manager, SpearTip

Riccardo currently leads SpearTip a cybersecurity service firm fully owned by Zurich Insurance, where he focuses on innovation on value proposition for clients and superior client delivery.  Prior to that he owned a consulting firm focused on technology and risk management and before that he was an executive at Zurich insurance globally focused mainly on operations and technology. His foundational experience on cyber goes back to when he advised large Italian banks on building cyber culture through awareness and training programs. Riccardo grew up in Italy, worked in Zambia with an NGO and has been in the USA since 2009. He is an avid reader, swimmer, skier and father of two girls.

 

 

Steven Shelton, Founder and Chief Resilience Officer, Green Shoe Consulting

Steve Shelton is the visionary founder and Chief Resilience Officer of Green Shoe Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping cybersecurity leaders—and the teams they guide—transform chronic stress into sustainable strength. With nearly two decades of experience in the trenches of cybersecurity sales at Symantec, RSA and Proofpoint, Steve saw firsthand how relentless pressure and the “always-on” mentality can erode even the most talented professionals. He founded Green Shoe to bridge the gap between technical expertise and mental well-being, drawing on his training in cognitive performance psychology to craft evidence-based strategies that elevate both personal resilience and organizational health.

 

 

Krishna Vishnubhotla, VP of Product Strategy, Zimperium

Krishna Vishnubhotla is Vice President of Product Strategy at Zimperium, where he has spent over a decade shaping the company’s vision and advancing mobile security solutions. With more than 20 years of leadership experience across technology and financial services, he specializes in mobile security, product strategy, and customer success. Krishna is a recognized thought leader and frequent industry speaker, offering insights on protecting enterprises and public sector organizations from evolving mobile threats, fraud, and compliance risks.