Chris Weggeman is a Managing Director in Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory. He leads in the Government and Public Services (GPS) sector within our Cyber & Strategic Risk (C&SR) Offering Portfolio as Executive Advisor for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) Mega Account and Strategic Advisor to the C&SR Offering Portfolio Leader. Chris is a highly experienced and decorated multi-domain warfighting Commander and strategist. His eminence spans leading and Commanding across the Defense, Air Power & Cyber Operations enterprises. He logged his first 25 years as a combat-proven F-16 fighter pilot and USAF Weapons School F-16 Instructor Pilot with 4 combat tours, and then served 9 years as a General Officer leading and commanding cyber forces and missions as the US Cyber Command Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy J5 and the Air Forces’s senior operational cyber leader culminating in his tours as the Commander, Air Forces Cyber and Deputy Commander, Air Combat Command. He is skilled in U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Staff, Air Force, Space Force, Enterprise Training, Strategy, Policy and Leadership. Chris has master’s degrees in Military Strategic Studies from USAF Air War College and Military Arts and Sciences from Army Command and General Staff College.

Why do cybersecurity and tech professionals (and their teams) fail? As a Michigan Government agency CIO, and enterprise-wide CISO, CTO and CSO, Dan Lohrmann has been studying this question for years – and built and managed many award-winning government teams.  

Conventional wisdom says we need more staff training and technical security certifications. Others say higher salaries, a better understanding of the bad guys, bigger budgets, more executive leadership training or more top-level executive buy-in are needed. While all of these items certainly help, many security and technology staff with all of the above still fail to achieve desired results. 

Packed with true government stories that will surprise, this keynote will challenge many technology and security career assumptions. You’ll learn seven ways to revitalize your role, team and your professional outlook – along with practical tips to implement.

Daniel J. Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author. During his distinguished career, Dan has served global organizations in the public and private sectors in a variety of executive leadership capacities, receiving numerous national awards including: CSO of the Year from SC Magazine, Public Official of the Year from Governing Magazine and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader.

Lohrmann currently serves as the Field CISO, Public Sector for Presidio, a global digital services and solutions provider accelerating business transformation through secured technology modernization. Lohrmann leads cybersecurity advisory services for public sector clients at Presidio. Working with global CxOs and partners, Dan advises clients on cybersecurity best practices and solutions. He previously served as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Strategist for Security Mentor, Inc., a security awareness and training company.

As Chief Security Officer for Google Public Sector, my mission is to partner with government entities to enhance their security posture in an increasingly complex threat landscape. This keynote will address the urgent need for robust cybersecurity strategies to safeguard Texas' critical infrastructure – from energy grids and water systems to transportation networks and healthcare facilities. We are at a pivotal moment, facing sophisticated adversaries and the intersection of the use of AI for both harmful purposes and to advance our collective defense against these threats. 

The address will explore three interconnected pillars crucial for Texas' resilience: 

Critical Infrastructure Resiliency in a Heightened Threat Environment: We'll begin by outlining the specific threats facing Texas' critical infrastructure, including nation-state actors, ransomware gangs, and increasingly, AI-powered attacks. I'll detail the cascading consequences of successful breaches, emphasizing the impact on public safety, economic stability, and national security. We'll discuss a shift from purely preventative measures to a resilience-focused approach: assuming breaches will occur and building systems capable of rapid detection, response, and recovery. This includes strengthening incident response plans, conducting regular tabletop exercises, and fostering robust public-private partnerships. 

Advancing Cyber Defense and Readiness: This section will delve into the concrete steps Texas organizations – both public and private sector – must take to bolster their defenses. Potential topics: 

• Zero Trust Architecture: Moving beyond perimeter-based security to a model that verifies every user and device, regardless of location. 
• Cloud Security Advantages: Leveraging the inherent security benefits of cloud platforms, including advanced threat detection, automated patching, and scalable security solutions.
• Supply Chain Security: Addressing the growing threat of attacks targeting software and hardware supply chains, emphasizing the need for rigorous vendor risk management. 
• Workforce Development: The critical importance of investing in cybersecurity training and education to build a skilled workforce capable of meeting the evolving challenges. The talk will stress a shared responsibility model, emphasizing collaboration between state agencies, federal partners, and the private sector.

The AI Inflection Point: Threat and Opportunity: This is the core of the keynote. We'll explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on both sides of the cybersecurity battleground.

• AI-Powered Attacks: We'll dissect how adversaries are already using AI to automate attacks, create highly sophisticated phishing campaigns, generate deepfakes, and identify vulnerabilities at scale. This necessitates a proactive approach to understanding and mitigating these emerging threats. 
• AI-Powered Defense: Crucially, we'll focus on how Texas can harness the power of AI to gain an advantage in cybersecurity. This includes using AI for: 
  • Threat Detection and Analysis: Identifying anomalous behavior and patterns that indicate malicious activity far faster and more accurately than traditional methods. 
  • Automated Incident Response: Speeding up containment and remediation efforts through AI-driven automation. 
  • Vulnerability Management: Proactively identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. 
  • Predictive Security: Leveraging AI to anticipate future threats and adapt defenses accordingly. 
  • Deception technology: using AI to create and deploy realistic decoys.

Ron Bushar serves as the Chief Security Officer and Managing Director of Cyber solutions at Google Public Sector. In this role, he leads a diverse global team of cyber experts who empower Google Public Sector to safely and securely deliver customer mission outcomes and deliver Mandiant and Google’s unique platform of innovative security and cloud capabilities and solutions to protect critical missions, infrastructure, and national security interests worldwide.

Ron is a seasoned, highly effective, and innovative cyber security leader with over 27 years of experience in cyber defense operations, cybersecurity consulting, and incident response services in both the government and commercial sectors. Ron has a track record of successfully building strategic programs and dynamic teams that deliver innovative cyber solutions, ensure effective security, minimize organizational risk, and ensure mission outcomes for customers.

Prior to his work at Mandiant and Google, Ron served as the Director of the Department of Justice Security Operations Center (JSOC) where he led transformative efforts to redefine and restructure key information security and cyber defense operation capabilities. Ron also served as the Department’s Insider Threat Program Manager and liaison to the National Insider Threat Task Force. In previous roles, Ron built and led expert teams of cyber defense operators, incident responders, and red teams at several U.S. intelligence and defense department agencies. Ron began his career in the United States Air Force serving as an officer in the Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron. Ron holds an MS in Computer Information Systems from St. Mary's University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech University.