Critical Infrastructure Security Summit

Event Date: January 08, 2027

Time: 8:00am - 3:30pm

Location:

Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center | 7901 Tysons One Pl, Tysons, VA 22102

Cyberattacks increasingly threaten critical infrastructure — including energy grids, water systems, supply chain, hospitals and operational technology. Federal agencies are strengthening resiliency and modernizing security strategies to protect these systems that power the nation.

The Critical Infrastructure Security Summit 2027 brings together federal civilian, defense and industry leaders to discuss the evolving threat landscape and the technologies and policies shaping resilience and cybersecurity strategy across the nation’s critical sectors.

Attendees will hear how federal agencies are securing IT and OT environments, addressing industrial control systems security, improving cyber resilience, strengthening supply chain security and leveraging AI, zero trust and emerging technologies to protect services.

Attendees may receive up to 5 continuing professional education (CPE) credits. For more information, please click here.

Critical Infrastructure Security Summit 2027: critical infrastructure cybersecurity conference

Agenda

8:00am - 9:00am

Breakfast and Networking

9:00am - 9:05am

Opening Remarks

9:05am - 9:25am

Opening Fireside Chat

9:25am - 9:35am

Industry Perspective

9:40am - 10:15am

Building Visibility Across Critical Infrastructure

Organizations can’t protect what they can’t see, making visibility across increasingly complex IT and operational technology environments critical to managing cyber risk. Federal and industry leaders will discuss strategies for identifying assets and vulnerabilities, monitoring networks and using analytics and threat intelligence to better understand and respond to risk.

10:15am - 10:35am

Networking Break

10:35am - 11:10am

Securing IT/OT Environments: Lessons From Recent Critical Infrastructure Attacks

IT and operational technology (OT) environments are becoming increasingly interconnected — and recent cyber incidents targeting water systems have highlighted risks of exposed industrial control systems. This panel will explore approaches to protecting IT and OT, including zero trust, identity and access controls, secure remote access and strategies for maintaining continuity as infrastructure evolves.

Speaker

Cole Dutton Senior Cybersecurity Specialist, Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, EPA
Shery Thomas Enterprise IT Officer Navy Installations Command

11:15am - 11:50am

Lightning Rounds: Critical Infrastructure Risks to Watch

Experts will identify the threats, vulnerabilities and security challenges — and the strategies and programs tackling them — that federal leaders should be paying closest attention to over the next year.

Andrew Carney Program Manager, Proactive Health, ARPA-H

11:50am - 12:30pm

Networking Lunch

12:30pm - 12:50pm

Flywheel Awards Presentation

The flywheel — a critical component in a machine to increase its momentum — is also a critical symbol representing our publication’s goal to keep federal IT decision-makers informed on technology’s impact on government. This momentum is what fuels the constant need for transformers to innovate in cybersecurity and communicate evolving cyber strategies across the ecosystem.

Categories include: Critical Infrastructure Security Rising Star, Cyber Leader, Infrastructure Resilience Champion, AI Security Innovator and CISO of the Year.

Finalists

Critical Infrastructure Security Rising Star Lt. JG Christopher Edington IT Program and Portfolio Manager, Coast Guard
Critical Infrastructure Security Rising Star Blanca Cambi Consular Data Services Product Line Lead, Department of State
Critical Infrastructure Security Rising Star Austin Clark Enterprise Security Architect, DOT
Cyber Leader David Travers Director of the Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, EPA
Cyber Leader Jason Bilnoski Deputy Assistant Director, FBI Cyber Division
Cyber Leader Chip Abernathy Acting Assistant Director, National Risk Management Center, CISA
Infrastructure Resilience Champion Andrew McClure Director, CESER, DOE
Infrastructure Resilience Champion Edward Mays Deputy Assistant Commissioner, CBP
Infrastructure Resilience Champion Nastassia Tamari Division Director of Medical Device Cybersecurity, FDA
AI Security Innovator Sage Briscoe Technical Program Manager, AI FORTS, DOE
AI Security Innovator Katerina Megas Director, SI Accelerator, NIST
AI Security Innovator Victoria Yan Pillitteri Cybersecurity Lead, NIST
CISO of the Year Michael Duffy Acting Federal CISO, OMB
CISO of the Year Eric Sanders CISO, HHS
CISO of the Year Jeff Spaeth Acting CISO, VA

12:55pm - 1:30pm

Using AI to Get Ahead of Cyber Threats

Artificial intelligence is giving critical infrastructure organizations new tools to detect suspicious activity and respond to cyber threats faster. Leaders will discuss how they are using AI to identify anomalies, automate parts of incident response and strengthen infrastructure monitoring, as well as the data and technology foundations needed to deploy AI effectively.

1:30pm - 2:05pm

Securing the Supply Chain

Critical infrastructure security increasingly depends on understanding the technology, software and vendors that make up complex supply chains. This panel will examine how organizations are taking inventory of their technology stacks, addressing third-party risk and improving vendor and software visibility.

2:05pm - 2:25pm

Networking Break

2:25pm - 3:00pm

Building Resilience to Withstand Cyberattacks

Preventing every cyberattack may not be possible, making resilience and continuity essential to critical infrastructure security. Experts will discuss how organizations can prepare for major incidents through response planning, cyber exercises, red teaming, resilient data and backup strategies, and other measures designed to keep essential services running during and after an attack.

3:05pm - 3:25pm

Closing Fireside Chat

3:25pm - 3:30pm

Closing Remarks

Speakers

Cole Dutton Senior Cybersecurity Specialist, Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, EPA
Cole Dutton
- Senior Cybersecurity Specialist, Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity
- EPA
Cole Dutton is a Senior Cybersecurity Specialist for EPA’s Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Division, where he supports the agency’s Sector Risk Management Agency (SRMA) responsibilities to enhance the cybersecurity resilience of America’s drinking water and wastewater systems. He founded the EPA’s Cybersecurity Vulnerability Identification Program, which identifies internet-exposed operational technology (OT) devices at water and wastewater systems and provides actionable mitigations to secure these devices from cyber threats. Cole is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and holds a master’s degree in information security.
Shery Thomas Enterprise IT Officer, Navy Installations Command
Shery Thomas
- Enterprise IT Officer
- Navy Installations Command
As the Cyber Technology Officer, Mr. Thomas advises the Commander on all aspects of intelligence, cyber and related technologies, working with intelligence, cyber and science and technology organizations to generate and ensure the integrity of capabilities, concepts, policies, operational programs, studies and training that support and enable Marine Corps maneuver in the cyberspace. He works to enable cyber and intelligence focused compute and store, collaboration, access control and identity management, data encryption and governance. He leads defensive cyber operations for the hybrid cloud environment and champions setting the conditions to adopt and implement principles of zero trust. He supports leading the USMC risk management framework modernization efforts and creates opportunities for emerging technology needed for connected and denied disrupted and intermittent environments. He leads enabling cyber and intelligence for compute and store, collaboration, access control and identity management, data encryption and governance creating use of processes, tools, techniques and protocols for proactive network resiliency and command and control with data driven decision making. Mr. Thomas demonstrates his passion for talent management through partnerships with industry, academia, institutions, and federal agencies.

Prior to Mr. Thomas’ assignment at MARFORCYBER, he served as the Chief Acquisition and Financial Officer for Network Cross Functional Team, Army Futures Command. He was responsible for the focused integration of network, command, control, communications, and intelligence to enable mission command across the Army’s tactical network through transport agnostic, data centric, modern security architecture and Cyber Electro-Magnetic Dominance. Mr. Thomas had oversight of a diverse team responsible for resource management, portfolio integration, market research, contracting, logistics and sustainment for the coordination and direction of the development of long-term acquisition strategies.

Previously, he has served as Chief Engineer and Chief of Technical Management at Project Manager Distributed Common Ground Systems – Army, Fielding and Training. He developed long-term strategies for technology research, investment, integration, and fielding of the Army’s cornerstone intelligence system for sensor tasking, Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (PED) at all echelons.

Mr. Thomas began his career as a Department of Defense civilian with the Communications Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC) where he led research projects on Network Robustness and developed Cyber Offensive Operations techniques. He is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps and subsequently held acquisition positions including information assurance engineer, lead systems engineer and Assistant Program Manager within the Army and including a joint duty assignment at the International Programs Office. He has also served as a Strategic Initiative Officer at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition Logistics and Technology.

Mr. Thomas holds a Master of Engineering in Telecommunications from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Economics from Rutgers University along with several technical certificates. He is a graduate of the OPM Senior Leadership program in Organization Leadership. He holds Defense Acquisition University Level III certification in both program management and systems engineering.

His leadership philosophy is to exemplify integrity, agility, humility, and have a people first approach. He strives to be approachable, provide unity and collaboration, and sound judgment. In his leisure time, Shery enjoys traveling, reading books to increase his knowledge base, sports/exercise, being an active leader within his church and community, and spending time with family and friends.
Andrew Carney Program Manager, Proactive Health,, ARPA-H
Andrew Carney
- Program Manager, Proactive Health,
- ARPA-H
Andrew Carney joined ARPA-H in July 2023 from HSBC’s Cybersecurity Science and Analytics group, where he worked as a principal researcher. He has over 15 years of experience in software and hardware vulnerability research, technical education and training, and management of research and development teams.

In addition to his role as program manager with ARPA-H, Carney holds a joint program manager appointment with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC), a competition focused on securing software in critical infrastructure. Before HSBC, Carney was a technical advisor and contractor for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). At DARPA, he supported research efforts focused on reverse engineering, program analysis, human-machine teaming, and automated program repair. Throughout his career, Carney has been involved in competitive hacking (called Capture the Flag, or CTF) as both a player and a competition organizer. He holds a master’s degree in computer science from The Johns Hopkins University.
Chris Wallace (Pending Agency Approval) Chief of Cybersecurity,, PEO DHMS
Chris Wallace (Pending Agency Approval)
- Chief of Cybersecurity,
- PEO DHMS
Mr. Christopher Wallace serves as the Chief of Cybersecurity for the Program Executive Office, Defense Healthcare Management Systems, where he leads the organization in innovating and modernizing efforts for a stronger and better protected enterprise. He leads a team charged with fortifying the nation’s health care management systems, anchored on a strategic blend of information security and network security. His application of rigorous policies and proactive strategy drives PEO DHMS to preempt adversarial threats, contributing to the safeguarding of critical infrastructures and bolstering national security.

In 2019, Mr. Wallace joined PEO DHMS as the lead Information System Security Manager. Before joining PEO DHMS, he worked for the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency, where he worked to rebuild and strengthen a cyber program that was charged to protect national security. His career includes working for Aberdeen Proving Ground, where he ran cybersecurity compliance at the Regional Network Enterprise Center preparing and inspecting military installations for the Command Cyber Readiness Inspections. He also worked for the Department of Defense at the Network Enterprise Center Fort Detrick, MD. He served nearly 10 years in the US military as an Infantryman.

Mr. Wallace holds an M.S. in Strategic Information and Cyberspace Studies from the National Defense University, an M.S. in Computer and Information Systems Security/Information Assurance from Capitol Technology University.

Sponsorships Available

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Ticket Pricing

Government: Free (requires a valid .gov or .mil email address)
Industry: $499
Academia: $50 (requires a current .edu email address)

Registration Form

Call for Speakers

We are looking for federal government leaders to speak on a panel or present during lightning rounds. We are accepting proposals for this event from the community. If your proposal is accepted, a member of our team will reach out to you about speaking at the event.

Speaker Proposal Form

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Critical Infrastructure Security Summit

Breakfast and Networking

Opening Remarks

Opening Fireside Chat

Industry Perspective

Building Visibility Across Critical Infrastructure

Networking Break

Securing IT/OT Environments: Lessons From Recent Critical Infrastructure Attacks

Speaker

Lightning Rounds: Critical Infrastructure Risks to Watch

Networking Lunch

Flywheel Awards Presentation

Finalists

Using AI to Get Ahead of Cyber Threats

Securing the Supply Chain

Networking Break

Building Resilience to Withstand Cyberattacks

Closing Fireside Chat

Closing Remarks

Cole Dutton

Shery Thomas

Andrew Carney

Chris Wallace (Pending Agency Approval)

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Insights

Critical Infrastructure Security Summit

Breakfast and Networking

Opening Remarks

Opening Fireside Chat

Industry Perspective

Building Visibility Across Critical Infrastructure

Networking Break

Securing IT/OT Environments: Lessons From Recent Critical Infrastructure Attacks

Speaker

Lightning Rounds: Critical Infrastructure Risks to Watch

Networking Lunch

Flywheel Awards Presentation

Finalists

Using AI to Get Ahead of Cyber Threats

Securing the Supply Chain

Networking Break

Building Resilience to Withstand Cyberattacks

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Closing Remarks

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Chris Wallace (Pending Agency Approval)

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