CyberScape: The Federal Cybersecurity Summit Recap

President Trump is committed to identifying, prioritizing, and hardening America’s critical infrastructure. White House Deputy Assistant National Cyber Director for Critical Infrastructure Seth McKinnis will discuss President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America and the importance of moving away from adversary vendors and products and promoting and employing secure U.S technologies.

Featured Speaker:

• Seth McKinnis, Deputy Assistant National Cyber Director for Critical Infrastructure, The White House

AI is reshaping both the cyber threat landscape and the tools used to defend against it. Cybersecurity officials explore how agencies are deploying AI to enhance detection, automate response and strengthen resilience, while also confronting new risks posed by adversarial AI. Learn more about the next wave of AI-enabled cyber capabilities.

Featured Speakers:

• Keith Busby, Acting CISO, CMS
• Anil Chaudhry, Senior Advisor, AI, Department of Transportation
• Chris Saunders, WW Director of Public Sector Solutions Engineering, Wiz

Critical infrastructure remains a prime target for nation-state actors, making resilience a top national security priority. Top officials explore strategies to protect essential systems across energy, transportation, communications and other lifeline sectors. Leaders will discuss emerging standards and regulations, cross-sector collaboration and modern approaches to preventing, mitigating and recovering from cyber disruptions.

Featured Speakers:

• Carter Farmer, CIO, EPA
• Cheri Pascoe, Director, National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), NIST
• Shery Thomas, Enterprise IT Officer, Navy Installations Command

Cyber leaders are managing, evaluating and assessing agencies’ cyber posture to combat some of the most pressing security challenges. Hear from experts on how they envision cyber strategies advancing national security and staying ahead of evolving threats.

Featured Speakers:

• Sai Sravan Cherukuri, Open-Source Enthusiast and DevSecOps Architect
• Trish Janke, Acting Deputy Assistant Director – Information Technology and Database Division, FBI
• Cheri Pascoe, Director, National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), NIST
• Rudolf Rojas, IT Program Manager and Security Lead, USDA

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.

Award categories include: Rising Star, Cyber Innovator, Cyber Defender, Cyber Leader and CISO of the Year.

CyberScape Flywheel Award Winners:

• Rising Star: Kevin Heaney, Cyber Operations Planner, OCIO, NNSA

• Cyber Innovator: Cole Dutton, Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Program Lead, Water and Wastewater Sector, EPA

• Cyber Defender: Daryl Haegley, Technical Director, Cyber Resiliency Office for Control Systems (CROCS), Air Force

• Cyber Leader: Brett Leatherman, Assistant Director, Cyber Division, FBI

• CISO of the Year: Ryan Higgins, CISO, Commerce

Federal IT leaders will explore how agencies are advancing zero trust architectures, strengthening identity verification and modernizing access controls. Panelists will share lessons learned, implementation roadmaps and how identity-driven security models are improving protection against sophisticated cyberattacks.

Featured Speakers:

• Remy Faures, Head of Information Security, World Bank Group
• Tommy Gardner, CTO, HP Federal
• Benjamin Koshy, CISO, IHS

Agencies are facing new pressures to protect information across complex environments as data volume and sensitivity grow. Panelists will explore methods for securing data at rest, in transit and in use, with a focus on encryption, data classification, governance and automated protections. Experts will outline how strong data security foundations enable trusted AI, improved decision-making and reduced risk.

Featured Speakers:

• Tamara Lilly, Assistant Inspector General for Cybersecurity/ IT Audits, HHS

Cyber supply chain threats continue to expand across hardware, software and third-party services. Panelists will break down evolving federal requirements and best practices to secure the full lifecycle of technology acquisition, especially in the age of AI and open source software. Learn how leaders are improving transparency, managing risk and safeguarding government missions across the federal supply chain.

Featured Speakers:

• Jennifer Franks, Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity Director, Analytics Foundry Acting Director, GAO
• Adarryl Roberts, CIO, DLA
• Rosa Underwood, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, ITC, FAS, GSA

Security risks tied to advancements in quantum computing are accelerating the need to transition to post-quantum cryptography — now a mandate for federal agencies. Hear from a cryptology expert from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory who will break down what post-quantum readiness means for government systems, where federal systems are most vulnerable today and the practical steps you can take now to meet emerging requirements.

Featured Speaker:

• Prathibha Rama, Computer Engineer, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab