As cyber threats evolve with the speed of innovation, the role of cybersecurity leaders, both in government and enterprise, has never been more critical or more complex. In this CISO-level conversation, Valerie Cofield, Executive Director, ICIT and former Chief Strategy Officer, CISA, will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how national cyber strategy is shifting to meet this moment. Drawing on their experience shaping federal cybersecurity policy and protecting national infrastructure, Simpson and Cofield will unpack the government’s rapid evolution toward Zero Trust, AI-driven defense, and real-time threat intelligence sharing. More importantly, they’ll challenge CISOs to consider how these efforts translate to the private sector where business risk, regulatory pressure, and board visibility continue to rise.. Don’t miss this opportunity to join your peers to explore how top-down strategy, speed, and alignment are reshaping the CISO mandate in both public and private sectors.

During this interactive session you will:

• Discuss what CISOs should learn from federal cyber modernization efforts, including wins, gaps, and governance trade-offs.
• Explore how to operationalize public-private collaboration models in complex, risk-averse organizations.
• Learn more about the accelerating role of AI and automation in threat modeling, policy enforcement, and incident response.
• Review strategic frameworks to help CISOs lead amid regulatory scrutiny, business innovation, and constrained timelines