SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Adam Cole, Founder, Extra Security; Director of Security Operations, Fountain Life

Adam Cole is a founder behind Extra Security, a consultancy dedicated to aiding clients in bolstering their security measures, embedding robust practices, and preparing them for potential breaches. Simultaneously, Adam wears the hat of Director of Security Operations at Fountain Life, a prominent global health organization. He delivers tactical insights and is tasked with ensuring the efficient management of tools and infrastructures. His seasoned experience is evident in his work; he’s shepherded both agile start-ups and sprawling global organizations, guiding them through the intricacies of FedRAMP and HITRUST certifications, overseeing cloud migrations, and methodically assembling comprehensive security programs from scratch.

Paul Glidden, Security Architect, Procore Technologies

With over 20 years of IT experience, Paul possesses a versatile background that spans financial services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies. His expertise in the financial services sector encompasses securing sensitive financial data, transaction processing, and compliance, while his experience in SaaS equips him with insights into the intricacies of cloud-based environments, data protection, and privacy. This dual exposure has honed his ability to tailor cybersecurity strategies that cater to the unique needs of both sectors, ensuring robust security measures that align with diverse business models and regulatory requirements.

Laszlo Gonc, Founder, Next Era Transformation Group

Laszlo is a recognized senior executive with thirty years of progressive experience in business and information technology. He is responsible for helping organizations – corporate and nonprofit alike – navigate the digital frontier, advising clients on cybersecurity, IT risk mitigation, and building digital technology strategies that drive both performance and business value. He has experience across several industries, consulting for senior executives and boards, developing cybersecurity strategies, evaluating IT risk, and spearheading critical security and transformation projects for senior leadership including, but not limited to, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, legal, insurance, marketing, advertising and banking.

Dan Horwich, President & Executive Director, CAMP IT Conferences

In 2001, Dan Horwich earned the title of President and Executive Director of CAMP IT Conferences. Prior to joining CAMP IT, Dan held sales and sales management positions at U.S. Robotics, 3Com, Mercantec, Spring Tide Networks, and Lucent Technologies, winning several sales and professional development awards.

An active networker, focused on making a difference in the professional lives of IT practitioners, Dan has built a win-win climate for CAMP IT’s attendees, speakers, and sponsors. He’s a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BBA in Marketing and lives in Glenview, IL with his wife and two daughters.

John Kellerhals, Chairman, Infragard Members Alliance

John Kellerhals, most recently the CISO at a nationwide MSSP, has more than 20 years of experience in information security, incident response, governance and risk management, business continuity, disaster recovery, security operations, and auditing. He currently holds the CISSP, CISA, CISM, and CRISC certifications. John is a governing body member of the CISO Executive Summit and the Chairman of the board for the Chicago Chapter of Infragard. John previously served as the Finance Commission Chairman for the Village of Mount Prospect.

Kellerhals holds a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Northwestern University.

Derek Milroy, Information Security, U.S. Cellular

Derek has been implementing security in corporate environments, as both an internal employee and a consultant, for five years. Although he has implemented firewalls, IDSs, and VPNs for various employers and clients he focuses heavily on securing Microsoft hosts and Domain structures. He has hardened hundreds of hosts in environments ranging from less than a dozen servers to enterprise environments with over 1000 servers and thousands of users. In conjunction with hardening he has also crafted and implemented standards, policies, and procedures to maintain the security of his employer’s / client’s environments.

James Mountain, Director of Information Security, Palmer College of Chiropractic

James Mountain is an experienced leader with over 16 years in IT. His current role is the Director of Information Security for Palmer College of Chiropractic providing strategic leadership and direction for campus academic technology applications and initiatives. His past work experiences include private, public and government industries. He has been a CISSP since 2011 while he worked for the Department of Defense. His main areas of focus are security, risk management, and infrastructure stability.

Dave Patton, Principal Solution Architect, BlinkOps

With over two decades of multifaceted experience in technology, consulting, and military service, Dave Patton brings a wealth of knowledge to the conference stage. Currently he is a Principal Solution Architect at Blink Ops, where he has been a pivotal figure in delivering cutting-edge solutions, harnessing his expertise in the convergence of AI and security. Beyond his current role, he has excelled in positions ranging from sales engineering to Information and Cyber Warfare and has a unique talent for translating complex concepts into actionable strategies. His contributions extend to the education sector, having crafted curriculum for the University of Washington’s Big Data Program. Holding an MS in Electronic Commerce and a BA in Defense and National Security Policy from American University, Dave is an accomplished individual committed to advancing the fusion of AI and security.

Brad Wyatt, Solutions Architect, Cloud Solutions Group (CSG), PSM Partners

Brad is a 4x Microsoft Most Valuable Professional with over 11 years of experience in the Information Technology industry. Brad has shared his expertise and insights at some of the most prestigious events in the industry, including the Global PowerShell Summit, various Microsoft events, and multiple PowerShell meetups nationwide. Brad has a passion for knowledge sharing and is a co-organizer of Chicago PowerShell group, the Chicago PowerShell conference, and the PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit. Over the course of his career, he has migrated many companies, large and small, to the public cloud, performed thorough infrastructure audits and recommendations, implemented custom automations and efficiencies, and scoped projects based on client need for sustained future growth.

Florentin Zlatea, Enterprise Architect, The Kraft Heinz Company

Florentin Zlatea is a seasoned security practitioner with a focus on the information security and infrastructure domains, comprising architecture, design, and implementation.

He began his career as a network systems engineer, and his enthusiasm for security got him into various IT and cybersecurity positions at companies such as Lucent Technologies, Alcatel- Lucent and Accenture.

Security is everyone’s responsibility, and as such, his objective is to help adopt this mind-set across the technology industry and assist in developing solutions with a strong security architecture as a vital component of success.

Florentin holds the position of Head of Enterprise Architecture for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at Kraft Heinz Food Company and his areas of interest include cybersecurity frameworks, Zero Trust, Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture and Outcome-Driven Metrics.