SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
SPEAKERS AT THE CLOUD SECURITY STRATEGIES CONFERENCE- JUNE 3, 2025
Johnny Burton, VP of IT & Security Officer, The Family Institute at Northwestern University
I have fourteen (14) years of IT experience, a Bachelor’s degree, CISSP certified and have been focusing on Network and Cybersecurity for the past eight (8) years. My expertise includes managing secure network infrastructure, conducting risk assessments, and creating security policies. I lead teams to build security strategies from scratch, following cybersecurity frameworks and best practices. I implement processes to reduce attack surfaces and manage risks, which have proven effective in safeguarding sensitive data. I have worn several hats within my role and experience with cross-functional/cross-team communication. My team relies on me for guidance as the standard bearer for cybersecurity. I design secure cloud solutions that satisfy business requirements and adhere to regulations such as HIPAA and PCI. I worked quickly to understand the business and develop customized security solutions to protect the company’s most valuable assets.
I am a team leader and player motivated to work with a company that values innovation and security. I advocate for cybersecurity to be incorporated in the planning stage of every project and for SDLC to ensure a proactive and continuous approach to security.
As part of my commitment to mitigating potential threats, I prioritize attending tech summits and participating in cybersecurity clubs. Continuous learning and improvement are essential to enhance my cybersecurity skills and the profession and protect my company’s infrastructure.
Joe Everson, Account Executive, Sentra
Joe Everson is a Strategic Account Executive at Sentra.io, a leading Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform helping organizations discover, classify, and protect sensitive data across multi-cloud environments. With a decade of experience in cybersecurity sales and advisory roles, Joe has worked closely with Fortune 500 companies to solve complex challenges related to data governance, privacy, and cloud security. His passion lies in helping security leaders align technical solutions with business outcomes. Based in Chicago, Joe brings a practitioner’s mindset and a partnership-first approach to every conversation.
Aaron Gillespie, Cloud Solutions Architect, Rubrik
Aaron Gillespie, Cloud Solutions Architect, has spent the last decade in modernizing and securing data and underlying infrastructure. His current focus area is on cyber resilience for cloud and unstructured data sets. Aaron speaks regularly at tech conferences across the midwest, and regularly attends hyperscaler conferences to learn more about their latest offerings, and how he can advise organizations about how to best secure the underlying persistent data these services rely upon.
Derek Hofmann, Cyber Security Engineer, AArete
Derek, Security Engineer, is a detail-oriented professional with over 5 years of cloud, application, and GRC experience. From architecting infrastructure to redesigning workflows, he has pursued meaningful change through each project completed. His passion for learning new technologies allowed for further growth and development in Security, with a mission to assist others and bring strategic change throughout the industry one role at a time.
Peleg Holzmann, Senior Cybersecurity Supervision Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Peleg Holzmann holds a master’s degree with distinction in Cyber Security from DePaul University Class of 2011 (Chicago Illinois). Aside from his master’s degree Peleg has over 20 years of cyber security experience and holds the following certifications: CCSP, CISSP, CISM, CRISC, ITIL v3 Expert/Instructor, IITIL v3 MALC, ITIL v3 PPO, ITIL v3 SOA, ITIL v3 RCV, ITIL v3 OSA, ITIL v3 Practitioner and ITIL v3 Foundation (Older-CCNA, MCP, MCP+! And MCSE) Currently Mr. Holzmann serves as Senior Cybersecurity Supervision Specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Mr. Holzmann also serves as one of the SMEs for cyber security, cloud security and pen testing.
Some of Mr. Holzmann’s previous accomplishments include:
• Developing, designing and implementing a highly rated Zero Trust Boot Camp curriculum for notable organizations like the FDA and USPTO.
• Leading corporate initiatives to attain compliance initiatives, including GDPR and SOC 2 certifications.
• Numerous Risk Assessments highlighting risks and cost saving initiatives.
• Creating incident response and the creation of secure environments, leveraging technology to foster organizational resilience and best practices in information security.
• Social Engineering Pen Testing
• ITIL Instructor v3
Mr. Holzmann continues to enjoy researching and working on new technologies and cyber security initiatives. Mr. Holzmann is a firm believer in “Stay curious, keep learning, and keep growing. And always strive to be more interested than interesting.” Jane Fonda
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.
Viraj Jani, Head of Cloud Cybersecurity, Cummins
Viraj, Head of Cloud Security at Cummins Inc., is a visionary leader and esteemed expert in cloud cybersecurity. With a proven track record of aligning cybersecurity strategies with business objectives, Viraj has successfully built and led the cloud security organization and program from the ground up within a Fortune 500 company. Viraj brings extensive experience in cloud software development, cloud migration, risk and compliance management, strategy development, cloud identity and access management, and security architecture design. He is adept at developing outcome-driven security metrics and is a strong advocate for customer-focused design thinking and agile methodologies. He is currently transforming his team’s operating model to a “Product-Centric Operating Model”. Viraj holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Bradley University and is ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
Amir Javeri, Senior Manager, Cloud Security, Protiviti
Amir is a Senior Manager with Protiviti’s Cloud Security team and a former Big 4 Advisory consultant. Amir’s entire career has been spent in the Cloud Security consulting space aiding cloud-adopting and cloud-incipient organizations in securing their cloud presence or establishing guardrails to encourage secure cloud adoption. He has experience leading dozens of AWS, Azure, and GCP-oriented cloud security engagements with clients in across 10+ industries (including 5 “Fortune 100” companies). These engagements centered around security efforts related to IaaS/Web app security assessments, tools rationalizations, cloud preparation/adoption strategies, and incident response remediation.
Keith Johnson, Executive Vice President, Obviam
With over 25 years of managed security experience, Keith Johnson is the Executive Vice President of Obviam. He leads a team of cybersecurity professionals dedicated to aiding clients with compliance security initiatives, enhancing operational risk management, and providing continuous visibility into cyber threat identification, resolution, and response. Before joining Obviam, Keith served as COO at Logically, where he spearheaded transformative strategic initiatives across managed services, professional services, and cybersecurity. Keith holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BSBA in Computer Information Systems from the University of Louisville and is a passionate advocate for customer service excellence, cybersecurity awareness, and mentorship initiatives. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, he enjoys running and cherishing moments with his wife and their five children.
Jeremy P. Kubik, Director of Managed IT and Security Operations, STIGroup Ltd.
Jeremy Kubik brings over 30 years of invaluable experience in the IT industry, specializing in network security, cyber security, and IT operations. Known for my collaborative and highly engaging leadership approach, I take pride in mentoring and coaching teams for career advancement, consistently prioritizing the creation of positive workplace cultures. My commitment to addressing customer concerns with well-thought-out and comprehensive solutions has earned appreciation from clients.
Mike Neuman, AVP, Security & Compliance, VelocityEHS
Mike is well versed in navigating the complexities of regulated environments, improving cybersecurity operations, and continuously driving compliance. He has successfully lead onshore and offshore teams while maintaining high performance standards and focusing on business solutions and client engagement. Prior to joining VelocityEHS, Mike served as the Vice President of Information Security at Backstop Solutions Group, where he spearheaded the development of a process-driven approach towards achieving FedRAMP certification and SOC2 Type II certification. Earlier in his career, Mike drove the efforts at Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) to achieve PCI compliance as a merchant and service provider. Mike earned his MS in Communications System Management from Northwestern University and a BA in History and Political Science from Purdue University.
Trent Ridgway, Manager of Security & Infrastructure, Anson Industries
Trenton Ridgway is a seasoned Manager of Security and Infrastructure with over 20 years of experience spanning high finance, private equity, and the last decade in the construction industry. A CISSP-certified leader, always working towards aligning security and infrastructure strategies with business goals to drive innovation, resilience, and operational excellence. He has led transformative initiatives such as migrating enterprise infrastructure to Azure IaaS and DaaS, implementing a comprehensive incident response program, and delivering measurable cost savings through strategic vendor partnerships. Strategies in reporting to teams, management, and executive leadership, providing cybersecurity KPIs, strategic insights, and actionable solutions that support business acceleration without compromising security.
With a philosophy rooted in incremental, enterprise-wide improvements, it helps achieve enterprise security that is executed seamlessly, empowering you, your coworkers, and your organization. I am passionate about sharing my vision and welcome opportunities to speak at conferences and collaborate with peers to help elevate themselves and, in the process, elevate their organizations.
