Cocktail Reception

Tolgay Kizilelma is a business-driven IT leader with three decades of experience. He currently serves as the Director of the MS in Cybersecurity Program at Dominican University of California, Barowsky School of Business where he also teaches as an Associate Professor of Cybersecurity. As an adjunct faculty at Saint Mary’s College of California, he has been teaching various data analytics courses as part of the MSBA and Professional MBA graduate programs since 2017. As an advocate of lifelong learning, Tolgay has many industry certifications, a B.S. degree in computer engineering, an MBA, and a Ph.D. focusing on information security. He also volunteers for various non-profit organizations as a board member, and frequently participates at cybersecurity conferences as a speaker and a panelist. His contribution to the cybersecurity community was recognized with the 2022 C100 Award – Top 100 CISOs by CISOs Connect.

Dennis Barnes, is a highly accomplished Information Security Officer with over 20 years of experience in IT leadership. Known for his expertise in driving enterprise IT security protection, Dennis has a proven track record of steering enterprise-wide security strategies and programs to enhance organizational security posture. He excels in translating complex technical terms into easily understandable language and is a strategic advisor to business leaders. Dennis has a history of influencing leadership buy-in on cutting-edge strategies and initiatives, and he is seasoned in solving technical security challenges, including mitigating cyber attacks. Throughout his career, Dennis has managed teams of up to 200 people and budgets of up to $75M. Holding certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Project Management Professional (PMP), and ITIL, Dennis has a wide range of expertise in compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, NERC CIP, NIST, PCI, HIPAA, and FIPs 140-2. In his most recent role as VP of Infrastructure and Security at San Francisco Fire Credit Union, Dennis oversees the management of IT infrastructure and security for the credit union, ensuring robust protection. Prior to this, as the Chief Information Security Officer at Cooper Compliance, Dennis deployed advanced security technologies and conducted security assessments to enhance customer environments and ensure compliance with NERC CIP regulations. He led the development of security policies and procedures, implemented user awareness training programs, and established key vendor relationships to drive security investments efficiently. With a strong commitment to excellence and a wealth of experience in information security leadership, Dennis continues to drive innovation and advance cybersecurity practices in the industry.