National Summit

Mr. Richard Rushing is the Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility LLC.; Richard participates in several corporate, community, private, and government Security Council’s and working groups setting standards, policies, and solutions to current and emerging security issues. As Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility, he has led the security effort by developing an international team to tackle the emerging threats of mobile devices, targeted attacks, and cyber-crime. He organized developed and deployed practices, tools and techniques to protect the intellectual property across the worldwide enterprise. A much-in-demand international speaker on information security Richard has presented at many leading security conferences and seminars around the world.

As the Global Chief Information Security Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc, Margarita Rivera brings over 20 years of expertise in safeguarding digital ecosystems for Fortune 50 and Fortune 200 companies across diverse industries. Her leadership has been pivotal in implementing cutting- edge cybersecurity frameworks, fostering a culture of security, and ensuring adherence to international standards across the organization. In her role as Global CISO, Margarita oversees the enterprise-wide information security strategy, aligning it with Carnival’s mission and global operations. Collaborating closely with senior executives, Margarita supports top-line growth, drives operational efficiencies, and enables secure innovation within Carnival’s technology-driven environment. She is instrumental in mitigating risks, ensuring compliance, and enhancing cybersecurity capabilities across Carnival’s nine world-class cruise line brands. Guided by a servant leadership philosophy, Margarita empowers her teams and cultivates a culture of collaboration, transparency, and innovation. Her extensive expertise spans the design of advanced cybersecurity frameworks, management of complex incident response protocols, and the protection of critical operations, positioning her as a trusted leader in the cybersecurity field. Margarita holds a Master’s Degree in Information Systems from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida International University. She is also certified as a C-CISO, CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CISA, and CIPT. A recognized thought leader, author, and speaker, Margarita has received numerous accolades, including the 2024 Authentic Leadership Award from the National Diversity Council. In her personal life, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and exploring culinary and cultural experiences.

Kodjo Hogan is the Business Information Security Officer at TD, driving security risk strategy for the U.S. Risk Management division with a focus on credit card underwriting and auto finance portfolios. He oversees the end-to-end risk lifecycle for 170+ critical, revenue-impacting applications, aligning operational controls with enterprise security objectives to reduce risk exposure, strengthen audit posture, and support long-term resilience. With over eight years of experience in fintech, SaaS, and global banking, Kodjo has built GRC functions from the ground up, led audit-ready SOC 2 and FedRAMP programs, and governed third-party risk across 500+ vendors. Previously, he was the founding GRC leader at Chainalysis, accelerating FedRAMP “In Process” status and embedding security across engineering, legal, and product teams. Kodjo is also a recognized speaker on AI governance, operational risk, and GRC modernization.

Rod Aday is the Chief Information Security Officer at Bank of China USA and an Advisory Board Member of the CISO/CIO Governing Body. With over 22 years of executive experience across finance, banking, telecoms, and cybersecurity, he has guided organizations through complex technological transitions, migrations, and business continuity planning. Rod specializes in influencing board-level decisions, implementing data-driven, risk-based approaches, and enabling businesses to navigate digitization while meeting shareholder and board expectations. He leads organization-wide security initiatives, drives cyber intelligence and incident response, and identifies strategic partnerships to strengthen enterprise security. Rod is recognized for his ability to combine technology, processes, and people to deliver sustainable and competitive advantage.

Alice Fournier is an experienced technology leader with a strategic approach to leveraging technology for growth. With deep experience driving technology-led transformation, Alice is a strong collaborator who successfully manages across functions and regions to establish a secure and agile digital workplace, while actively contributing to business growth. Alice currently serves as ISS’ Chief Information Officer for the Americas. She brings to the role a multidisciplinary background at the intersection of IT, marketing, sales, and digital. Alice knows how to leverage technology to both optimize costs and drive revenue. She brings a bold, strategic, business-led approach to the IT function; she leads in a servant mindset; and is dedicated to empowering her team to grow, learn, and thrive. Alice has previously held several senior management roles including most recently Chief Digital Office and VP Digital Capabilities for WD-40 Company; Senior VP Digital Commerce for Geometry Global, VP ECommerce and Omnichannel for Kantar; ECommerce Manager for BIC LGS, all in the New York City Metropolitan area.

Grant Ecker is a senior technology executive leading Enterprise Architecture and Integration at Ecolab, managing a global team of architects and integration leaders. With 20+ years of experience, he drives transformation and innovation across billion-dollar IT portfolios, building proactive architecture communities and aligning technology strategy with business value. Grant is also the Founder and Chairman of the Chief Architect Network, the largest vendor-neutral community for Chief Architect executives, connecting 600+ members across 400+ Fortune 500 companies. Through this network, he leads global virtual and in-person events, sponsors specialized topic groups, promotes diversity in architecture, and shares thought leadership via publications and conferences, further advancing the profession and enabling architects worldwide to drive impactful business outcomes.

Wei Manfredi is a global technology and transformation executive with over 25 years of experience building and scaling the data, AI, and platform foundations that power iconic brands like McDonald’s, Google, lululemon, and Visa. Currently serving as the SVP of AI and Architecture at IHG Hotels & Resorts, Wei specializes in leading enterprise-wide change and turning bold digital strategies into reality. His expertise lies in orchestrating large-scale, cloud-native, and AI-driven transformations, ranging from modernizing global architecture and tech foundations to migrating multi-cloud ecosystems and delivering next-gen decision intelligence platforms. Passionate about disrupting routines and challenging mediocrity, Wei designs for unmet needs while focusing on business impact at scale. He is dedicated to enabling organizations to thrive through intelligent systems, responsible AI, and sustainable platform thinking, building empowered teams and creating alignment from the C-suite to engineering to deliver measurable value.

Barbara Kissner is a C-Level technology executive with 20+ years of demonstrated success in delivering high-impact business applications in the financial services industry. Currently serving as the Chief Information Officer at Segal, she possesses extensive experience in technology transformation, Cyber security, business continuity and resiliency, risk management, application development, governance, and compliance. A recipient of the ComputerWorld Premier 100 IT Leaders Honoree (2014), Barbara is recognized for her excellent communications and presentation skills and her ability to lead complex initiatives with strategic precision.

Ivan Durbak is CIO at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center. In this role he leads an IT organization that supports the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center community, including two major hospitals, two nursing homes, a large emergency room and a large clinic ambulatory environment that sees nearly one million patients a year

Gurpreet Bal is an experienced technology and data executive focused on driving vision, strategy, and execution to create business value and innovation. She has led modernization initiatives using cloud-agnostic frameworks while advancing enterprise data capabilities, including AI, ML, NLP, RPA, and data governance, BI, and analytics. Known for influencing stakeholders across business and technology, she champions Agile and SAFe practices, strong information security frameworks, and a people-first leadership approach grounded in collaboration and diversity of thought.

Scot Miller, CISSP, CISM, is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for Mr. Cooper Group. He serves on the Dallas CISO Board, has presented on advances in Information Security and Technology Governance at consortiums in Florida, Texas, New York, Arizona, and Connecticut, and has been quoted in national magazines and other industry symposiums. Scot built high performing Security and Operations teams from the ground up, and over the past few years, brought Mr. Cooper’s Identity Governance and Compliance teams to a new level. The supporting projects won the 2021 Cybersecurity Team of the Year and CSO50 Award from a pool of national and international candidates for innovation, agility, and meaningful impact on a business. Scot’s team is responsible for identifying, analyzing, and reducing risk for all Mr. Cooper’s Group business entities. Previous to his duty at the Mortgage Servicing institution, he was CISO for HMS (a Texas based Healthcare Information Services organization), Head of Global IT Security for Alcon Laboratories, and Chief Security Architect at MassMutual Financial Group. Scot was also the VP and CTO for the CT chapter of ISSA.

Amit Gupta is the Chief Information Officer at TMRW Life Sciences, Inc., leading technology strategy for ivfOS™, the world’s first automated system for fertility specimen management. With over seven years at TMRW, Amit drives the development of secure, scalable, and fully digital solutions that eliminate human error in the management of eggs, embryos, and sperm. He oversees predictive analytics, RFID-based tracking, and 24/7 monitoring systems, ensuring a 100% digital chain of identity for reproductive tissues. Under his leadership, TMRW’s technology is deployed across U.S. clinics representing approximately 20% of fertility cycles and is expanding into Europe. Amit’s work combines deep technical expertise with innovative problem-solving to advance the safety and efficiency of reproductive healthcare.

Cecilia Li is the Chief Information Officer at Urban Edge Properties, a NYSE-listed REIT managing, acquiring, developing, and redeveloping retail real estate across urban communities from Washington, D.C. to Boston. She serves as a strategic partner to executive management, providing vision, analysis, and recommendations that drive technology strategy and operations. With over 20 years of experience focused on customer service and digital transformation, Cecilia leads initiatives that deliver continuous, impactful solutions across the business. She is a recognized speaker on innovation, business intelligence, cybersecurity, and operational optimization, and actively contributes to the industry as Co-Chair of Realcomm, Board Member of the Real Estate Cyber Consortium (RECC), award recipient, and mentor to aspiring IT professionals.

Anusha Anantharaman is the Chief Innovation Officer at the NYC Department of Education, where she leads high-profile initiatives focused on service delivery, performance improvement, and organizational transformation. With over a decade at NYC DOE, Anusha drives change in areas including demand management, cost efficiency, capacity planning, emergency preparedness, safety, and sustainability. She specializes in government administration, operations management, procurement, and full-cycle product development, applying entrepreneurial and transformational leadership to create measurable value. Known for building high-performing teams and optimizing complex processes, Anusha leverages strategic problem-solving and risk management to enhance service outcomes and drive innovation across the Department.