Stephens is hosting a conference call for institutional investors with three Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). During this call, we will gain CISO perspectives on the cybersecurity spending outlook for 2026 and priority focus areas. The panel will also focus on a wide range of key cybersecurity topics including cybersecurity tech consolidation, converged cybersecurity platforms, AI security, cloud security, identity security, data security, security operations, network security, and endpoint.
Participants
Steve Cobb, CISO at SecurityScorecard
Steve Cobb is SecurityScorecard’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) bringing more than 25 years of leadership consulting surrounding IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence. Since joining SecurityScorecard in 2023, Steve has been responsible for providing strategic IT consulting and delivering increased organization efficiency and security for our customers.
Prior to SecurityScorecard, he was a Senior Security Engineer with Verizon Managed Security and a Senior Escalation Engineer with Microsoft. Steve serves on several CISO boards and is a frequent presenter at conferences such as InfoSecCon, Cyber Defense Summit, and others. Steve attended UNC-CH, but left early to start his own IT company, and ultimately received his degree in Business from East Carolina University. Steve and his wife have two daughters and a son.
Ryan Hammer, CISO at Ciena Corp. (CIEN)
Ryan Hammer currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer and Vice President at Ciena since October 2021. In addition, Ryan holds the position of Advisory Board Member for the Citadel Department of Cyber and Computer Sciences and serves as Adjunct Faculty at both Carnegie Mellon University and The Citadel. Prior experience includes roles at Blackbaud as Deputy CISO and Senior Director, and at Asurion in various security and risk management positions. With an academic background encompassing multiple degrees in information security, risk management, and computer science from prestigious institutions including Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ryan brings a wealth of expertise to the field of cybersecurity.
Carrie Mills, VP & CISO at Southwest Airlines (LUV)
Carrie Mills brings more than 15 years of cybersecurity experience to her role as Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Carrie is responsible for leading the Company's cybersecurity strategy and ensuring the protection of data and assets across Southwest Airlines' facilities, airports, and aircraft. Since joining Southwest in 2017, Carrie's cybersecurity domain expertise and Leadership talents have been invaluable in growing Southwest's cybersecurity capabilities. Carrie has invested in the growth and development of Team members, helped champion cybersecurity education within and outside of Southwest, and has built relationships across the Company to help complete numerous cross-functional cybersecurity program improvements.
Given her passion for cybersecurity, Carrie believes in giving back to the cybersecurity community by participating in the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center (A-ISAC) Board and as a member of the Cybersecurity Council at Airlines for America. She has shared her knowledge and experience at many cybersecurity events while promoting women in cybersecurity. Carrie graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems. She holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.
Kyle Waggoner, CISO at Perdue Farms
Kyle Waggoner is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with extensive experience in various roles, including Chief Information Security Officer at Perdue Farms since June 2019 and Advisory Board Member for Rubrik and Arctic Wolf. Waggoner also contributes to academia as an Adjunct Professor in Information Security at Salisbury University. With a strong background in information security, prior positions include Business Information Security Officer at Altria and Information Security Engineer at Perdue Farms. Waggoner holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from The Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Salisbury University. Ongoing professional development includes participation in the FBI CISO Academy since May 2023 and membership on the Advisory Council of the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc.
Conference call date and time subject to change. To join the call or to obtain more information, please contact your Stephens sales representative.
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Topics of Discussion
- The cybersecurity spending outlook for 2026 and priority spend areas.
- High-level strategic trends including cybersecurity technology consolidation and the shift towards converged cybersecurity platforms.
- Impact of AI on cybersecurity including securing employee use of AI, securing AI infrastructure and AI agents, and how cybersecurity organizations are using AI to improve threat protection.
- Perspectives on various important cyber themes and areas including identity security, data security, cloud security, security operations, network security, and endpoint
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