Stronger Together: Cyber Leaders Address Converging Threats

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The video on the Jack Morton Auditorium screen came to a sputtering halt in the middle of an announcer extolling the city of Los Angeles's pride in hosting what promised to be a memorable event, the 2028 Olympic Games. It was a fitting scenario to dramatize the cybersecurity conference's immersive exploration of the impact of a cyberattack at a large-scale public event.

George Washington University joined the Cyber Guild Foundationto host the second annual conference, titled "Cybersecurity, Stronger Together 2026: Converging Threats & Defenses." On Feb. 3, the conference brought together more than 200 leaders, experts and innovators in the field of cybersecurity from both the government and the private sector to explore the threat to safety posed by cybersecurity disruptions and attacks.

GW President Ellen Granberg, in an address to academic, government and industry leaders during a private luncheon, noted, "From power grids, transportation systems and financial markets to healthcare networks, emergency response systems and global supply chains, our security, our economy and our very way of life depend on our ability to anticipate, defend against and respond to threats that increasingly blur the lines between cyber and physical harm."

"Building effective cybersecurity capabilities," Granberg said, "is a national safety imperative. Across the university, experts in engineering, business, law, public policy and professional studies work together every day to develop solutions."

Liesl Riddle, dean of the College of Professional Studies, the organizer of the conference, acknowledged in opening remarks the contribution of the Cyber Guild Foundation in helping to shape the conference, and thanked sponsors, including Elisityand the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

This year's conference, Riddle explained, was built around a central question: What does cybersecurity look like when it collides with the physical world at scale?

"Set against the backdrop of a major global sporting event, the scenario begins with a cyber intrusion into operational systems and escalates into physical, kinetic consequences," she said. "Coordination across sectors can determine whether an incident becomes a crisis."

"In moments like these, resilience is not built in isolation; it is built stronger together," she said.

Three panels featured leaders from various sectors of the cyber world who shared the experience of having to navigate real incidents, manage real systems and the trade-offs that are faced when dealing with a cyber event.

Cyber Guild Foundation board member Lillian Dunvey said the conference has become a cornerstone for cross-sector dialogue and industry partnership and officially kicks off the Cyber Guild's executive leadership agenda each year.

"In a crisis, the last thing you want is to wonder who you can trust, who understands the stakes and who can act across domains," she said. "The Cyber Guild exists to reduce this uncertainty," adding that the conference itself isn't just an event but "a signal of readiness. It surfaces leadership. It strengthens the human connection and lets us move faster with confidence when it matters most."

The first panel, titled "The High-Stakes Scorecard: Proactive Risk Assessment for Major Events," with preparation of the Olympics 2028 in LA as a backdrop, discussed the resources, systems and people that need to be in place to prevent things from going wrong and for responding when they do.

It was moderated by Cory Simpson, CEO of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology. Panelists who provided insight on planning such events highlighted the importance of establishing a chain of command, clear lines of communication, resilient supply chains, staging exercises and setting up teams. They included Vitaly Panych, chief information security officer for the state of California; Jen Sovada, general manager of Claroty; Jeremy Stanley of Cisco Systems; James Winebrenner, CEO of Elisity.

The second panel, "The Critical Chain Reaction: Mapping Dependencies and Challenging Assumptions," focused on anticipating a crisis before it occurs, whether a glitch, major systems failure or adversarial attack. It's crucial to develop plans to mitigate the impact, using effective messaging and communications, emerging technology and backup systems to ensure public safety. Moderator Nick Reese, CEO of Triantha, led the discussion with panelists Tatyana Bolton of Cybersecurity Practice, Monument Advocacy; Abby Deift of FGS Global gsglobal.com; Patrick Kelly, B.S. '93, of Booz Allen Hamilton; and Michele Iversen of The Chertoff Group.

The third and final panel, "Moving at the Speed of the Crisis: Incident Response and Recovery," featured a scenario involving gridlocked traffic outside an Olympic stadium full of people from multiple countries after an explosion that resulted in casualties.

A discussion that underscored the importance of conceptualizing the nature of the threat, assessing its impact, maintaining crowd control to avoid panic, and continuously keeping the public informed was led by Elaine Lammert, director, Homeland Security Continuing Education Programs. The panelists were Nick Anderson, executive assistant director for cybersecurity, CISA; Corey Collings of First Line Technology; Michael Dunaway, CPS adjunct professor, homeland security programs, and CEO of CIRRUS Group; and St. John Stanley, lead international USAR instructor, Guardian Center.

Dunaway stressed the necessity of bringing the public into the discussion, noting "the willingness of the American citizen and general population to respond properly, not panic, to do the right thing, to help their neighbors, which is just below the surface," he said. "The first responder is the guy sitting next to you, your next-door neighbor. We need to think about how to mobilize that in advance."

Closing remarks were offered by GW students from the College of Professional Studies, Khadija Taki, B.P.S. '25, and Bill McKenna, M.P.S. '25, who thanked donors for supporting CPS, which they said taught them to see cybersecurity as not just about technical problems and protecting systems but also protecting people when systems are under stress.

The College of Professional Studies urges support for GW's education of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through the Next Generation Cybersecurity Leader Impact Fund and the Protect our Future Fund.