IN-PERSON

Pittsburgh CISO Executive Summit

May 13, 2025 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center

May 13, 2025
David L. Lawrence Convention Center

APPLY TO PARTICIPATE

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Pittsburgh's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.

Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:

Leveraging Collaboration to Enable Innovation and Risk Management

Improving Business Outcomes with Data & Analytics

Increasing Reliability and Resilience in an Evolving Tech Landscape

Pittsburgh CISO Governing Body


The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.

Governing Body Co-Chairs

Bill Fortwangler

Dollar Bank
CIO

Susan Koski

PNC
CISO

Matt Putila

enGen
VP, Product Development

Julie Ray

U.S. Steel
CISO

George Rosato

CONSOL Energy
Director, IT

Richard Smith

Wabtec
SVP, CIO

Eris Symms

Arconic
CISO

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CISO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Pittsburgh CISO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda


May 13, 2025

8:00am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Brain-Driven Resilience — Neuro-Optimizing for Executive Edge

Megs Gelfgot headshot

Megs Gelfgot

Two-time founder, TEDx, International and Fortune 500 speaker on neuroscience & resilience

Guest Speaker

In the high-stakes arena of billion-dollar enterprises, resilience isn't just an asset; it's a necessity. Learn how elite athletes, Navy SEALs, and top executives leverage cutting-edge neuroscience and cognitive training to elevate their relationship with adversity to yield more resilient outcomes. Cognitive training can help boost executive function and enhance decision making under pressure.

Join Megs Gelfgot as she shares:

  • Hacks for gaining a competitive edge
  • Tactical resilience leadership strategies
  • Ways to mitigate symptoms of cognitive decline

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Crafting a Compelling Risk Narrative

Jason Rhykerd headshot

Jason Rhykerd

CISO

Sheetz

Gaining leadership buy-in for risk mitigation is not just about the metrics; it’s about the story. Sheetz CISO Jay Rhykerd is working to reframe conversations about risk by not only developing consistent and quantifiable models, but also ensuring key stakeholders can understand and engage throughout the process.

Join this session for an in-progress case study on:

  • Measuring, documenting and communicating cyber- and IT-related risks
  • Linking risk to broader organizational goals
  • Engaging the board and executive leadership with refined messaging and presentation

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Future-Proofing IAM — Strategies for Enhanced Security

As organizations advance their security strategies, they face increasing complexities in ensuring proper authorization for accessing systems and application resources. Security leaders must implement the right tools and processes to guarantee that the appropriate individuals have access. Identity-first strategies are focused equally on security and business enablement.

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Ensuring consistent access policies
  • Balancing innovation with security to protect organizational assets
  • Evolving strategies to address the growing sophistication of cyber threats

10:25am - 11:10am  Networking Break

10:35am - 11:00am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:10am - 11:55am  Breakout Session

Bridging the IT/OT Divide

Julie Ray headshot

Julie Ray

CISO

U.S. Steel

As the number of connected devices grows, technology and security leaders need to ensure their OT environment is secure. Yet IT/OT teams often face resistance and conflicting priorities when trying to collaborate. How can leaders bridge that gap to achieve more robust defenses overall?

Join this session to hear examples and collaborate with peers on:

  • Aligning IT and OT objectives to support the needs of the business
  • Understanding the challenges of securing OT environments
  • Demonstrating ROI and gaining leadership support

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

Cyber Resilience in Action

Cyber resiliency remains a top concern in 2025, yet Gartner finds many organizations focus on defining and quantifying resilience rather than improving it. Leaders must develop proactive strategies that speak to a “when, not if” mentality, ensuring business continuity when incidents occur.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Developing resilient people and processes in a complex threat ecosystem
  • Minimizing the impact of cyber incidents and quickly restoring operations
  • Maintaining compliance amid increasing regulatory requirements

11:55am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

Lunch Keynote by Netskope

 Details coming soon.

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Leading with Empathy and Grace — Transformative Leadership Strategies

Tammy Klotz headshot

Tammy Klotz

CISO

Trinseo

In today's fast-paced world, leaders need more than just strategic acumen; they need heart. Discover how embracing empathy and grace can transform your leadership style, fostering trust and resilience in your team. Whether you're an experienced executive or an emerging leader, this session will equip you with the tools to lead with compassion while maintaining accountability.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • Harnessing emotional intelligence for impactful leadership
  • Navigating challenges with empathy to achieve meaningful results
  • Cultivating an inclusive and collaborative team culture

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Evolving With AI — Empowering Secure Innovation

Gartner predicts that cybersecurity is entering a new period of AI turbulence in 2025, as AI continues to evolve as both a formidable ally and a potential adversary. Security leaders must effectively incorporate AI into their cybersecurity frameworks to not only protect critical assets but also empower their organizations to innovate securely.

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness across the organization
  • Developing an AI governance framework to manage risks and preserve trust
  • Maintaining alignment with ethical standards and regulatory requirements

2:15pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

2:50pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

3:05pm - 3:40pm  Keynote

A Business-First Approach to IT

Bhaskar Ramachandran headshot

Bhaskar Ramachandran

CIO

PPG Industries

As IT and cybersecurity become increasingly central to driving business outcomes, leaders must move beyond transactional interactions to ongoing partnerships to solidify their influence. For PPG CIO Bhaskar Ramachandran, the guiding principle is clear: there is no isolated IT strategy, there is only business strategy.

Join this fireside chat for insights into:

  • Linking every tech and cybersecurity initiative to overall business objectives 
  • Navigating transformation with a customer- or market-driven leadership approach  
  • Translating technical information into insights that resonate with business leaders and board members

3:40pm - 3:50pm  Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

8:00am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Brain-Driven Resilience — Neuro-Optimizing for Executive Edge

Megs Gelfgot headshot

Megs Gelfgot

Two-time founder, TEDx, International and Fortune 500 speaker on neuroscience & resilience

Guest Speaker

In the high-stakes arena of billion-dollar enterprises, resilience isn't just an asset; it's a necessity. Learn how elite athletes, Navy SEALs, and top executives leverage cutting-edge neuroscience and cognitive training to elevate their relationship with adversity to yield more resilient outcomes. Cognitive training can help boost executive function and enhance decision making under pressure.

Join Megs Gelfgot as she shares:

  • Hacks for gaining a competitive edge
  • Tactical resilience leadership strategies
  • Ways to mitigate symptoms of cognitive decline

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Crafting a Compelling Risk Narrative

Jason Rhykerd headshot

Jason Rhykerd

CISO

Sheetz

Gaining leadership buy-in for risk mitigation is not just about the metrics; it’s about the story. Sheetz CISO Jay Rhykerd is working to reframe conversations about risk by not only developing consistent and quantifiable models, but also ensuring key stakeholders can understand and engage throughout the process.

Join this session for an in-progress case study on:

  • Measuring, documenting and communicating cyber- and IT-related risks
  • Linking risk to broader organizational goals
  • Engaging the board and executive leadership with refined messaging and presentation

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

A Valuable AI Strategy

Kathleen Lovett headshot

Kathleen Lovett

VP & Global CIO, Supply Chain

VSP Vision Care

To deliver value, an enterprise’s AI strategy must align with business priorities and be supported by quality data, proper governance and guardrails.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Identifying business goals that align with AI’s capabilities for meaningful implementation
  • Detecting and overcoming pain points
  • Measuring value and ensuring ROI from AI initiatives

10:25am - 11:10am  Networking Break

10:35am - 11:00am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:10am - 11:55am  Breakout Session

Bridging the IT/OT Divide

Julie Ray headshot

Julie Ray

CISO

U.S. Steel

As the number of connected devices grows, technology and security leaders need to ensure their OT environment is secure. Yet IT/OT teams often face resistance and conflicting priorities when trying to collaborate. How can leaders bridge that gap to achieve more robust defenses overall?

Join this session to hear examples and collaborate with peers on:

  • Aligning IT and OT objectives to support the needs of the business
  • Understanding the challenges of securing OT environments
  • Demonstrating ROI and gaining leadership support

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

Application Modernization — Unlocking Organizational Agility

Matt Putila headshot

Matt Putila

VP, Product Development

enGen

Enterprise application architectures are increasingly complex, leading to technical debt and maintenance challenges, often stifling innovation. CIOs must strategically align business and IT to effectively manage and modernize applications.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Balancing innovation with cost of modernization
  • Overcoming common application modernization challenges including security considerations
  • Setting measurable goals for modernization success

11:55am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

Lunch Keynote by Netskope

 Details coming soon.

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Leading with Empathy and Grace — Transformative Leadership Strategies

Tammy Klotz headshot

Tammy Klotz

CISO

Trinseo

In today's fast-paced world, leaders need more than just strategic acumen; they need heart. Discover how embracing empathy and grace can transform your leadership style, fostering trust and resilience in your team. Whether you're an experienced executive or an emerging leader, this session will equip you with the tools to lead with compassion while maintaining accountability.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • Harnessing emotional intelligence for impactful leadership
  • Navigating challenges with empathy to achieve meaningful results
  • Cultivating an inclusive and collaborative team culture

2:15pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

2:50pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

3:05pm - 3:40pm  Keynote

A Business-First Approach to IT

Bhaskar Ramachandran headshot

Bhaskar Ramachandran

CIO

PPG Industries

As IT and cybersecurity become increasingly central to driving business outcomes, leaders must move beyond transactional interactions to ongoing partnerships to solidify their influence. For PPG CIO Bhaskar Ramachandran, the guiding principle is clear: there is no isolated IT strategy, there is only business strategy.

Join this fireside chat for insights into:

  • Linking every tech and cybersecurity initiative to overall business objectives 
  • Navigating transformation with a customer- or market-driven leadership approach  
  • Translating technical information into insights that resonate with business leaders and board members

3:40pm - 3:50pm  Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

May 13, 2025

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering


Evanta cares about the health and safety of our community. Please review the following recommendations prior to attending the gathering.

Location


Venue & Accommodation

David L. Lawrence Convention Center
MORE INFORMATION

Your Community Partners


CISO Thought Leader
Key Sponsor
Program Sponsor

Community Program Manager


For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Marsha Wick

Community Program Manager

503-701-1111

marsha.wick@gartner.com