PAST CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
A dynamic and growing number of organizations have contributed to the success of this conference, including AccessData, Argonne National Laboratory, Authentify, the Chicago Police Department, Cisco, CompTIA, Computer Associates, the FBI, Fermilab, Fortinet, Guidance Software, IBM, IEEE, KPMG, Microsoft, Motorola, Sungard, UniForum, U.S. Army, X-Ways Forensics, and many others. Speakers and participants continue to represent local, regional, national, and international organizations and universities.
MISSION OF CHICYBERCON
This conference aims to be a source for researchers, university academics, computing professionals, and upper-level students interested in the techniques, laws, and training initiatives currently being implemented and adapted for secure computing.
The United States Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency have designated Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. The university’s Center for Cyber Security and Forensics Education (C2SAFE) is at the core of Illinois Tech’s designation.
Calvin Nobles
Dean and Portfolio Vice President
School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology
University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC)Stop Admiring the Human Factors Problems in Cybersecurity: Do Something!
Panels 2025
Panel – Why Learn About Generative AI in the Cybersecurity Context?
Dr. Marwan Omar
Moderator
Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Management
Illinois Tech
Dave Gerleman
VP of Infrastructure and Security
Advisory
Alex Holden
Chief Information Security Officer
Hold Security LLC
Yashwanth Medisetti
Student
Illinois Tech
Daphne Gerstner
Security Engineer II
Amazon
Panel – Launching Your Cybersecurity Career: Certifications, Military Pathways, or University—Which is Right for You?
Ray Trygstad
Moderator
Associate Chair and Industry Professor of Information Technology and Management
Illinois Tech
Michael Bass
Chief Executive Officer
Intergenerational Computer Education
Lorena Mejia
Founder & CEO, Tech & Cybersecurity Career Coaching
Unleashing the Lion In Us, LLC
Panel – How to Communicate Cybersecurity Concepts to Senior Leaders?
Kasi Paturi
Moderator
President
The Pan Asian American Business Council (PAABC)
Adam Lewis
Deputy Chief Information Security Officer
Alliant Credit Union
Ray Trygstad
Associate Chair and Industry Professor of Information Technology and Management
Illinois Tech
Dr. John Johnson
Founder/President
Docent Institute
Robert Wagner
Advisory
CISO
Panel – Security Behavior and Culture Programs: Why Are They Important??
Marwan Omar
Moderator
Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Management
Illinois Tech
Konstantin Shvetsov
Head of Information Security & Compliance
LOGEX Group
Swati Babbar
Security Engineer II
Amazon
Maurice Dawson
Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Cyber Security and Forensics Education
Illinois Tech
Shadi Beidas
Compliance Officer
Choice Cyber Solutions
Panel – Embracing the 3Rs of cyber defense: Resilience-Driven, and Resource-Efficient Risk Management
Steve Rubinow
Moderator
Adjunct Faculty, School of Computing, and, Associate Teaching Professor
DePaul University and Illinois Tech
Nicole Beebe, Ph.D.
Professor and, Melvin Lachman Endowed Chair, Information Systems and Cyber Security
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Oladipupo Dopamu
Information Technology Support
Amazon
Jovany Melchor
Security Consulting Engineer
Cisco
Presentations – Industry Track
Real World Penetration Testing
Arvin Bahrami
Security Consultant
Prescient Security
Data Governance and Security
Yashwini Kamdar
Consultant and ISACA Sacramento
Game of Threats, House of Exploits
Otha Mabry
Technical Security Architect
Cisco Systems
Unleashing the LionInUs: Championing Cybersecurity Career Pathways
Lorena Mejia
Founder
Unleashing the LionInUs
Decoding the Digital Canvas: Safeguarding Against Visual Data Leaks
Alex Holden
Chief Information Security Officer
Hold Security, LLC
CMMC Compliance Unlocked: Adapting to the Final Rule
Shadi Beidas
Compliance Officer
Choice Cyber Solutions
Sarah O’Kelley
Choice Cyber Solutions
Presentations – Academic Track
From Curiosity to Career: Launching High School Students into Cybersecurity
Michael Bass
Chief Executive Officer
Intergenerational Computer Education
Kosovo Study Away Program in Cybersecurity
Shahana Fatima
Student
Illinois Tech
Avery Huerta
Student
Illinois Tech
Cedric Nartey
Student
Illinois Tech
Maria Soto
Student
Illinois Tech
Annamaria Szakonyi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Saint Louis University
Innovating Security: Developing Guard Prototype for Enhanced Protection (IPRO)
Cedric Nartey
Student
Illinois Tech
Hrishikesh Pawar
Student
Illinois Tech
Mohamed Trigui
Student
Illinois Tech
Ivan Zziwa
Student
Illinois Tech
Risks of Motion Data Collected by AR/VR
Mark Roman Miller
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Illinois Tech
On a Path to Commercialize GUARD (IPRO)
Oluwafisayo Okunuga
Student
Illinois Tech
Sukhmani Sandhu
Student
Illinois Tech
Intelstack: Weaponizing SoC with Automated Threat Intelligence Analysis and Incident Response
Dharmin Suthar
Student
Illinois Tech
Is It Too Early to Start Using Quantum-Proof Encryption?
Francisco Ruiz
Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Illinois Tech
Healthcare and Cybersecurity – Taking a Zero Trust Approach
George Vukotich
Assistant Program Director
UIC College of Medicine
Lost in TranslAItion
Joel Su
Student
California State University, San Bernardino
Generating Target Profiles by Using AI to Automate OSINT
Robert Soler
Student
Illinois Tech
Closing Remarks
Maurice Dawson
Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Cyber Security and Forensics Education
Illinois Tech
Speaking Opportunities
If you are interested in speaking, joining a panel, or presenting a poster session at ChiCyberCon, please submit a proposal by February 24.
Job Fair Participants
Recruit at the conference – register for company participation
Get recruited – register to participate in the job fair Register your organization for the job fairRegistration Info
Join the more than 200 students and practitioners who attend this fun-filled technical conference each year. This is a multitrack, industry-focused event that includes discussion on forensics, security, data/information governance, cybercrime and security, cybersecurity legislation, ethical hacking, cloud forensics, steganography, policy and compliance, identity theft, and more.
Student Registration
Register HereProfessional Registration
Register HereSpeaker Registration
Register HereContact Us
Please reach out via email if you have any questions. We’re here to provide help in any way we can.
Email: chicybercon@iit.edu
Become a Sponsor
To help keep ChiCyberCon free for students and at a low cost for non-student attendees, please consider becoming a sponsor to support Illinois Tech in this endeavor.