As cyberattacks continue to hammer networks and critical infrastructure — threatening economic stability and global trust — it has never been more important for both the public and private sectors to work together on resilient solutions.

On October 8, the Cybersecurity Coalition and Cyber Threat Alliance will host the annual CyberNext DC to examine this evolving policy landscape. The day-long policy summit will convene leading innovators, policymakers, and security experts to explore how government and industry can collaborate to confront new and emerging threats, strengthen supply chain resilience and advance proactive strategies to protect our digital future.

With keynotes, panels, and interactive discussions, CyberNext DC 2025 will spotlight the pressing challenges and innovative responses shaping the cybersecurity space. You can see a preview of the panels below. 

Register for CyberNext DC 2025 here. Preview the full agenda here. See you there!

Cyber Luminaries

The ever-popular cyber luminaries panel returns. From weaponized AI to the fragility of our critical systems, these are the visionaries who live on the fault lines of the digital world. Hear their unfiltered takes on what’s coming — and whether we’re ready.

• Sam Curry, Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute
• Jaya Baloo, Chief Security Officer at Rapid7
• Josh Corman, Executive in Residence for Public Safety & Resilience at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST)

Vulnerable: Weaknesses in the Nation’s Vulnerability Management System

CVE, NVD, and vendor processes form the backbone of cyber defense—but today’s system is strained. Hear leaders debate how to close the gaps before adversaries exploit them.

• Katie Noble, Director of PSIRT and Bug Bounty, Intel
• Nick Leiserson, Senior Vice President for Policy at the Institute for Security and Technology
• Mitch Herckis, Global Head of Government Affairs, Wiz
• Elizabeth Eigre, Senior Manager, Cybersecurity Policy, Microsoft
• Matt Scholl, independent consultant

The Next Disruption: Agentic AI and the Business of Cybersecurity

Generative and Agentic AI tools are already improving cyber defenses through their use in cybersecurity technologies, but these tools can also help with cybersecurity’s non-technical aspects as well. AI tools have the potential to make compliance reporting easier, enable organizations to find unknown pools of personally identifiable information, and enhance policy development by identifying all the relevant statutes and regulations. 

This panel will explore the application of AI to the non-technical side of cybersecurity and how investments in these capabilities could generate significant improvements in an organization’s cyber posture. These activities may not be very flashy, but they will likely have a large ROI for those organizations that make the investment. 

• Kevin Reifsteck, Director for Cybersecurity Policy, Microsoft
• Sasha O'Connell, Senior Director for Cybersecurity Programs, Aspen Digital
• Michael Sikorski, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering, Palo Alto Networks
• Camille Stewart Gloster, CEO and Principal, CAS Strategie
• Michael Daniel, President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance

Safeguarding the Backbone: Cybersecurity for Essential Services

On this panel our experts will discuss how industry and government can work together to identify and mitigate exposures across critical infrastructure sectors.

• Drew Bagley, Chief Privacy Officer, Crowdstrike
• Sean McCoy, Risk and Vulnerability Exposure Notification (RAVEN) Section Chief, Vulnerability Management subdivision, Cybersecurity Division, CISA
• Patrick Ford, Americas Cybersecurity VP and CISO, Schneider Electric
• Caitlin Clarke, Senior Director for Cybersecurity Services, Venable LLP

Myth Busting: the Real Path to More Effective Offensive Cyber Operations

Few things in the digital realm generate more myths than offensive cyber operations. From the Hollywood “no hack takes more than 30 seconds” to the assumption that “the government’s not doing anything,” these myths hinder our ability to make offensive cyber operations more scalable and effective. This panel will bust common myths and lay out options for making offensive cyber operations an even more effective tool.

• Meredith Burkart, Senior Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Halcyon
• Leonard Bailey, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Department of Justice (retired)
• Mieke Eoyang, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology
• Stacy O'Mara, Senior Director for Cybersecurity Services, Venable LLP

See you on October 8! Register for CyberNext DC 2025 here. 

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