Cybersecurity Advisory Council

Keith J. Nelson, Ph.D.

CTO, Vistem Solutions Inc

Keith Nelson’s mission is to bring his technology knowledge and passion for service to Vistem Solutions, Inc. Keith has a history of technical leadership with companies such as Technical Support Services, Software Technologies, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and iBASEt. Since 1999 he has been a principal with Vistem Solutions, Inc. His long history of providing technical guidance and solutions as a consultant with a focus on Business Solution Design including high-profile projects such as the LA Unified School District Food Services System, Boeing C-17 Final Assembly, DHA for the Ports of LA/LB, and directing legacy integration development for Oracle.

Keith Nelson has a Doctrine in Computer Science and completed his American Electronics Association (AeA) now The Stanford Executive Institute) at Stanford University. He also studied at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University focusing on Public Policy. He remains active with the CalTech/MIT Enterprise Forum as well as many industry focused groups. Keith was President of the Riverside Poly High School Special Education Boosters while his eldest son attended high school and that spring- boarded his passion for community service.

Keith’s passion is athletic and social programs for those with special needs, and has coached for many years with Arlington Little League – Challenger Baseball. He started Junior All American (AYSO) VIP Soccer and later began coaching with Special Olympics, where he took a team to South Korea as part of Team USA for the Winter World Games – 2013. His teams won 6 consecutive Nike 3 on 3 championships and 16 straight state titles and were featured on many sports shows and were featured as public speakers.

Keith has served as Chairman of the Commission on Disabilities for the City of Riverside, Board Member for Ability Counts, Advisor ARC of Riverside County, and Regional Council for Special Olympics, Chair Board of Ethics, Chair Ontrario-Montclair SELPA and Chair of the Inland Regional Center.

Kevin Nikkhoo

CEO, XeneX

With more than 32 years of experience in information technology, and an extensive and successful serial entrepreneurial background, Kevin Nikkhoo is the founder of the pioneering security-as-a-service startup XeneX. Kevin’s strong analytical skills, leadership and technology savvy have driven several companies to success in their respective markets.

Prior to founding XeneX, Kevin headed up the successful technology firm Vertex Systems and was the managing director of the team (Sino-Century Ventures) which guided and launched a public offering in NASDAQ. Kevin’s considerable experience also includes a successful appointment as the head of a key IT delegation tasked with representing clients to several international interests.

Kevin is well regarded in the high-tech industry for his visionary innovation. He has been twice named a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, named Partner of the Year multiple times by both Microsoft and Oracle and is the co-author several book on operating systems and systems management. Nikkhoo holds a BS in Computer Engineering from McGill University, MS in Computer Engineering from CSU Los Angeles, and an MBA from the University of Southern California with emphasis in entrepreneurial studies.

Tish Williams

Director of Channels, Infosec Institute

Bio Coming Soon! 

Patrick Beggs

Chief Information Security Officer, ConnectWise

Beggs is a cybersecurity executive focused on leading global cyber operations. Beggs has more than 20 years of operational duties in information security spanning the commercial, federal civilian, defense, law enforcement and intelligence communities. Most recently, Beggs served as Cognizant Technology’s global cyber operations executive, where he led a team of more than 150 personnel operating across five countries. Prior to Cognizant, Beggs led cyber operational capabilities for AIG, Booz Allen Hamilton, Amazon Web Services and Bank of America. In the public sector, Beggs served as the first deputy director/director of operations at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC). Beggs is a former Army Infantry Non-Commissioned Officer and holds a B.S. in Political Science from Radford University.

Joy Beland

VP Partner Strategy and Cybersecurity Education, Summit 7

Joy Beland serves as the VP Partner Strategy and Cybersecurity Education at Summit 7, leveraging her knowledge of the CMMC ecosystem, cybersecurity training acumen and wide reach of valuable partnerships through her 28-year career in IT and cybersecurity.

Before joining Summit 7 in 2022, Joy served as Senior Cybersecurity Consultant and CMMC Training Program Manager Edwards Performance Solutions, actively participating in cybersecurity assessments while overseeing the curriculum development and live-instructor training for the Cyber-AB Approved CCP and CCA certification courses.

From 1997 to 2018, Joy served as CEO of her MSP practice in the greater LA area,. After successfully selling her security-focused MSP, Joy accepted the Senior Cybersecurity Education Director role at ConnectWise through mid-2020. In that role, Joy gained worldwide attention for her cybersecurity fundamentals bootcamps (including NIST 800-53, CIS, NIST CSF, and Incident Response best practices) delivered to over 3,000 MSPs.

In addition to holding the CMMC Provisional Assessor and Provisional Instructor certifications, Joy holds the CISM certification from ISACA, the SSAP certification from SANS, and Carnegie Mellon SEI certificates for Insider Threat Program Manager and Insider Threat Vulnerability Assessor. Her personal mission is to protect organizations from cybercrime, whether caused by external or internal threat actors.

Bill Campbell

CEO, Balancelogic

Bill Campbell is the CEO of Balancelogic, a leading provider of business support services based in Waldorf, MD. Balancelogic is made of up several operating divisions which include Managed IT Support & Cyber Security Services, Website & Graphics Design Services, Full-Service Marketing Services, VoIP Phones Systems, and Small Business Consulting Services.

In addition, in 2020, Bill also started a new IT Managed Services company called IT Assurance, LLC where his role is Partner and CEO. IT Assurance solely focuses on Managed IT and Managed IT Security services to the SMB as well as the Local, State, and Federal Government. This includes an entire suite of services which include Office365, AWS, Azure, Cisco, Avaya, Sophos, and Dell.

Prior to launching Balancelogic in 2004, Bill held several executive and management positions at various public and private companies including Chief Information Officer (CIO) & Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for midsized government contracting firms located in Washington D.C.

Bill is a decorated Veteran and began his career in the military, devoting more than 8 1/2 years to the United States Marine Corps and received an Honorable Discharge in April 2000. His management capacities included Regimental Data Communication Chief, where he was responsible for the upgrade and support of a large section of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base’s network infrastructure and the management & leadership of 50+ Marines.

Bill holds more than 50 certificates/certifications in a myriad of business and technical subjects. He is a speaker and has authored several articles, including The Power of Business Networking which was featured on the cover of Small Business CEO Magazine.

He is a proud member of several volunteer organizations and regularly supports community events through sponsorships, donations, and numerous volunteer hours. Bill has a strong passion to help and support small businesses and is known for his innovation, energy, and advocacy.

Mark Essayian

President, KME Systems

Mark Essayian is CEO of KME Systems Inc, a provider of IT services for over 20 years. Along with great co-workers, he has been successfully running KME by combining business strategy, innovation and leadership. Essayian has repeatedly helped his clients get the most from their technology investments and improve their own businesses.
Essayian is constantly searching for innovative, beneficial technology, such as being among first implementers of VoIP for a client’s business in 1998. He also serves on several technology advisory boards and belongs to industry leading organizations to continue to both personally and professionally improve and learn.

Essayian is graduate of the University of California Irvine in Physics, giving him solid insight into the IT challenges companies face at many levels. Mark also gives back to the community by actively participating in organizations such as OC Crime Stoppers and the Orange County Sheriff’s technical advisory council.

Essayian believes solid communication is critical to everyone’s success and personally writes almost every blog on his firms website www.kmesystems.com/blog where you’ll find the constant theme of having fun, learning all while being ethical, candid and respectful.
Essayian lives in Southern California with his wife Kym..

Tim Golden

CEO, Compliancerisk.io

Tim Golden is the founder of compliancerisk.io. where he provides training, consulting, and technical assistance to Managed Service Providers (MSPs). A leader in the governance risk and compliance space, he has spent over 20 years of his career helping people and organizations solve business problems, with people, process, policy and technology. He specializes in demystifying and facilitating compliance, risk management, governance policy management and cybersecurity. He provides training and technical assistance in all these areas, as well as offering innovative solutions that help companies improve performance and achieve their goals. As a U.S. Army veteran he has led high performing teams across a broad spectrum of disciplines.

Bradley Gross

President, Law Office of Bradley Gross, PA

Bradley Gross is the founding partner of the Law Office of Bradley Gross, P.A., a law firm that specializes in transactions involving technology service providers, VARs, technology solution resellers, cloud solution providers, IT professionals and technology companies worldwide. A former e-commerce subject matter expert for the state of Florida and technology law expert for NBC television, Brad has been designated as a Superlawyer in IT transactions on twelve occasions and has counseled thousands of MSPs in various transactional and litigation matters over the past 20 years.

Rebecca Herold

CEO & Co-Founder, The Privacy Professor Consultancy | Privacy Security Brainiacs

Rebecca is founder (2004) and CEO of The Privacy Professor consultancy and CEO of the Privacy Security Brainiacs SaaS services business she founded in 2020 with her son Noah, with over 30 years of systems engineering, information security, privacy & compliance experience. Rebecca has authored 22 books, just finishing the 23rd published by CRC Press titled, “Security & Privacy when Working from Home & Travelling.” She has also written dozens of book chapters and hundreds of articles and has received numerous awards, including recognition by Top Cyber News Magazine as a Who’s Who in Cybersecurity 2021, Onalytica Named Rebecca among the 2021 "Who's Who in Risk Management" in two categories, she was named a top 3 Cybersecurity & Privacy Woman Law Professional of 2020, and was named a top female fighting cybercrime in 2019. Rebecca has her own radio/podcast show, Data Security and Privacy with the Privacy Professor on Voice America. Rebecca also serves as an expert witness and has keynoted on 5 continents. Rebecca is a subject matter expert (SME) in the NIST Cybersecurity for IoT Program, Presidential Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity (14028) for Consumer IoT Labeling team, and part of the NIST Internet of Things Advisory Board (IoTAB) that was established in accordance with the requirements of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.  Prior to that Rebecca was a SME member of the NIST Privacy Framework team, and led the NIST Smart Grid privacy team for 8 years. Rebecca was Adjunct Professor for the Norwich University MSISA program for 9 years. Rebecca has Masters and Bachelors degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics and Education, and lives in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. [email protected]. www.privacysecuritybrainiacs.com www.privacyguidance.com

Taylor Hersom

Founder/CEO, Eden Data

I build world-class cybersecurity programs for startups and emerging technology companies who not only want to embrace security, but want to realize the benefits of putting data privacy first, from brand recognition to customer loyalty, while realizing substantial ROI.

I have a keen understanding of cybersecurity & compliance as it relates to the next generation of companies, who are predominantly de-centralized and cloud-centric. I serve as the Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) and security thought leader for multiple organizations globally and also act as a Strategic Advisor for various startups. Additionally, I am the VP of Business Development for CyberCompass, a SaaS company focused on helping organizations better identify and manage their security risk.

Finally, I manage my personal and professional brand through my company Eden Data. From speaking engagements to blog content, I leverage my obsession of cybersecurity and leadership to stay informed about the current state of cybersecurity and share with my colleagues across various social media channels.

Erik Holmes

CEO, Cyber Guards

Erik is responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction, growth, and culture for the Cyber Guards. Erik has 15 years of experience in IT system security, penetration testing, cyber risk and compliance assessments, and vulnerability management. Erik also leads Cyber Guards’ technology partnerships and business development which empowers the organization to utilize the best technology in the market as a force multiplier for Cyber Guards’ clients. Before founding Cyber Guards Erik led Red Team engagements for Deloitte. Prior to Deloitte, Erik spent 10 years in the US Navy assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group (SEAL Team 6) where he led technical operations in combat and covert environments.

Tracy Holtz

Director of Security Solutions, Tech Data

Tracy Holtz serves as director, Security Solutions for Tech Data. She is responsible for providing the strategic vendor strategies, direction and accelerating security sales performance across our entire security solutions vendor portfolio. Leveraging vendor sales, training and enablement, Tech Data’s custom solutions and delivery services through the Tech Data partner and sales ecosystem.

Tracy joined Tech Data in 1997 beginning her career in finance prior to joining the vendor management organization in 2000. With 22+ years of experience at Tech Data, she has held multiple roles of progressive responsibility including vendor management, business development, and program management.

Prior to her service at Tech Data, Tracy began her career in the IT industry when she joined Trans World Electronics in 1993 and held positions in finance, sales and purchasing.

Tracy has received numerous awards and recognitions for her business and channel achievements and is passionate about educating children about cybersecurity education and career opportunities. Tracy is based in Clearwater, Florida.

Joshua Liberman

President, Net Sciences, Inc.

Joshua Liberman is President and founder of Net Sciences, Inc. Founded in 1995, NSI has secured hundreds of networks in New Mexico and beyond, NSI is a 2020 MSP 501 and 2021 NextGen 101 winner, and the most security focused MSP in New Mexico. Joshua is a former mountaineer, martial artist, rally driver, and a lifelong photographer, has traveled most of the world and speaks several languages well. Joshua is a frequently published industry writer and public speaker as well and raises Siberian Huskies. Joshua’s wife and 25-year partner, Heidi Olsen, calls him the Most Interesting Geek in the World.

Kevin McDonald

COO & CISO, Alvaka Networks

Kevin B. McDonald is COO and CISO at Alvaka Networks, a leading enterprise technology service management and cyber security provider in Irvine CA. He is Chair of the Orange County Sheriff/Coroner’s Technology Advisory Council (TAC), Chair of the Anaheim Police Chief’s Technology Advisory Group (CTAG), and a member of FBI Infragard and OC Shield. Kevin is a civilian member of the US Secret Service’s Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force, The Department of Homeland Security’s Los Angeles Area unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) Working Group and The High Technology Crime Investigators Association (HTCIA). Kevin is a highly trusted security and public policy advisor. He consults with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations’ providing advice and guidance to executives, legislators, law enforcement, high net worth individuals and other business leaders. Kevin advises on personal, physical and cyber defense and incident response, regulatory compliance and enterprise technology. He is a sought after consultant, trainer and public speaker who has written for and/or been interviewed by dozens of technology industry and mainstream media, national publications, television, radio and digital outlets. In his spare time, Kevin is a published young adult fiction author, screenwriter, Master Goldsmith and antique restoration specialist.

Christopher Morales

CISO, Netenrich

Christopher Morales is Head of Security Analytics at Vectra, where he advises and designs incident response and threat management programs for Fortune 500 enterprise clients. He has two decades of information security experience in an array of cybersecurity consulting, sales, and research roles. Christopher is a widely respected expert on cybersecurity issues and technologies and has researched, written and presented numerous information security architecture programs and processes.

Chris Morton

Chief Information Officer, Logically

Chris Morton serves as Logically’ s Chief Information Officer leading Technical Teams responsible for the security and efficiency of the National MSP’s Information systems. Prior to his role at Logically, Chris spent 15 years helping to manage and secure networks in a variety of industries through his technical leadership roles at The Network Support Company. The Network Support Company was acquired by Logically in 2020.

Chris holds multiple technical certifications as well as a BBA in Management Information Systems with a concentration on Information Systems Security. Chris also received his Master of Business Administration from Western Connecticut State University.

To date, Rafael has helped thousands of IT companies and vendors transform their sales and marketing during his career. His expertise has helped tech companies across 29 countries generate over 100,000 leads and over $900,000,000 in new sales revenue, making him one of the most sought-after sales and marketing consultants in the IT industry.

Joseph Steinberg

CEO, CyberSecurity Expert Witness and Advisory Services

Joseph Steinberg is a renowned expert on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, and the impact of technological developments on human society.

Steinberg has led businesses and divisions within the technology industry for over two decades, has been calculated to be one of the top 3 cybersecurity influencers worldwide, and has written books ranging from "Cybersecurity for Dummies" to the official study guide from which many Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) study for their certification exams. He is also one of only 28 people worldwide to hold the suite of advanced information security certifications, CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP, and CSSLP, indicating that he possesses a rare, robust knowledge of information security that is both broad and deep; his security and AI-related inventions are cited in over 440 US patent filings. He serves as an expert witness and consultant on related matters.

Steinberg’s independent column is one of the most read in the fields of information security and artificial intelligence; he is known for offering keen insights and unique perspectives on related matters and on their potential impacts. Steinberg amassed millions of readers as a regular columnist for Forbes and Inc. magazines; today, his column receives over 2,500,000 monthly views.