The Future of Cyber
Starts Here.

Sign up for the CIG Newsletter

2024 CIG Summit Dates
Spring Summit: 20 March 2024 12p-4p EST
Summer Summit: 12 June 2024 12p-4p EST
Fall Summit: 25 Sep 2024 12p-3p EST
Winter Summit: 11 Dec 2024, 12p-4p EST

OUR MISSION

What is the Cyber Initiatives Group (CIG)?

The Cipher Brief’s Cyber Initiatives Group (CIG) is changing the way we collaborate when it comes to cybersecurity by convening high-caliber, productive engagements for a discerning public-private cyber community. The CIG is co-chaired by a group of CIG Principals with deep public and private sector experience, who meet four times a year to help set the agenda for CIG Virtual Summits.

PRINCIPALS COMMITTEE

Our principals are esteemed in their fields of national security, cyber, technology, and more.

About Us

General Keith Alexander (Ret.)

Former Director of NSA

General (Ret.) Keith Alexander is the CEO and President of IronNet Cybersecurity. He served as the director of the National Security Agency and Chief of the Central Security Service from 2005-2014. He was also the first Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. Prior to those roles, General Alexander served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Department of the Army and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command.

Dmitri Alperovitch

Executive Chairman, Silverado Policy Accelerator

Dmitri Alperovitch is the Executive Chairman at Silverado Policy Accelerator and is a co-founder and former CTO of CrowdStrike. In 2016, Alperovitch revealed Russian intelligence agencies’ hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), events which unveiled the full scope of cyber influence operations being launched against the 2016 US Election. Alperovitch is currently a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center’s Defending Digital Democracy Project and a Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council. He currently serves on the RSA Conference Advisory Board.

George C. Barnes

Former Deputy Director, NSA & President, Red Cell Partners

Mr. George C. Barnes is the President of Red Cell Partners’ Cyber Practice and a Partner at the
firm. In this role, he oversees the pursuit of start-up company incubations focused on
cybersecurity opportunities spanning commercial and government sectors. He ensures optimized
market gap responsiveness of new incubations and guides Red Cell’s platform team support as
young cybersecurity companies progress through their early-stage business lifecycles. As a Red
Cell Partner, Mr. Barnes applies his national security and cybersecurity domain expertise to Red
Cell’s National Security and Healthcare Practice incubation activities and oversees the company’s
overall cyber-related investment strategy.
Mr. Barnes engages in numerous national security- and cybersecurity-related activities:
- Chairman, Board of Directors, National Cryptologic Foundation
- Senior Fellow, McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security, Auburn
University
- Member, Aspen Global Cybersecurity Group
Mr. Barnes served as the Deputy Director and senior civilian leader of the U.S. National Security
Agency (NSA) from April 2017 through September 2023. In this role, Mr. Barnes served as NSA’s
chief operating officer, overseeing strategy, policy, and operations. As an agency deputy in the
U.S. national security system, Mr. Barnes supported the U.S. defense and intelligence enterprise
in national security strategy execution and the formulation of supporting policies. He positioned
NSA as an integrated mission partner enabling U.S. decision advantage and security against
foreign threats.
Over his 36-year career at the NSA, Mr. Barnes held numerous technical and organizational
leadership roles spanning intelligence collection operations, intelligence target analysis, foreign
liaison and industrial

Kelly Bissell

Fraud and Abuse Lead, Microsoft

Kelly Bissell joined Microsoft as CVP in 2022.

Prior to this, Bissell led Accenture’s Global Security business and oversaw security services including strategic consulting, cyber defense, digital identity, response and remediation services, and managed security services. With more than 25 years of security industry experience, Bissell specializes in breach incident response, identity management, privacy and data protection, secure software development, and cyber risk management. His role at Accenture spanned strategic consulting, proactive risk management and digital identity to cyber defense, response and remediation services, and managed security services—across all industries.

Andrew Boyd

Former Senior Intelligence Service Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA

Andy Boyd was a Senior Intelligence Service officer in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Operations (DO). His most recent assignment was Director of the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI) which is responsible for intelligence collection, analysis, and operations focused on foreign cyber threats to US interests. This position required regular interaction with DCIA, the White House, Congress, and senior officials from DoD, FBI, DHS, and an array of senior foreign partners from across the globe.

Andy has experience leading worldwide intelligence operations and has in-depth knowledge of geopolitics, cyber operations, and security practices and risk mitigation. He is a respected thought leader within the USG cyber and intelligence communities with expertise in cyber threats, intelligence collection, covert action, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cyber operations and strategic analysis.

John Carlin

Cipher Brief Expert, Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Former Cipher Brief Expert John P. Carlin currently serves as the U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General. He formerly chaired Morrison & Foerster’s Global Risk and Crisis Management practice, advising industry-leading organizations in sensitive cyber and other national security matters, white collar investigations, and government enforcement actions. He is author of Dawn of the Code War: America’s Battle Against Russia, China and the Rising Global Cyber Threat.

Mr. Carlin previously served as Assistant Attorney General for National Security, overseeing nearly 400 employees responsible for protecting the nation against terrorism, espionage, and cyber and other national security threats. During his tenure, the National Security Division (NSD): investigated the attack on Sony Entertainment’s computer systems; secured the first federal jury conviction on charges brought under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996; and led DOJ’s participation on the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States.

Prior to assuming his role in the NSD, Mr. Carlin served as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel to Robert S. Mueller, III, former director of the FBI, where he helped lead the FBI’s evolution to meet growing and changing national security threats, including cyber threats. Mr. Carlin also held positions as National Coordinator of the DOJ’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Program and Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted cyber, fraud, and public corruption matters, among others, trying more than 40 cases to verdict.

Frank Cilluffo

Director of Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure

Frank J. Cilluffo serves as Director of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure. He has decades of national and homeland security experience derived from working inside and outside government including serving as a Special Assistant for Homeland Security to President Bush in the White House, immediately following the 9/11 attacks on the US. He recently served as a commissioner on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and chaired a handful of committees for the Homeland Security Advisory Council on economic security, cybersecurity and counterterrorism. He has testified before Congress dozens of times and has published extensively in major media.

Gary Corn

Director of the Technology, Law, & Security Program, American University

Michael Daniel

President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance & Former Special Assistant to the President for Cybersecurity

Michael serves as the President & CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA), a non-profit membership
association that enables cyber threat information sharing among cybersecurity providers. CTA’s mission is to better protect end-users, support the disruption of malicious cyber actors, and raise
the level of cybersecurity across the global digital ecosystem. CTA’s members include more than 35
cybersecurity firms headquartered in twelve countries around the world.
Prior to CTA, Michael served as Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator on the National Security Council Staff from June 2012 to January 2017. In this role, he led the
development and implementation of national cybersecurity strategy and policy, both domestically
and internationally. This work focused on enhancing the defenses of both public and private sector
critical infrastructure systems; deterring and disrupting malicious cyber activity aimed at the U.S. or
its allies; and, improving the US’s ability to respond to and recover from cyber incidents. Michael
also helped organize the Federal government’s response to significant cyber incidents, such the
attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the intrusion into the Office of Personnel Management, and the Russian efforts to meddle in our electoral process. Before joining the National Security Council Staff, Michael served for 17 years in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), including 11 years as the Chief of the Intelligence Branch in the National Security Division, overseeing the Intelligence Community and other classified Department
of Defense programs.
Originally from Atlanta, Michael holds a Bachelor’s in Public Policy from Princeton University, a
Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from
the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces. In his free time, he enjoys running and martial arts.

Jon Darby

Former Director of the Operations Directorate, NSA/CSS

Jennifer Ewbank

Former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Digital Innovation

Jennifer Ewbank, served as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Digital Innovation from October 2019 until January 2024, where she led transformation of one the world’s most sophisticated and secure digital technology ecosystems.

Candice Frost COL (R.)

Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University

Colonel Frost retired in 2023 from the United States Army after more than twenty-five years of service in intelligence and cyber operations, including tours of duty in the Balkans and multiple deployments to Afghanistan. She was instrumental in the integration of women into combat arms and served close to half of her career in infantry divisions. Colonel Frost is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University instructing on cybersecurity, strategy, and policy. She is also a small business owner on leadership and mentoring to encourage women in national security.

Glenn Gerstell

Former General Counsel, National Security Agency

Glenn S. Gerstell, a Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, served as the General Counsel of the NSA and Central Security Service from 2015 to 2020. Prior to this, Mr. Gerstell practiced law for almost 40 years at Milbank, LLP, focusing on the global telecommunications industry and serving as the managing partner of four offices. He has written and spoken widely about the intersections of technology, national security, and privacy. He served on the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which reports to the President and the Secretary of Homeland Security on security threats to the nation’s infrastructure, as well as on the District of Columbia Homeland Security Commission.

The Hon. Susan Gordon

Partner, Gordon Ventures / Former PDDNI, ODNI

The Honorable Susan M. Gordon is former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI). Prior to ODNI, Gordon served in multiple leadership roles in the IC including as Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and 27 years at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she held senior executive positions in four of the Agency’s directorates. In 1998, she designed and drove the formation of In-Q-Tel, a private, non-profit company created to deliver innovative technology solutions for the agency and the IC.

Lieutenant General Michael Groen (US Marine Corps, Ret.)

Former Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center

Lieutenant General Michael Groen (US Marine Corps, Ret.) served over 36 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career as the senior executive for AI in the Department. Groen also served in the National Security Agency overseeing Computer Network Operations, and as the Director of Joint Staff Intelligence, working closely with the Chairman and Senior Leaders across the Department. He is an experienced Marine commander and multi-tour combat veteran. Groen earned Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School

Robert Hannigan

Chairman, BlueVoyant / Former GCHQ Director

Robert Hannigan serves as Chairman of BlueVoyant. He previously served as Director of GCHQ, the UK’s largest intelligence agency (and NSA equivalent) from 2014-17. Hannigan established the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre in 2016 and was responsible for the UK’s active cyber defence and offensive cyber programs. He spent twenty years in national security roles, including serving as the Prime Minister’s Security Adviser from 2007-2010. Hannigan is a long-standing member of the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee.

Matt Hayden

Former A/S for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience Policy, DHS

Matt Hayden served as the Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience Policy at DHS where he was responsible for leading policy development in support of department-wide efforts to reduce national risks with a focus on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, federal network security, countering cyber-crime, and improving the security and resilience of the global cyber ecosystem, as well as national resilience initiatives that enhance Federal, State, and local government and community preparedness and response capabilities. Additionally, he served as an expert advisor on Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience matters to the Under Secretary, Secretary, and other high-level officials.

General Michael Hayden (Ret.)

Former CIA Director / Former NSA Director

General Michael Hayden is a retired four-star general who served as director of both the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. General Hayden also served as the country’s first principal deputy director of national intelligence and the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the country. Hayden previously served as commander of the Air Intelligence Agency and Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center and served in senior staff positions at the Pentagon, U.S. European Command, and the National Security Council.

The Hon. Leslie Ireland

Board Member, Citi Group / Former Asst. Secretary of the Treasury for Intelligence and Analysis

The Honorable Leslie Ireland joined Treasury in 2010, after serving 25 years at CIA where she specialized in Iran, the Middle East and WMD. From 2008-2010, Ireland served as daily intelligence briefer to President. As the first DNI Iran Mission Manager from 2005-2008, she served as the principal advisor to the DNI on Iran and was responsible for overseeing the intelligence process on Iran for the entire US government. Ireland sits on the Board of Directors at Citigroup, Inc. and The Stimson Center.

Rob Joyce

Former Cybersecurity Director, National Security Agency

Rob served 34 years at the NSA, where he spent his final years as the head of the Agency’s cybersecurity directorate. He also served on the White House National Security Council as a Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator, as well as Acting Homeland Security Advisor. Throughout his career, he led operations pursuing the most sophisticated hackers and innovated technologies to protect vital national assets — including the the US classified networks and nuclear authorization codes. He remains dedicated to upholding our national security in the cyber realm.

Christopher Krebs

Partner, Krebs-Stamos Group

Kevin Mandia

CEO of Mandiant

Kevin Mandia is the Chief Executive Officer of Mandiant and previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of FireEye, a position he held from June 2016 through September 2021. Mandia was appointed to the company’s Board of Directors in February 2016. As CEO of Mandiant, Mandia grew the company to more than $100 million in revenue and has spent more than 20 years in information security. He is a former United States Air Force Officer and former special agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Jeanette Manfra

Director of Risk & Compliance at Google Cloud; Former A/S for Cybersecurity and Communications, DHS

Jeanette Manfra is Director of Risk & Compliance at Google Cloud and is the former Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security. She previously served as Counselor to the Secretary and served as Director for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity as part of the National Security Council staff from 2014-2015. Prior to that she served as Deputy Director of both Enterprise Performance Management and the Office of Emergency Communications at the Department of Homeland Security.

General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)

Former Commander, United States Central Command

General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie (Ret.) became the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute in May 2022. In July 2022, he also became the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida. He is the former Commander, United States Central Command. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, upon graduation from The Citadel in 1979, General McKenzie was commissioned into the Marine Corps and trained as an infantry officer.

Lt. Gen. Kevin McLaughlin

Former Deputy Director, U.S. Cyber Command

Lt. Gen. James K. “Kevin” McLaughlin served as the Deputy Commander, U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) in Fort Meade, Maryland.

General McLaughlin entered the Air Force in 1983 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and numbered air force levels and has served on the staffs at major command headquarters, combatant command headquarters, the National Reconnaissance Office, Air Force headquarters, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Prior to assuming his current position, General McLaughlin was the Commander, 24th Air Force and Commander, Air Forces Cyber, Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland, Texas.

100%

of survey respondents rated CIG speakers as Excellent

4177

Registered attendees from CIG summits to date

92%

of survey respondents rated CIG summits as among the best or the best cyber events they have ever attended

"The Cybersecurity Summit unquestionably ranks with the very best of the numerous cyber conferences in which I have participated. The level and range of expert dialogue are always unmatched, and the agenda unerringly focuses attention on the issues that are most critical to government and the private sector."

—GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS (Ret.)

Former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition and US Forces in Afghanistan; Former Director of the CIA

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR VIRTUAL SUMMIT SERIES

Our virtual summits take expert insights on cyber and channel them into practical information focused on the public and private sectors.

VIEW THE SERIES

A Conversation with Brad Smith and The Hon. Susan Gordon

What roles does the private sector hold in national security? Microsoft President Brad Smith sits down with former PDDNI The Hon. Susan...

A Conversation with Chris Inglis and Ciaran Martin

Former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis and former CEO, National Cyber Security Centre (UK), Ciaran Martin take the virtual stage at The...

A Conversation with Alex Creswell and Conrad Prince

Former Deputy Director of the NSA Rick Ledgett talks with former Deputy Director of GCHQ Conrad Prince and former member of the British...

"We're actually entering the most dangerous part of cyber conflict that we've ever had."

Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitch told @thecipherbrief #TCB CyberSummit

LEADER'S CORNER

U.S. National Security Depends on American Tech and a Healthy Relationship with Risk

John Edwards

Feb 28
4 min

U.S. National Security Depends on American Tech and a Healthy Relationship with Risk

Former CIA D/COO John Edwards calls for closer collaboration between the USG and tech industry.

Hackers are Taking Advantage of Gaps in U.S. Cybersecurity Policy

Mark Montgomery and Michael Sugden

Feb 15
4 min

Hackers are Taking Advantage of Gaps in U.S. Cybersecurity Policy

Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery (Ret.) and Michael Sugden discuss how policymakers are protecting you from firmware hackers.

Information Quality is a Democratic Necessity in the Age of AI

Ellen McCarthy and Doowan Lee

Feb 12
6 min

Information Quality is a Democratic Necessity in the Age of AI

Hon. Ellen McCarthy and Doowan Lee discuss how trust in our institutions and elections have been impacted in the age of AI.

VIEW ALL ARTICLES

The Future of Cyber
Starts Here.

Sign up for the CIG Newsletter

2024 CIG Summit Dates
Spring Summit: 20 March 2024 12p-4p EST
Summer Summit: 12 June 2024 12p-4p EST
Fall Summit: 25 Sep 2024 12p-3p EST
Winter Summit: 11 Dec 2024, 12p-4p EST

OUR MISSION

PRINCIPALS COMMITTEE

100%

4177

92%

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR VIRTUAL SUMMIT SERIES

Our virtual summits take expert insights on cyber and channel them into practical information focused on the public and private sectors.

"We're actually entering the most dangerous part of cyber conflict that we've ever had."

Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitch told @thecipherbrief #TCB CyberSummit

LEADER'S CORNER

RECOMMENDED READING

THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSORS

A Property of The Cipher Brief

The Future of Cyber Starts Here.

Sign up for the CIG Newsletter

2024 CIG Summit Dates Spring Summit: 20 March 2024 12p-4p EST Summer Summit: 12 June 2024 12p-4p EST Fall Summit: 25 Sep 2024 12p-3p EST Winter Summit: 11 Dec 2024, 12p-4p EST

OUR MISSION

PRINCIPALS COMMITTEE

100%

4177

92%

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR VIRTUAL SUMMIT SERIES

Our virtual summits take expert insights on cyber and channel them into practical information focused on the public and private sectors.

"We're actually entering the most dangerous part of cyber conflict that we've ever had." Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitch told @thecipherbrief #TCB CyberSummit

LEADER'S CORNER

RECOMMENDED READING

THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSORS

The Future of Cyber
Starts Here.

2024 CIG Summit Dates
Spring Summit: 20 March 2024 12p-4p EST
Summer Summit: 12 June 2024 12p-4p EST
Fall Summit: 25 Sep 2024 12p-3p EST
Winter Summit: 11 Dec 2024, 12p-4p EST

"We're actually entering the most dangerous part of cyber conflict that we've ever had."

Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitch told @thecipherbrief #TCB CyberSummit