BRIAN HUBBARD brings 35+ years of cybersecurity program management experience to his role as Director of Commercial and Cybersecurity business at Edwards Performance Solutions. Brian leads Edwards’ CMMC initiatives, supporting organizations in their preparation for CMMC assessments, as a CMMC-AB Registered Professional (RP). Prior to joining Edwards, Brian led the contractor team supporting NIST in the development of the “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” (i.e., the NIST Cybersecurity Framework) in response to Executive Order 13636.

JACOB HORNE is the Chief Security Evangelist for Summit 7 Systems where he specializes in helping customers, partners, and the broader defense industrial base understand how security and process can improve business operations. As a former NSA intelligence analyst and U.S. Navy cryptologic technician, Jacob has over 14 years of experience in offensive and defensive cybersecurity operations. As a civilian, he has led cybersecurity compliance and engineering teams at AT&T, Northrop Grumman, and the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

AMIRA ARMOND has 20 years’ experience in operating highly secure military networks with strong and repeatable processes. She is a founder of the C3PAO Stakeholder Forum, an industry group which focuses on standardizing assessment procedures and interpretations among C3PAOs. Amira has been an active voice in CMMC through her blog at cmmcaudit.org, a source of free resources and training for CMMC preparation. Amira is a CMMC Provisional Assessor, CMMC Provisional Instructor, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Project Management Professional (PMP). Students will appreciate her deep understanding of CMMC practices and processes, scoping and boundaries, proving inheritance, and regulatory requirements for CUI.

SARA DEATON is a CMMC Provisional Instructor and Assessor. Her experience spans 30 plus years’ in the commercial and defense industry. She was first introduced to cybersecurity when working as the sole mission assurance engineer on an FMS Weapon System development effort. Since then, Sara has been involved with cybersecurity activities. She has a BS degree in Applied Mathematics and a MS degree in Systems Engineering (Operations Research). Sara has extensive experience as an instructor. She owns and operates a small business called Atomic Wombat Inc, that focuses on CMMC, CMMI, Quality Assurance, and Process Improvement. Atomic Wombat is located in Huntsville, Alabama.

CHRIS SILVERS, CMMC-AB RP, PA, PI | CISSP, CEH, PCIP, CWNA, CEI, SEPP, MLSE, CRISC, CEI is the founder and CEO of CG Silvers Consulting as well as a DEF CON black badge winner. His professional history stretches from the Federal Reserve System — where he led building vulnerability management, red team exercises, forensic investigation, and incident response capabilities for 9 years — to top security clearance Department of Defense technical security course instruction for red and blue teams.

Chris’ passion for education and more than 20 years of experience in information security have landed him on the presenter’s stage at conferences such as Defcon, BsidesAtlanta, NolaCon, DerbyCon, and GrrCon. Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA. Most recently, he has been a C3PAO candidate since September 2020.

MATT HOEPER is an experienced cybersecurity professional with 25+ years of IT experience. Matt holds a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems as well as PMP and CISSP certifications. Prior to joining Edwards, he worked for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses in areas of engineering, financial, marketing, supply chain, manufacturing, and health care. Matt has conducted security assessments against multiple standards, as well as spoken to multiple organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, local colleges, and MEPs.

KATHERINE ADAMS is the Director of Compliance Solutions and Services at Cask Government Services, with over 35 years of practical IT experience in Information Systems, Acquisition, and Inspections. Upon retiring from the United States Air Force as a “Cyber Warrior”, Kat determined that letting go of the common sense approach of meeting requirements was not an option. Her goal is to show students how to break down obstacles and impediments and realistically apply classroom lessons to their everyday life challenges.

Kat graduated from Bellevue University with a B.S. in Information Systems Management. She also holds two A.S. degrees from the Community College of the Air Force – Information Systems Technology and Instructor of Technical & Military Science.