Theresa Payton
First Female White House Chief Information Officer; AI Strategist; Business and Personal Security Expert; Privacy Visionary.
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Theresa Payton is a trailblazer in technology and cybersecurity, making history as the first female White House Chief Information Officer, under President George W. Bush. She’s recognized as one of the world’s top advisors on secured digital transformation, AI and privacy, consulting Fortune 500 boards, CEOs, and technology executives to safeguard critical assets and navigate complex digital challenges. Because she’s the go-to expert among network television news programs and other major media outlets for her broad cybercrime-fighting knowledge, relatable persona and ability to make complex technology understandable, she starred as Deputy Commander of Intelligence on the CBS reality hide and seek show -“The Hunted”. She’s also CEO and chief advisor of a leading digital security firm, Fortalice.
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As a visionary in the digital world, who famously made history as the first female to serve as White House Chief Information Officer and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most respected authorities on cybersecurity, Theresa Payton is a highly sought-after keynote speaker. She captivates audiences by drawing from her experience as a veteran cybercrime fighter and entrepreneur, masterfully blending memorable anecdotes with cutting-edge insights.
A celebrated, patented inventor of new security designs, Payton identifies emerging trends and techniques to help businesses – and audiences – combat cyber threats, from the impact of the Internet of Things to securing Big Data. She’s the cybersecurity expert organizations in both the public and private sectors turn to protect their most valuable resources, improve their IT systems and strategies and to discreetly guide them through data breaches.
Managing cybersecurity risk is what Payton knows and does best. Before overseeing IT operations as CIO for President George W. Bush and his administration, she held executive roles in banking technology for two of the country’s top financial institutions. After serving in the White House, she went on to co-found Dark3, a cybersecurity product company, and Fortalice Solutions, a world-class cybersecurity consulting firm ranked a “Top 5 Most Innovative Cybersecurity Company” in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC.
Because of her ability to explain complex security issues and help non-tech-savvy people understand how to protect their privacy, Payton has been a frequent guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox Business, and Fox News and has been featured on CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and MSNBC, as well as Canadian and Irish news outlets. She also starred on the reality TV series “Hunted”, where highly trained investigators (including Payton) “hunted” to catch people attempting to hide throughout the world.
She is the author of multiple industry-leading books on IT strategy and cyber security, including “Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth,” which The Guardian included on their list of the “Top 10 Books About Cybercrime.”
Few technological developments of the last century have fueled as much curiosity, misinformation and fear as AI. In this highly-engaging, jargon-free presentation, Theresa unpacks AI’s transformative power while exposing its looming risks, then demonstrates how our businesses, security and individual daily lives are being impacted by them. With anonymized stories from law enforcement’s front lines and stunning live demonstrations that reveal the tradecraft of modern cybercriminals, Theresa will equip you with practical actions to harness AI’s vast potential while protecting yourself, your clients and your organization.
Balancing innovation and security in a rapidly evolving digital world requires know-how, sensitivity and constant vigilance. From streamlining operations to enhancing customer experiences, Theresa shares strategies for driving transformation while safeguarding your organization’s critical assets. With compelling case studies and easily-understood, actionable takeaways, Theresa will show you how to future-proof your organization and lead confidently in the age of relentless cyber threats.
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