Central Maryland Chapter of ISSA

Membership Meeting 09/23/2026
2026-09-23 17:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: TBD
Speaker Slides: TBD
Topic:

Speaker:

Yom Kippur
2026-09-20, 2025-10-02

Rosh Hashannah 5787
2026-09-12

Labor Day
2026-09-07

Membership Meeting 08/26/2026
2026-08-26 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046

Membership Meeting 07/22/2026
2026-07-22 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: TBD
Speaker Slides: TBD
Topic: The API Security Blueprint – From Basics to Advanced Defense
Led by Dr. Baljeet Malhotra, an internationally recognized expert in API Discovery, Security and Governance, this webinar will be focused on understanding and implementing robust API security programs. Participants will start with the foundational principles of API security, including authentication, authorization, and data protection. The webinar will then progress to advanced strategies, such as securing API gateways, preventing common vulnerabilities like injection attacks, and leveraging tools for monitoring and threat detection

Speaker: Baljeet Malhotra, TeejLab Inc.
Dr. Baljeet Malhotra is an award-winning researcher and a global tech leader known for his work in Open Source and API Risk Management. He founded TeejLab in 2019 and steered the team to build API Discovery and Security™, world’s first end-to-end API Risk Management platform. Prior to TeejLab, he established the R&D unit of Black Duck Software in 2016 (acquired by Synopsys for $565 million). He also served as Research Director at SAP and Senior Software Engineer at MahindraTech. Dr. Malhotra received a PhD in Computing Science from the University of Alberta and a Post-Doctoral from the National University of Singapore. He won several awards including NSERC (Canada) scholar and Global Young Scientist (Singapore). He concurrently held Adjunct Professor positions at the Universities of British Columbia, Victoria, Northern BC and NYIT. He has given numerous ISACA, ISSA, IIA, ISC2, OWASP talks globally, and published several papers and patents at international venues. .

Independence Day
2026-07-03

Membership Meeting 06/24/2026
2026-06-24 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: TBD
Speaker Slides: TBD
Topic: The Evolution of Network Engineering
What has changed in network engineering since the adoption of the Ethernet standard in 1983? No matter your role on the network, a lot has changed since 1983. Modern networks support faster speeds, greater data volume, enhanced security, and with that the expanded domain knowledge required of a network engineer. But even as network technology has evolved, we can find familiarity in the networks we operate. Ethernet is still predominant but faster, we still move packets and frames, TCP and UDP control our transport, and the network still connects our applications and services. This presentation looks at how the network and the role of the network engineer has evolved, the skills necessary for network engineers, and how AI and LLMs can up-skill and be a force multiplier.

Speaker: Matt Leuschner, Cisco Systems
Matt Leuschner is a Solutions Engineer at Cisco, where he has been helping customers transform their networks and embrace technology since 2019. With 23 years of experience across networking, automation and coding, high performance computing, virtualization, and desktop services, Matt brings a broad and practical perspective to solving technical challenges. He is passionate about technology, enjoys collaborating with others, and is always eager to share knowledge and innovative ideas. Matt has also developed several training sessions, as well as step-by-step hands-on labs, to help demonstrate the value of network automation through network simulation.
Feel free to reach out to Matt with questions, if you need advice, or want to learn more about his latest projects. Outside of work, Matt likes to spend time with his wife, Stephanie, and their Old English Sheepdog, Samantha. He’s also a member of the Charm City Ghostbusters, where you might spot him cruising Maryland in a replica Ecto-1, asking “Who are you going to call?”.

Juneteenth National Independence Day
2026-06-19 08:00 - 17:00

Membership Meeting 05/27/2026
2026-05-27 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: TBD
Speaker Slides: TBD
Topic: The API Security Blueprint – From Basics to Advanced Defense
Led by Dr. Baljeet Malhotra, an internationally recognized expert in API Discovery, Security and Governance, this webinar will be focused on understanding and implementing robust API security programs. Participants will start with the foundational principles of API security, including authentication, authorization, and data protection. The webinar will then progress to advanced strategies, such as securing API gateways, preventing common vulnerabilities like injection attacks, and leveraging tools for monitoring and threat detection

Speaker: Dr. Baljeet Malhotra, CEO/ Founder TeejLab
Dr. Baljeet Malhotra is an award-winning researcher and a global tech leader known for his work in Open Source and API Risk Management. He founded TeejLab in 2019 and steered the team to build API Discovery and Security™, world’s first end-to-end API Risk Management platform. Prior to TeejLab, he established the R&D unit of Black Duck Software in 2016 (acquired by Synopsys for $565 million). He also served as Research Director at SAP and Senior Software Engineer at MahindraTech.

Dr. Malhotra received a PhD in Computing Science from the University of Alberta and a Post-Doctoral from the National University of Singapore. He won several awards including NSERC (Canada) scholar and Global Young Scientist (Singapore). He concurrently held Adjunct Professor positions at the Universities of British Columbia, Victoria, Northern BC and NYIT. He has given numerous ISACA, ISSA, IIA, ISC2, OWASP talks globally, and published several papers and patents at international venues.

Memorial Day
2026-05-25

BSides Charm Baltimore 2026
2026-04-25 - 2026-04-26 | Sheraton Baltimore North, 903 Dulaney Valley Rd, Towson, MD, 21204, United States
BSidesCharm is a regional Security BSides held in the Baltimore region of Maryland. It operates under the umbrella principles of Security BSides as a larger community project within information security. BSides aims to offer small, intimate events where all participants can engage each other to help develop connections, friendships, and network with different industry professionals.

We recognize the value of engaging a smaller audience and being the big fish in a small pond. Every organization will have different goals and priorities, so we offer different levels of participation for every individual, group, or organization. We specifically designed several different options for any sized organization to participate in and support this event.

Membership Meeting 04/22/2026
2026-04-22 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: TBD
Speaker Slides: TBD
Topic: Discovering Shadow AI with DBoM (Data Bill of Materials)
Secure AI adoption is going to be biggest challenge for all organizations in 2026. AI adoption comes with several challenges and major roadblock is unavailability of enough options to secure AI to keep with pace of adoption . Building block of AI security and governance is controlling sensitive enterprise data going to AI applications, creative data inventory and Bill of Materials for data inherently solves that problem . In this session we will navigate how data bill of materials can help solve AI governance and also adoption of future innovative technologies.

Speaker: Sameer Ahirrao, Founder & CEO Ardent Privacy

Mr. Sameer Ahirrao is an experienced security leader who brings 25 years of experience in building effective enterprise security and privacy programs. Prior to founding Ardent, he worked with enterprises such as Symantec, Deloitte, and Lockheed Martin implementing, engineering, and auditing security and privacy programs. He holds Bachelors of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication and holds various security accolades such as CISSP, CISA, CCSP, and more. He has served as a subject matter expert for ISC2 and is a frequent speaker at local and international security conferences. He also serves as an IAPP advisory member and holds patent on data minimization.

ISSA Central MD Networking
2026-04-16 17:00 - 21:00 | Jailbreak Brewing Company, J9445 Washington Blvd. N, Suite F, Laurell, 20723, United States
ISSA Central Maryland Networking Event
Thursday, April 16, 2026
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Jailbreak Foodworks
9445 Washington Blvd N Ste F, Laurel, MD 20723

Membership Meeting 03/25/2026
2026-03-25 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: 2026-03-25 Membership Slides

Speaker Slides: CIFER-Presentation-to-ISSA-No-Notes.pdf
Topic: Decrypting the Cost of Cyber Risk: How CIFER Quantifies Cybersecurity as Financial Exposure
Cybersecurity is chronically underfunded not because leaders don’t care, but because its financial impact has remained largely invisible. CIFER—the Cybersecurity Impact & Financial Estimation of Risk system—was developed to close that gap. Built on 19 critical risk, threat, and mitigation variables, CIFER translates technical cybersecurity conditions into a quantified financial loss estimate, allowing organizations to understand their true exposure in dollars rather than abstractions. This session will outline why traditional approaches fall short, how quantified cyber risk changes executive decision-making, and why SMEs, insurers, and even enterprises can benefit from financial-based risk modeling in an era of escalating cyber threats.

Speaker: Oleksandr Godzilevsky, RAP Consulting LLC
Mr. Oleksandr (Alex) Godzilevsky is a seasoned Intelligence and Cyberspace professional with more than 24 years of experience across the Department of Defense (DoD), the Intelligence Community (IC), and U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM). His career spans strategic and tactical planning, mission management, intelligence and language analysis, special mission unit support, and full-spectrum cyberspace operations.
He has over 14 years of hands-on expertise in analysis, reporting, OPLAN development, tasking, and signals intelligence, as well as deep involvement in Program, Planning, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) across multiple national security directorates. Mr. Godzilevsky played a key role in shaping the Cryptologic Cyber Strategy for NSA/CSS, represented the DoD at the NATO Cyber Security Summit, and served as a technical mentor to the Dutch Defense Cyber Command.
He holds an MBA from the University of Maryland; a Master of Science in Management and a Bachelor of Science in Slavic Languages and Culture from Excelsior College; and is a Distinguished Graduate of the Defense Language Institute. He also maintains certifications including PMP, JCOPC, CMMI, and is a Fellow of MIT’s Seminar XXI program.

The AFCEA Atlanta National Security Conference
2026-03-11 - 2026-03-12
The AFCEA Atlanta Chapter presents the
National Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Conference
Atlanta, Georgia – March 11-12, 2026

Exhibitor and Sponsor registration is now open for the National Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Conference, taking place March 11-12, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a prime opportunity to gain brand visibility, connect with industry leaders, and showcase your commitment to the industry. This two-day conference will focus on National Security topics including Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Threats to National Security, Homeland security, and Defense.
Sessions and networking will focus on how industry can partner with federal, state and local agencies to support evolving security and infrastructure needs in Georgia and the surrounding region.
Ready to get involved? Reserve your exhibitor or sponsor spot today HERE
400+ registered attendees at the past event from agencies including:

AFLCMC
Air National Guard
Army National Guard
Dept of Defense
Dept of Commerce
DHS HQ
DoDIAC
FBI
FEMA
FirstNet

FORSCOM
GSA
HHS Agencies
Local & State Gov’t
NASA SEWP
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Army
U.S. Secret Service
USDA

For more details on available industry opportunities, please visit the event website.

Opportunities To Participate

Membership Meeting 2/25/2026
2026-02-25 17:00 - 19:30 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: 2026-02-25 Membership Meeting Presentation
Speaker Slides: ISSA-MD_Resliency-in-2026_2.25.26
Topic: Focusing on Resiliency in 2026
Now is the time to shift the cybersecurity conversation from prevention alone to surviving inevitable attacks in an era of AI-driven threats. This presentation explores what true resilience looks like in practice and how well-designed Cyber Incident Response, Business Continuity, and Disaster Recovery Plans must enable organizations to continue to operate when systems, data, and communications are disrupted.

Speaker: Jessica Nemmers, CISO, Flair Data Systems
Jessica Nemmers is the Chief Information Security Officer and Field CISO at Flair Data Systems, based in Plano, Texas. In her position, Jessica serves as a trusted advisor to organizations in multiple industries, guiding them on all aspects of cybersecurity; from building protection and resiliency strategies to implementing controls that meet compliance requirements.
With 30 years in IT and Cybersecurity, Jessica’s passion for security took root working with the datacenter operations team at Perot Systems (now NTT Data). She later became the first CISO at Commercial Metals Company (now CMC), where she built a cybersecurity program from the ground up. She went on to serve as Chief Security Officer in the financial sector at Elevate Credit, further solidifying her expertise in cyber risk management. As a board member and seasoned security leader, Jessica collaborates with executives and boards to bridge the gap between cybersecurity and business strategy, ensuring informed decision-making around cyber program investments.
Jessica is a co-author of The CISO Mentor, written to educate and support the next generation of cybersecurity leaders. Jessica has been recognized as a trailblazer for women in technology by the Dallas Business Journal and named among the “Dallas 500” most powerful business leaders in North Texas by D Magazine. Known as “The Ballerina Turned CISO,” a reference to her prior career as a professional ballerina, Jessica’s unique journey has fueled her passion for mentorship and support of women in technology and those transitioning into cybersecurity from other professions.
Jessica is a proud mother of four grown children and works in Texas and Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband, David.

Washington’s Birthday
2026-02-16

FutureCon Baltimore 2926
2026-02-12 08:00 - 17:00 | BWI Arport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Rd, Linthicum Heights, MD, 21090, United States
FutureCon Events brings high-level Cyber Security Training to C-suite executives and CISOs (chief information security officers).
Join us for a day with multiple illuminating presentations and a panel discussion featuring C-level executives who have effectively mitigated the risk of Cyber Attacks, demo the newest technology, and discover the cutting-edge security approaches to prepare you for the future of the Cyber World.

You will gain the latest knowledge you need to enable applications while keeping your computing environment secure from even the most advanced Cyber Threats. Interact with the world’s security leaders and your peers to gather details on other pressing topics of interest to the information security community.

Membership Meeting 1/28/2026
2026-01-28 17:00 - 19:00 | HubSpot—The Gathering Place on the Gateway, 6724 Alexander Bell Drive Hub Spot, Suite 105, Columbia, MD, 21046
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: 2026-01-28 Meeting Presentation
Topic: CMMC Updates
Speaker: Dawn Greenman, Program Manager for Cybersecurity Compliance and Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM). Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

Dawn Greenman is the Program Manager for Cybersecurity Compliance and Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) for Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (“APL”). Ms. Greenman oversees the cybersecurity compliance strategy across the organization to ensure APL can meet its information technology mission needs. Ms. Greenman is a subject matter expert in the federal regulations to protect controlled unclassified information. She is a trusted partner to government and to industry. In her role as program manager, Ms. Greenman supports sponsor work related to the design and implementation of the new Department of Defense cybersecurity program, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Further, she leads working groups with peer organizations to collaborate on cybersecurity threats, risks and compliance while identifying ways to improve cybersecurity of small-to-medium businesses in the defense industrial base.
Prior to her 18-year tenure at APL, Ms. Greenman held a variety of Information Technology positions with small to medium businesses where she drove organizational change through the use of information technology. She has designed and delivered data centers, implemented major ERP systems, assured information technology compliance with Sarbanes Oxley, and built world class Help Desk teams.
Dawn holds an undergraduate degree in Information Systems with a concentration in Homeland Security and an Executive Masters of Business Administration from The University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a Certified Information Security Professional (CISSP) and holds the GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) certification.

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
2026-01-19

New Year's Holiday
2026-01-01

Christmas Day
2025-12-25

Holiday Networking 12/17/2025
2025-12-17 17:00 - 19:30 | Stumpy’s Hatchet House, 6695 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD, 21045, United States
Click HERE to register for the ISSA Holiday Networking Event

Click HERE to register for the ISSA Holiday Networking Event

Thanksgiving Day
2025-11-27

Membership Meeting 11/19/2025
2025-11-19 17:00 - 19:00 | Stumpy’s Hatchet House, 6695 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD, 21045, United States
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: 2025-11-19 Meeting Presentation
Speaker Slides: 2025-11-19 ISSA Practical Applications with Google AI using Gemini for Workspace
Topic: .Practical Applications with Google AI using Gemini for Workspace
In this presentation, AI expert, Kevin A. McGrail dives into AI’s history and its ethical implications for a safer digital future. Discover Google Gemini AI’s powerful Workspace features and applications. Learn to craft effective AI prompts and leverage tools like NotebookLM. Understand data organization for maximizing AI capabilities and mitigating bias. Explore advanced techniques and compliance in AI.

Speaker: Kevin A. McGrail, CEO Emeritus, Peregrine Computer Consultants Corporation
Kevin A. McGrail, aka “KAM”, is the CEO emeritus for PCCC, a Cloud Fellow at DitoWeb.com, and the Chair Emeritus for the Apache SpamAssassin project. He specializes in privacy and security for network, e-mail, and business with decades of experience battling spam, malware, and phishes. As a Cloud Fellow for Dito, he helps organizations migrate and manage their Cloud Cybersecurity. He founded and leads Dito’s Cyber Security practice, awarded Google’s Cloud Security partner of the year in June 2022 and the Google preferred partner for Civilian and DoD Authorities to Operate. He is a Google Developer Expert for AI/ML, Cloud, and Google Workspace as well as a member expert in the U.S. Marine Corps Cyber Auxiliary. KAM enjoys working with Open Source Software and is a proud member of the Apache Software Foundation. He has battled spammers for decades and his research protects hundreds of millions of Internet users every day. In February 2025, he was awarded the Mary Litynski lifetime achievement award for keeping the internet safe from M3AAWG.org. KAM is a Center for Innovative Technology MACH37 Cyber Security Incubator Graduate and a member of the board of advisors for Virtru.com & SecurityUniversity.edu. He is also named a Distinguished Senior Fellow as a thought leader in the field of Cyber Security at Thomas University’s Armed Services Institute in the Center for Military Life. KAM also lives with a rare disease and has been a volunteer Board Member of the DysautonomiaSupport.org as well as an Officer and Board member of POAC-NoVA.org helping other people improve their lives.

Veterans Day
2025-11-11

Membership Meeting 10/22/2025
2025-10-22 17:00 - 19:00 | Stumpy’s Hatchet House, 6695 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD, 21045, United States
Chapter Business Meeting Slides: 2026-10-22 Business Meeting Slides
Corelight’s Capture the Flag Exercise
Overview
Join us for an immersive lab-based, instructor-led defensive Capture the Flag exercise with Corelight. Participants will dive into one or more real-world scenarios to detect and respond to threats using logs from Suricata and Zeek.
Agenda
● Introduction to Zeek: Brief overview of Zeek and its role in network security. Understanding how to leverage Zeek data for threat detection.
● Hands-on Hunting: Participants will actively engage in a variety of hunting exercises across different protocols. Use your wits to identify and respond to potential threats discovered in Zeek data. Questions are encouraged, but participants have full control at the keyboard.
● Competition and Scoreboard: Participants compete against each other in a friendly competition. Scores will be tracked on a real-time scoreboard.
● Debriefing: Discussion on the attacks witnessed during the exercise. Brief overview of how Corelight can enhance threat detection and response capabilities.
● Corelight Integration: Learn how Corelight can be integrated into your network defense strategy. Understand the added value Corelight brings to Zeek-powered threat detection.
Requirements
Each participant will need their own laptop, a standard web browser, and a connection to the Internet.
Conclusion
At the end of the event, participants will not only have honed their threat detection skills but will also have gained insights into leveraging Suricata and Zeek for effective network defense.

Native American or Indigenous Peoples' Day
2025-10-13
