Past Cybersecurity Awareness Day Events

2025

Cybersecurity Day Banner

The City of San José is excited to invite you to the second annual Cybersecurity Awareness Day event on October 16, 2024, in the City Hall Rotunda.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and recognizes the importance of collaboration between government and private industries to raise awareness about digital security and empower everyone to protect personal data from digital forms of crime.

The event will kick off with a welcome from Mayor Matt and City Manager Jennifer Maguire, and feature distinguished subject matter experts and City leaders, including FBI agent Elvis Chan, U.S Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advisor Scott Alford, San José Chief Information Officer Khaled Tawfik, and San José Digital Privacy Officer Albert Gehami, and more to discuss the following topics:

Protecting our City Together: Cybersecurity Strategy and Collaboration
Inclusivity in Cybersecurity: Education and Keeping your Businesses and Home Safe
Recent Breaches in USA and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Time: 10 a.m - 3 p.m

Location: City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Santa Clara St, San José, CA 95113

Registration: RSVP to confirm your attendance.

Program

Speaker Biographies

10 - 10:05 a.m	Welcome Announcements:Registration Beverages and refreshments and refreshments will be served.
10:05 - 10:15 a.m.	Opening Remarks San José Mayor Matt Mahan City Manager Jennifer Maguire
10:15 - 10:35 a.m.	Opening Keynote Scott Alford, CISA Regional IX Cybersecurity Advisor Takeaways: Tangible ways and outcomes to defend cities, residents, and businesses through collaboration.
10:35 - 11:20 a.m.	Protecting our City Together: Cybersecurity Strategy & Collaboration Panel moderated by Smita Bhattacharjee, Deputy Chief Innovation Officer for the Office of Mayor Mahan Khaled Tawfik, San José Chief Information Officer and Director of IT Ed Walker, Information Security Cybersecurity Lead Tonia San Nicolas-Rocca, San José State University Professor This lineup of speakers offers a rare chance to peek into how San José prioritizes, strategizes, and executes initiatives to protect our City. Takeaways: Cybersecurity strategies for safeguarding City employees, residents, and businesses’ digital safety in a rapidly changing world.
11:25 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.	Inclusivity in Cybersecurity: Education & Keeping your Businesses and Home Safe in the Digital Era Panel moderated by Chelsea Palacio, San José IT Public Information Manager Keith Clement, Professor, University of California, Fresno, California State Cyber Security Task Force: Education and Workforce Subcommittee Chair Daniel McCarthy, MGT Leila Doty, San José Privacy & AI Analyst Sirena Rocca, SAIC Business Development Associate Are cyber threats such as phishing, phone scams, and ransomware preventable? Are adults and youth knowledgeable and can they protect their privacy well online? This knowledgeable panel will equip you with pragmatic tips for you to be a Cyber Hero for you, your family, and/or your business. Takeaways: How to implement cyber smart ways to protect yourself online from strong passwords, cybersecurity resources for businesses, and how the younger generations can start now to protect themselves online.
12:10 - 12:40 p.m.	Break with Refreshments
12:40 -1:25 PM	Recent Breaches in the USA & Artificial Intelligence (AI) Panel moderated by Khaled Tawfik, San José Chief Information Officer and Director of IT Albert Gehami, San José Chief Privacy Officer Matija Silijak, CEO & Founder, Illumant Tim Woodbury, VP of Government Relations, NuHarbor Security Kim Vance, Second Renaissance Inc. Takeaways:Lessons learned to avoid falling victim to enhanced cyber threats and risks of AI usage.
1:30 - 1:55 p.m.	Closing Keynote Elvis Chan, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI San Francisco A decorated agent with 19 years in the Bureau, Mr. Chan will share first-hand experience in combatting cyber threats, as well as trends and current insights for local governments, businesses and everyday people. Takeaways: Lessons learned for individuals, businesses and governments to thrive in the digital world.
2:00 - 3:00 PM	Exhibits & Raffle

our Event Partners

Cybersecurity Awareness Day - Partner Logos 2024

Speaker Bios

Scott Alford CISA Cybersecurity Advisor, Region 9	Scott Alford is CISA’s Cybersecurity advisor to Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz County. He earned both hisBachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Cyber Engineering and holds the Certified Information Systems SecurityProfessional certification. Scott spent 10 years working as a weapons systems engineer for the Department of the Navy, LockheedMartin, and Raytheon Technologies. His extensive career includes deployments to over six different countries as a contractorwhere he trained Japanese and Polish Foreign military service members in defensive engineering applications and identifyingkinetic and cyber threats.
Khaled Tawfik San José Chief Information Officer and Director of IT	Khaled Tawfik is the Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the City of San José, California, directing a diverse civic technology portfolio and the San José 311 Contact Center for one of the nation’s largest cities. The City organization comprises 7,000 employees and operates with a $5 billion budget, serving 1 million residents, 80,000 businesses, and leading the national with 10,000 AI patents in the heart of Silicon Valley. Tawfik's leadership supports the City to be as innovative as the community it serves. He is recognized for his smart cities directives in innovation, artificial intelligence, digital privacy, equity initiatives, and founding the GovAI Coalition. Over two decades, Khaled has made significant contributions in both the government and the private sector. His dedication to leveraging technology for the betterment of society, led his teams to achieve national recognition for operational excellence, driven by cutting-edge innovative solutions.
Ed Walker San José City Information Security Lead	Ed Walker began his passion for all things electronic by (disastrously) trying to overclock an Intel 386. He spent years as a Windowssystems administrator, engineering robots as an intern at NASA Ames Research Center, and discovering the joy of Linux beforefocusing on Cybersecurity. After doing most everything in the field from incident response, threat hunting, policy and compliance,and network security, he was recently appointed acting Chief Information Security Officer with the City of San Jose. He currentlyholds CISSP, CISM, CGRC, and has either trained or studied for most of the others. Ed enjoys hardware hacking, family outdooractivities, and automotive engineering in his dwindling spare time.
Keith Clement Professor, University of California, Fresno	Dr. Keith Clement is Professor of Criminology at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Clement Chairs the Workforce Development/Education Subcommittee of the California Cybersecurity Task Force led by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and California Department of Technology. Professor Clement authored the California Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Education Strategy and Framework (2020) and implementing the California Cybersecurity Career Education Pipeline and Pathway Project (C3EP3) to prepare 50,000 cybersecurity professionals for statewide employment. He also co-authored the California Cybersecurity Essential Workforce Youth Pre-/Registered Apprentice Talent Model Framework/Strategy. He co-organized the 2020 California Cybersecurity Industry Convening Meeting (virtual) and hosted the 2022 CSU Systemwide Virtual Cybersecurity Roundtable Meeting. Professor Clement Chairs the Information Technology Subcommittee of the California Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships (IACA). In terms of previous service, Dr. Clement received a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Early Career Scientific Leadership Award (2008). Dr. Clement facilitates and enhances IT-Cybersecurity collaboration with industry, education/higher education, and public sector. The common purpose is developing strong partnerships and resilient cyber communities through alignment and linkage of statewide education career pipelines/pathways. Pipelines prepare all segments of the cyber talent pool, contribute significantly to California cybersecurity posture, and serve as engine for transformative and equitable economic growth.
Daniel McCarthy MGT	Twenty years' experience in sales, management, and service delivery covering public sector, enterprise, and commercial customers in both the US and Asia (Singapore). Learned from working with over a 1000 customers, partners, and colleagues in over a dozen countries while serving in several different roles.
Leila Doty San José Privacy & AI Analyst	Leila Doty is a Privacy and AI Analyst at the City of San José, ensuring the responsible and effective deployment of AI, technology, and data initiatives in the City. The City of San José is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. with almost one million residents. San José has been recognized as a national leader in privacy and AI governance, serving as the lead agency in the GovAI Coalition of over 250 agencies committed to effective and responsible AI and vendor accountability.
Sirena Rocca SAIC	Sirena Roccais a recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona where she studied Business Administration and focused on cybersecurity and forensics. She currently works at SAIC where she leverages her skills to develop solutions that protect assets, support strategic goals, and drives organizational growth.
Chelsea Palacio San José Public Information Manager, IT	Chelsea is a San José native and serves as the Public Information Manager for the City of San José's IT Department. In this role, she oversees internal and external departmental communications and community/stakeholder engagement for IT-related programs, including the San José 311 service. Chelsea has over 10 years of public information experience, starting in the nonprofit sector before transitioning into government communications. She has expertise in strategic and emergency communications, project implementation, language access and outreach. She holds a degree in graphic design and recently received her certification as an Advanced Public Information Officer (APIO) through the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA
Albert Gehami San José Chief Privacy Officer	Albert Gehami is the first Privacy Officer for the City of San José, overseeing responsible and effective deployment of over 200 AI, technology, and data initiatives a year. His office manages the GovAI Coalition of over 350 agencies committed to effective and responsible AI and vendor accountability. San José and his team have been recognized as national leaders in privacy and AI governance by organizations such as NIST, Department of Homeland Security, and the White House.
Matija (Mat) Siljak CEO & Founder, Illumant	Matija Siljak is a veteran of cybersecurity with over 25 years of experience in the industry. Matija founded and led Illumant, a prominent infosec firm, in providing high-level cybersecurity services, particularly in penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and compliance consulting. He has extensive experience having managed thousands of consulting engagements for a range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, pre-public firms, hospitals, cities, and universities. Matija’s leadership at Illumant has focused on designing security solutions tailored to clients' needs, addressing emerging threats, and helping organizations comply with increasing regulatory requirements such as PCI-DSS, SOC, and HIPAA. His technical expertise, combined with deep knowledge of risk management, regulatory landscapes, and compliance standards, has made Illumant a trusted partner for clients across industries like healthcare, finance, government, and utilities. In addition to his work at Illumant, Matija has a strong educational background with degrees from Stanford University. His involvement in high-profile conferences and security advisories showcases his leadership in addressing critical security challenges and developing cutting-edge security assessment methodologies.
Tim Woodbury Vice President of Government Affairs, NuHarbor Security	Tim (he/him) is the Vice President of Government Affairs at NuHarbor Security. He leads the company’s partnerships with governments involving public policies that advance our collective cybersecurity defense. Tim has worked at the intersection of public policy and technology for more than 15 years with leading cybersecurity and technology companies including Splunk, Accela, and Accenture. He has built a reputation for strong partnerships with government associations, trade groups, and industry partners to help make cybersecurity easier.
Kim Vance Second Renaissance, Inc.	Kim has worked as a cybersecurity professional for nearly 20 years. Her experience as a consultant and thought leader spans the areas of cybersecurity risk management, governance, planning, strategy, and outreach. She has successfully managed cybersecurity programs for several federal agencies in Washington, D.C. as well as State and Local support, and corporate cybersecurity capability development. Kim is a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA and holds several management and cybersecurity certifications.
Elvis Chan Asst. Special Agent in Charge, Cyber Branch, San Francisco Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation	Elvis Chan is an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) assigned to FBI San Francisco. ASAC Chan manages the field office’s Cyber Branch, which is responsible for cyber investigations, digital forensics, technical operations, private sector engagement and community outreach. With 18 years in the Bureau, he is a decorated agent who is recognized within the Intelligence Community as an election cybersecurity and cyberterrorism expert. ASAC Chan was the lead agent on significant cyber investigations and managed joint counterterrorism operations with domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies. Prior to joining the Bureau, ASAC Chan was a process development engineer in the semiconductor industry for almost 12 years. He holds two U.S. patents, presents at many technical and law enforcement symposiums, and published multiple articles in journals. ASAC Chan earned his bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from the University of Washington and his master’s degree in homeland security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.