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Nicole Beckwith

Kroger

Manager of Threat Operations

Ms. Beckwith leads the Threat Operations team within Kroger Corporate Information Security. Her team consists of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threat Hunting, Detection Engineering, and Insider Risk, Forensics & Fraud. The team is focused on mitigating the risk to Kroger through proper detections and researching and tracking emerging threats and the adversaries behind them.

Prior to working in the private sector, Ms. Beckwith worked in the government as a former state police officer, and federally sworn U.S. Marshal. She was a financial fraud Investigator and digital forensic examiner for the State of Ohio and a Task Force Officer for the United States Secret Service in their Financial and Electronic Crimes division as the lead incident responder and digital forensic examiner. She was awarded a Certificate of Commendation from the United States Secret Service in 2019 for her exemplary service in assisting in federal cyber investigations. She continues to volunteer as a reserve officer for the City of Germantown Ohio.

Nicole is a published author and global speaker; her experience has been memorialized in numerous publications and speeches. She is also a key contributor to the new industry standard cyber threat intelligence cyber maturity model.

In addition to her Advisory role at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Lakota Cyber Academy as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion, the Advisory Board for the Cincinnati chapter of the ISSA, and the Advisory Board for the Warren County Career Center’s Cybersecurity Program.

Chris McFarland ‘04

Abercrombie & Fitch, Co.

Group Vice President, Technology Services

Chris is a 2004 Miami graduate with a B.S. in Accounting and Management of Information Systems. While at Miami, Chris was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Chris has been with Abercrombie & Fitch, Co. since 2011, most recently as Group Vice President, Technology Services. Chris also serves as their Chief Information Security Officer. Prior to Abercrombie, Chris worked at Ernst & Young in their accounting and advisory business services practice.

Chris and his wife, Sharon, reside in Columbus with their three sons – Jack, Cooper, and Reid.

Shawn McMillian

Altafiber

Chief Security Officer

Shawn McMillian has over 20 years of experience in highly regulated and government sectors specializing in identifying, managing, and mitigating cybersecurity risks. Currently serving as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) at altafiber, Shawn oversees all aspects of security, including the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies that protect organizational assets across digital and physical domains. Prior to joining altafiber, Shawn held key positions as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at a fortune 500 company and as the CISO for a local government. In these roles, Shawn exhibited his ability to build and develop comprehensive cybersecurity programs and high performing teams. He also demonstrated his expertise in navigating complex regulatory environments and developing a robust security response to ensure compliance.

Shawn actively engages in both the local community and cybersecurity sector. This includes contributing as a member of several advisory boards, including those in higher education at institutions such as ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, University of Cincinnati, and Northern Kentucky University. He is a frequent speaker at cybersecurity conferences and industry events, sharing his expertise on emerging threats, risk management strategies, and best practices in cybersecurity governance. Shawn’s commitment to fostering partnerships and driving innovation in cybersecurity has made him a trusted advisor and advocate for advancing cybersecurity awareness and initiatives.

Brian Minick

Fifth Third Bank

Senior Vice President
Chief Technology and Information Security Officer

Brian Minick is the Chief Technology and Information Security Officer at Fifth Third Bank. In this role, Brian has overall responsibility for Fifth Third Bank’s technology and information protection programs. Focused on delivering technology platforms that support the bank, as well as solutions to protect customers, employees and information of a bank with over $200 Billion in assets, Brian and his team are implementing and maintaining programs and solutions designed to take advantage of the latest technologies and capabilities in the IT industry. 

Brian oversees the implementation of technology and security strategies that required multi-industry collaboration, regulatory compliance planning and management of infrastructure obsolescence. Brian is a noted speaker and published author on a range of cyber security topics. He brings 20 years of diverse information technology and cyber security leadership and experience to this position. Prior to joining Fifth Third, Brian was Vice President of Managed Threat Services at Booz Allen Hamilton following the acquisition of Morphick, a pioneer in the Managed Detection and Response market, where Brian was Co-Founder and CEO. Before founding Morphick, he held the title of Chief Information Security Officer at General Electric’s Aviation, Energy and Transportation businesses where he was responsible for developing and implementing advanced cyber-security strategies. His approach was integral to protecting the strategy, growth and resources of a multi-billion-dollar, worldwide corporation. In addition, he led efforts to implement protocols for mitigating advanced persistent threats for an organization of more than 135,000 employees worldwide. Brian also served as the Infrastructure Design Leader at GE where he was responsible for server, storage and network design strategies. He was a Six Sigma quality leader and a graduate of the GE Information Management Leadership Program.

Brian earned a B.S. in Applied Science from ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. He and his wife reside in Cincinnati with their three daughters. Outside of work, he spends his time woodworking, running and volunteering at his church.

Michael Picton

Enduir Cyber

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Michael is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Enduir Cyber, the leading cybersecurity firm focused on Private Equity value creation. Enduir delivers value throughout the investment period from pre-close M&A due diligence all the way through sell-side preparation. Enduir helps PE clients build cyber resilience across their portfolios, as well as prepare, respond, and recover from cyber incidents.

Michael has been passionate about entrepreneurship throughout his career. He has over 25 years of technology and cybersecurity experience leading teams in both industry & global consulting. After spending many years building and leading programs to defend GE’s intellectual property against advanced nation-state cyber threats, he co-founded his first company, Morphick, a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) firm that was recognized by Gartner as the “pioneer” in the MDR services market and ranked among the top firms to hold the NSA CIRA accreditation for incident response services. Morphick was acquired by Booz Allen Hamilton in 2017.

Michael resides in Cincinnati, OH with his wife Allison, and three kids Penn, Charlotte, and Parlin.

Mike Schuetter 

Encore Technologies

Chief Information Security Officer

Mike Schuetter is the Chief Information Security Officer at Encore Technologies.  He joined Encore in 2016 in its second month of operation to build the Information Security practice. He now leads both corporate IT and cybersecurity for the IT and data center services company.

Prior to Encore, Mr. Schuetter built and managed several technical and organizational security assessment practices. Additionally, Mr. Schuetter designed and built several security operations centers for a fortune 500 company and defense contractor.

Mike’s deep technical background in both IT networks and security, and having earned both his CCIE and CISSP certifications, affords a broader knowledge in taking on the challenges in the complex world of cybersecurity. He is active in the IT security community by participating in many local and national professional societies as well as working with colleges and their ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs in an effort to help drive awareness and talent in the region.

Brian Waeltz '97

Cardinal Health

Senior Vice President; Chief Information Security Officer

Brian graduated from Miami in 1997 with a B.S. in Accountancy and Management Information Systems. As a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, he was a member of Beta Alpha Psi. He is currently the Chief Information Security Officer at Cardinal Health – a distributor of pharmaceuticals, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, and a provider of performance and data solutions for healthcare facilities.

Brian has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles across Cardinal Health. During this time, he has led teams in Risk Management & Compliance, IT Shared Services, IT Service Management, and in business-facing roles supporting Operations and highly-regulated platforms. These unique experiences have helped provide him a well-rounded perspective on security challenges from both a technical and business operations perspective – and they are being put to use as he helps Cardinal Health continue to grow and expand its information security capabilities. He is also a thought leader that has been featured in articles, podcasts, and industry events. Brian holds a CISA certification and am part of ISACA and the Central Ohio chapter of ISSA.

Prior to joining Cardinal Health, Brian spent time at Ernst and Young in roles focused on financial and IT audit, risk management, and IT controls consulting.

Brian has held several leadership positions, including board member of National Technology Security Coalition (NTSC); member of the Center for Cybersecurity Advisory Board at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø; member of the United Way of Central Ohio finance committee (past member); and, he is an active volunteer at his church, including a 3 year stint as a deacon.

Brian gives back to his community through involvement in various charity activities, as well as supporting emerging cybersecurity programs at his alma mater and local school district. He is also serves as the executive sponsor for the Women in Technology employee resource group at Cardinal Health. Brian and his wife Nicole ’97 have two sons.