Congratulations to our 2023 SC Media Women in IT Security honorees

Time to celebrate!

Today SC Media shines a spotlight on 20 business leaders as part of our 2023 Women in IT Security program. The accomplishments of those honored range from industry veterans, power players, women to watch and powerful advocates for cybersecurity — each a leader who happens to be women.

CRA's Heidi Murphy

Now in its tenth year, SC Media’s Women in IT Security program underscores the importance of identifying talent beyond traditional definitions. Each of these honorees have significantly influenced the cybersecurity conversation, inspiring both women and men. This program isn't just about business leaders, but celebrating their significant contributions.

Click here for full coverage of the 2023 Women in IT Security.

I am honored to introduce this year’s dynamic mix of women who represent the best within the larger information security community. What follows is a list of all those we are honoring starting today. Spotlight coverage also includes in-depth features and video 1-on-1 interviews with celebrated honorees.

Over the course of this week and next, SC Media will rollout profiles of all 20 honorees and more.

Cybersecurity Veterans: (Women who have delivered consistent performance and innovation over long careers.)

Kavitha Sprinivasulu: Global Head of Cyber Risk & Data Privacy, Tata Consultancy Services
Jennifer Lyn Walker: Director, Infrastructure Cyber Defense, The Gate 15 Company
Tina Thorstenson: VP, Industry Business Unit, CrowdStrike
Pam Schwamb: Sr. SCyOps Engineer, Conquest Cyber
Cynthia Overby: Director of Security, Customer Solutions Engineering, Rocket Software

Power Players: (Women who through market engagement and commitment have risen to positions of influence.)

Meghan Maneval: Vice President of Product Strategy & Evangelism, RiskOptics
Wendi Whitmore: Sr. VP, Unit 42, Palo Alto Networks
Tera Ladner: Global Practice Lead & VP, Information Risk Management and Governance, Aflac
Lara Meadows: VP, Presales Engineering, ThreatConnect
Urszula Fabiszak: Managing Director Information Security, Accenture

Advocates: (Those that have advanced cybersecurity awareness and served as beacons for expansion and diversity in the field.)

Chasserae Coyne: Technology Leader and Cybersecurity Strategist, RiskOptics
Dara Gibson: Sr. Cyber Insurance Manager, Optiv
Clar Rosso: Chief Executive Officer, ISC2 ·
Susan Chiang: Deputy CISO, Cloudflare
Nandita Rao Narla: Head of Technical Privacy & Governance, DoorDash

Women to Watch: (Women who are commanding attention as drivers of the industry’s next wave of growth and innovation.)

April Slayden Mitchell: VP of Engineering & Operations, Dasera
Kalpana Tummala: VP of Engineering, PMO & Support, Invicti Security
Christina Liaghati: AI Strategy Execution & Operations Manager, AI & Autonomy Innovation Center, MITRE
Rosanna Pellegrino: Chief Revenue Officer, Nisos
Renée Hodder: Sr. Director, BISO, Community Health Systems

These unique stories will underscore the merits of a diverse workforce and highlighting women who've made outstanding contributions both within their organizations and to the larger information security community.

These women don’t seek validation. Each of their personal stories describe a leader who has tackled security challenges, molded the sector and furthered cybersecurity progression. They understand the value they offer to an organization and their ability to drive progress both within and across the infosec community.

I encourage you to dig through each honoree profile and listen to their inspiring stories in our video series. Men and women alike have a great deal to learn from these leaders.