Cybersecurity Experts The Howlers

Tom Kellermann is the Head of Cybersecurity Strategy for VMware Inc.  Previously Tom held the position of Chief Cybersecurity Officer for Carbon Black Inc.  Prior to joining Carbon Black, Tom was the CEO and founder of Strategic Cyber Ventures. In 2020, he was appointed to the Cyber Investigations Advisory Board for the United States Secret Service.  On January 19, 2017, Tom was appointed the Wilson Center’s Global Fellow for Cyber Policy.

Tom previously held the positions of Chief Cybersecurity Officer for Trend Micro; Vice President of Security for Core Security and Deputy CISO for the World Bank Treasury. In 2008 Tom was appointed a commissioner on the Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th President of the United States. In 2003 he co-authored the Book “Electronic Safety and Soundness: Securing Finance in a New Age.”

Karen Worstell, Sr. Cybersecurity Strategist and Howler for VMware, is well known today for her work as a CISO for iconic brands such as Russell Investments, Microsoft, and AT&T Wireless. She is one of the pioneer leaders of all aspects of information and internet security serving in research and consulting roles at Boeing Research and Technology, SRI International, NIST, Aerospace Industries Association, US Department of Commerce Computer Systems Security and Privacy Advisory Board, and multiple standards bodies.

As an author and industry luminary, Worstell frequently contributes to various publications and speaks at global industry events on a range of topics including security, innovation, creativity and strategies for improving representation and equity for women in the Tech workforce.  She is a contributing author to the 6th ed of the Computer Security Handbook (Wiley), and author of Governance and Control for Cutting Edge IT (ITGI) and Your Amazing Itty Bitty Book on Personal Data Protection (IttyBitty® Books).

Worstell holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington, and a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Pacific Lutheran University and an MA in Jewish Studies from MJTI.

Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist for VMware, has 24 years of information security experience educating and advising organizations on reducing their risk posture and tackling tough security challenges. He has held security positions with the U.S. Department of Defense, and in several industries including retail, insurance, entertainment, cloud computing, and higher education.

McElroy’s experience ranges from performing penetration testing to building and leading security programs. Rick is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Security Manager (CSIM), ] Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) and Certified in Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK).

As a United States Marine, McElroy’s work included physical security and counterterrorism services. His current role takes him all over the world working with organizations to improve their security strategies and speaking on security and privacy.

David Balcar is a Security Strategist at VMware. With over 18 years in security, David has extensive knowledge and experience in security research, network penetration testing, incident response, and computer forensics. David is also a noted featured speaker at global security conferences presenting on subjects including security trends, penetration testing, top threats and network security hardening. David is also a member of the High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA).

At VMware, David is responsible for the presales activities of the VMware Carbon Black portfolio that includes: VMware Carbon Black EDR, VMware Carbon Black App Control, VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint, VMware Carbon Black Cloud Enterprise EDR, VMware Carbon Black Cloud Audit and Remediation & VMware Carbon Black Cloud Managed Detection.

Craig is responsible for helping VMware customers in their Security transformation journey. Prior to his current position, he served tenure as an Enterprise Architect, Security Architect and Governance, Risk and Compliance consultants with VMware in EMEA, and companies such as Capgemini Consulting and Accenture. He has a background in psychology and human performance, and holds many qualifications and certifications including CISSP-ISSMP and VCP-DV 6.7.

At VMware, Benjamin created and developed the Advanced Consulting practice that assists customers as they operationalize VMware into their existing SOC detection & response operations. In his role as the lead incident response & threat hunting SME, Benjamin serves as a security strategist and global mentor for threat detection and incident response within the Revenue Organization.

Additionally, Benjamin regularly interacts with a wide range of customer environments in an effort to research and develop new threat hunting tactics. Frequently, Benjamin also delivers multi-day Incident Response workshops for incident response and detection. Given his interest and expertise in “all-things endpoint”, Benjamin routinely presents technical focused content at various security forums on behalf of VMware.

As VMware national security strategist, Eric O’Neill is a thought leader on a wide range of issues, including counterterrorism and national security matters. Eric O’Neill has worked as an FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative, a national security attorney and as a corporate security consultant.

In 2001, Eric O’Neill helped capture the most notorious spy in United States history: Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI.  In the three months preceding Hanssen’s arrest, Eric was selected to work undercover to gain Hanssen’s trust and use that relationship to draw the traitor out of deep cover.

Eric O’Neill is also the author of Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America’s First Cyber Spy. Eric O’Neill presents keynotes internationally about espionage and national security, cybersecurity, fraud, corporate diligence and defense, and spy hunting.

Victor Monga works for VMware, he specializes in cyber security, risk management, and threat modeling. Previously, Victor was a Network and Security Engineer for a major Healthcare Provider. He streamlined the transformation of the data center from a monolithic architecture to microservices for high availability and defense-in-depth security.

Victor’s experience in Healthcare, Aerospace, Department of Defense (DoD) has given him an in-depth understanding of specific industry needs. His hybrid profile allows VMWare to provide tailored Achievable Innovative Security Programs to clients in an evolving threat landscape. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Business Administration. He stays abreast of the latest Security Trends and holds numerous industry certifications.

Victor is engaged in the Cybersecurity Community and strives to share knowledge among them. He promotes programs for nonprofits or underprivileged groups. Cybersecurity is a passion and troubleshooting can be a prize for him.

Simon Perry is an internationally recognised expert in securing datacentre and end user compute workloads from modern attack techniques. Simon has over three decades of experience in enterprise IT, with over two decades of experience specifically in the field of cyber security. He has provided training to international law enforcement regarding cyber crime and security defensive technologies, served as an advisor to the European Union’s cyber agency (ENISA), and is now part of the VMware Carbon Black Product Management and Marketing team.