Sherri Babylon

Founder & CEO @ BluVi

A U.S. Air Force veteran, CISSP, and CISM, Sherri is the founder of BluVi, where she leads work on Zones of Distrust (ZoD) — an open-source, vendor-neutral containment architecture for autonomous AI agents. Her background spans over 20 years in security, including defense contracting at L-3 Communications and CACI International, and seven years at Microsoft on DoD-embedded Azure consulting, FastTrack federal delivery, and Trusted Platforms. The premise behind her work is straightforward: the answer isn't building toward more trustworthy AI. It's building the architecture that contains it when trust isn't enough.

Mike Arbrouet

Field Chief Technology Officer @ IT Gulf Coast

Mike Arbrouet is a Cyber Risk and Information Security Leader with a passion for aligning security architecture plans and processes with security standards and business goals. He brings extensive experience developing and testing security frameworks for cloud-based software and is versed in robust network defense strategies and managing initiatives to promote security governance. Mike holds a Master's degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida and carries multiple certifications across security, risk, and technology disciplines. A speaker at events like Afrotech, he serves as Chair of IT Gulf Coast and founded Tainos Cyber Con to give back to the community. When he's not in tech, he's mentoring the next generation or on the soccer pitch as a coach.

Jim Nitterauer

Sr. Director Information Security @ Creative Data

Jim is a seasoned information security leader who brings practitioner-level depth to the rapidly evolving AI threat landscape. With a track record of translating complex security challenges into actionable guidance, he helps organizations get ahead of adversarial model attacks, rogue agents, and the security gaps that AI adoption leaves behind.

Judy Nadera

OT Cybersecurity Consultant @ Independent

Cyber nerd fascinated by the challenges of securing critical infrastructure. As an Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity professional, Judy serves as a seasoned consultant to Federal, DoD, and private utility clients on implementing cybersecurity requirements for critical infrastructure environments. She helps clients navigate these unique spaces through penetration testing, compromise assessments, adversary emulation via tabletop exercises, security architecture reviews, threat intelligence analysis, policy guidance, and program development. She is honored to serve as a CompTIA SecOT+ Subject Matter Expert, helping develop the certification exam.

Evan Kirstein

CISO @ Study GRC

Evan is an Information Security professional in the financial sector with 10+ years of experience in system/network administration, internal red/blue team, and GRC — who believes in function over form. In their off-hours, Evan is a lifelong tabletop and video gamer and homelabber with an interest in Meshtastic/LoRa, ARES EMCOMM, and amateur radio as KJ5MCN, as well as drones, cars, motorcycles, and karaoke mics. An avid learner and community builder, Evan holds an M.S. in Cybersecurity from Western Governors University, writes practical how-tos for the CyberSleuth Chronicles, and serves as CISO for Study GRC, a nonprofit providing free GRC training and real-world experience to the public.

Evan Wagner

Founder @ HackNWA

Evan Wagner is the founder of HackNWA, a cyber humanitarian, event organizer, and speaker. With GCIA and MSFPCS certifications, he bridges the gap between cybersecurity expertise and community impact — empowering others through education, collaboration, and hands-on events.

Daniel Crothers

Founder & CEO @ Kontos Labs

Daniel Crothers is a lifelong technologist, serial entrepreneur, and disabled U.S. combat veteran. He has spent his career working hands-on with nonprofit, business, and federal clients, building processes and systems across cloud, security, and infrastructure. He served as a 10X CTO for a four-time Inc 5000 company and now runs Kontos Labs, where he works closely with clients to solve real-world problems and build resilient systems aimed at tomorrow's threats. Usually knows how to exit Vim.

Dillard Trapp

Senior Manager, Federal Cloud Compliance & Assessments @ Insight Assurance

Dillard Trapp is a cybersecurity leader, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and entrepreneur based in Pensacola, Florida. He serves as Senior Manager of Federal Cloud Compliance and Assessments at Insight Assurance, supporting federal and commercial organizations in navigating complex regulatory environments including FedRAMP, DoD, and cloud security frameworks. With over a decade of experience in information security, risk management, and compliance, he has led security initiatives across government and private sector environments focused on strengthening security posture and enabling mission success. He is also the founder of Simply Trapp Solutions, a cybersecurity consulting firm. Dillard is passionate about bridging the gap between technical security, compliance, and real-world business outcomes while mentoring others and contributing to the regional tech community.

Shon McGaha

DevSecOps Engineer @ Accordion

With over a decade of professional experience in IT and Information Security, Shon brings a diverse background spanning wireless technologies, public safety software, healthcare, consulting, and fintech. Currently serving as a DevSecOps Engineer at Accordion, he specializes in Application Security, Security Operations, Threat Hunting, AI-driven Security, and Cyber Threat Intelligence. Shon combines deep technical knowledge with a passion for teaching as an Adjunct Instructor in several university cybersecurity certificate programs. He studied International Relations with an emphasis in Security & Diplomacy at UWF and Network Security at ITT Technical Institute. A lifelong tinkerer who credits the movies Hackers and WarGames for sparking an early fascination with cybersecurity — when not defending networks, he's drawing, painting, spinning records, and spending time with family.

Vince Ovando

Independent AI Security Researcher & Engineer @ Independent

Vince Ovando is an independent AI security researcher and engineer based in Pensacola, FL. He figures out what makes agentic systems tick and designs security controls for them. His work spans the full security engineering discipline — sysadmin and infrastructure, testing and evaluation, policy and audit, pentest and red team — and he builds AI applications on every side of it. He's the creator of Tantalus (tantalus.io), a public AI security CTF built on real CVEs, and LLMitM, an autonomous pentesting agent that learns from each engagement and creates the automation that replaces itself.

Sarah Baker

Student & Emerging Security Researcher @ University of West Florida

Sarah Baker is an up-and-coming player in the cybersecurity field. Mostly self-taught, she has an interest in specializing in pentesting and malware analysis — a journey sparked by being hacked herself a few years ago. A senior English Writing major at UWF and a lifelong writer, Sarah is a fairly new member of Pensacola Cyber Army who brings an attitude of wonder, compassion for both humankind and machine, futurism, optimism, and creativity to the field. She incorporates real computer science and cybersecurity concepts into her science fiction and science fantasy writing.

Connar McCasland

Instructor, CISSP @ University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity

Connar McCasland is an instructor at the University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity and AI with a career spanning both public and private sectors. Before entering academia, she led a county government cybersecurity program, where she quickly learned that many people viewed cybersecurity as "just an IT problem" or too complicated to understand. That challenge became her passion. Today, Connar focuses on breaking down cybersecurity into practical, relatable concepts that empower both organizations and individuals to protect themselves in a digital world.