Industry Experts Gather for 2015 MSIT Information Security Roundtable

Thought leaders, industry advocates, and esteemed professionals specializing in the area of information security from the Chicagoland area were invited by Masters of Science in Information Technology(MSIT) Co-Directors Prof. Randy Berry and Prof. Yan Chen, in coordination with the MSIT Industry Advisory Board to attend the inaugural MSIT Information Security Roundtable, held on Thursday, May 21, 2015 at Northwestern University's Evanston campus. The security executives discussed topics, such as: hiring needs, suggestions on curriculum (e.g., potential guest lecturers), and potential R&D collaborations, as well as to how the MSIT program can play a broader role in the industry.

The Round Table Discussion Focused in Three Areas

1. Creating awareness of the MSIT program within the Chicagoland IS and CISO community about the NWU students as a source for potential interns and employees.
2. Establishing a two-way dialogue with the IS Community to clarify the specific IS skills/knowledge that hiring managers are seeking when evaluating candidates from a program like MSIT and ultimately identifying curriculum enhancements to close any gaps that are perceived.
3. Seeking insights into research opportunities in the IS discipline via the vendor/sponsors of the local professional organizations affiliated with the program.

A total of 14 guests participated from variously distinct areas of expertise, such as Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) from corporations, Presidents of financial institutes, Operatives of government agencies, and multiple Northwestern representatives.View more MSIT Information Security Roundtable Photos

Full List of Attendees

Last Name	First Name	Company	Title
Allen	Robert	CNA	CISO
Barouski	Bill A.	Federal Reserve of Chicago	EVP/CISO
Bivian	Paul	City of Chicago	CISO
Buerger	Sarah E.	US Foods	Sr. Director-IT Risk Management and Compliance
Cammarata	Carl	Northwestern University -Feinburg School of Medicine	Sr. Director -CISO
Fitzgerald	Todd	Grant Thornton	CISO
Friedman	Gregg	Hexis Cyber Solutions	Regional Sales Director
Hauri	Tina	BGG, Inc	Practice Leader
Hug	Kathryn R.	FBI
Johnson	John D.	John Deere	Global Security Strategist
Johnson	Wayne	IBM	IBM Security Sales
Kane	Dimitra	Discover Financial	Senior Manager
Kapetansky	Glenn	Trexin Consulting	Senior Principal and Chief Security Officer
Kovarik	David C.	Northwestern University	Director-Information and Systems Security Compliance
Laz			IT Security Researcher and Strategist
McJunkin	James	Discover Financial Services	VP-CISO
McMillan	Arlan	United Airlines	CISO
Nicolls	Weston	First Midwest Bank	SVP-CISO
Novak	Kevin	Northern Trust Bank	CISO and IT Risk Officer
Phillips	Michael V.	Rosenthal Collins Group	EVP/CISO
Quadrini	Melissa	McAfee	Regional Sales Director
Rhodes	Jill	Trustmark	CISO
Sand	Paul	Federal Home Loan Bank	VP/ISO
Sutherland	Chris	BMO Harris	CISO
Waas	Bill	Illinois Technology Foundation	President
Witty	Jason	US Bank	CISO
Berry	Randy	Northwestern University	MSIT Director/Faculty
Chen	Yan	Northwestern University	MSIT Faculty
Shay	Abi	Northwestern University	MSIT Associate Director
Wolff	Alan	Northwestern University	MCC IT Director - MSIT Faculty
Carr	David	Northwestern University	NUIT Associate VP - MSIT Alum/IAB
Berger	Allison	Northwestern University	MCC Career Development
Harvey	Katie	Northwestern University	MCC Career Development