An innovative, collaborative team builder and complex problem solver with more than 20 years of higher education administration and executive leadership experience. Relentless culture mechanic and proponent for positive, progressive change. Deeply values transparency and transformative thinking. Constantly seeks opportunities to empower people and teams to develop their talents and creativity, and utilize their experiences, diverse perspectives, and knowledge.

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Kara Ortiz serves as Director of the Identity & Architecture Division within the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection (CIP) bureau, where she leads statewide strategy and oversight for enterprise identity, authentication, and architectural governance. In this role, Kara is responsible for guiding the vision and implementation of Michigan’s enterprise identity platform (MiLogin), supporting secure access for residents, businesses, and state employees and for strengthening architectural standards that ensure consistency, security, and long‑term resiliency across the State’s technology ecosystem.

Ben is an Air Force veteran with a M.S. in Cybersecurity from Western Michigan University and certifications from CompTIA and PMI. Over his military career, he led IT operations, cyber incident response, and disaster recovery for Executive Airlift communications and networks supporting high-profile organizations in the National Capital Region. He is currently a private consultant, advising small and medium-sized businesses on IT, cybersecurity, and incident response.

 is the Network Administrator and Engineer for St. Joseph County, Indiana, where he manages municipal infrastructure and assists with active cybersecurity incident investigations. He holds a Master's degree in Cybersecurity from Western Michigan University. His work bridges hands-on public-sector network defense with practical incident response.

Kane Greer is the first and only dedicated cybersecurity professional for the City of South Bend, Indiana. Within this unique role he is able to tackle all different avenues of cybersecurity including; user training, incident response, policy creation, software ownership, risk management and process improvment. He holds his Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from Western, where he was also the founding president of Bronco Cybersecurity Club and the first cybersecurity student to join and lead TechNext.

Kevin Hayes is the Chief Information Security Officer at Merit Network, Inc. In this role, Kevin is responsible for the management of IT security controls and products, responding to information security incidents big and small, and providing security policy and strategy guidance to Merit members, system administrators, and management. No stranger to the nonprofit world, Kevin has previously worked at Wayne State University, creating and directing the team of cyber professionals dedicated to keeping the organization secure. Kevin holds both CISSP and CISM certifications, is a member of the Governor’s Cyber Civilian Corps, and has been heard talking about security issues from time to time on the Detroit television stations WDIV-TV and WXYZ-TV, as well as the Detroit public radio station WDET-FM.

Scott is a cyber-security professional passionate about raising awareness of everyday cyber threats and trends.

Scott most recently worked at the Michigan SBDC at Grand Valley State University, where he served as their Cybersecurity Awareness Program Specialist where he built and managed cybersecurity awareness programs that translate complex security requirements into practical, everyday habits. Prior to that, Scott was an IT Security Analyst at Ferris State University. As an IT Security Analyst, he managed full disk encryption, mobile device management, Office365 security policies, and provided security awareness training through multiple platforms. He has assisted with incident response, vulnerability and risk assessments, data loss prevention, and data security access.

Scott graduated from Ferris State University in 2012 with a degree in Information Security and Intelligence and obtained a program certificate in Geographic Information Systems. He also received a degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University in 2009.

Pierrette Renée Dagg, Ph.D., is Director of Research and Research & Development at Merit Network, where she leads applied research initiatives spanning artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum networking, digital opportunity, research computing, and next-generation Internet infrastructure. Her work focuses on building collaborative research ecosystems that connect academia, government, nonprofit organizations, and industry to advance emerging technologies and translate research into meaningful opportunities for researchers, educators, students, and communities. She also serves as a Research Associate with the Quello Center at Michigan State University and has contributed to national and international initiatives focused on Internet resilience, AI, broadband policy, and research cyberinfrastructure. Her research and expertise have been shared with audiences ranging from research universities and international conferences to the United Nations. Dr. Dagg is the recipient of the 2026 Marconi Society Institute Award for Leadership in Internet Resilience, as well as the Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Service and the Graham Woodhouse Award for Outstanding Community Service. She holds a Ph.D. in Foundations of Education with a specialization in Educational Technology, an Executive MBA, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toledo.

KayDee MacDonell is a Security Operations Center Analyst at Merit Network, where she investigates cyber threats and helps member organizations respond to security incidents. Her work focuses on finding meaningful patterns in network activity, particularly when traditional threat intelligence and signature-based detection offer incomplete answers. She also works with Merit's research team on security-related projects including working toward threat prevention in IPv6 network traffic and the development of AI ready data sets with darknet data and internet background radiation.

JK is a Member of Technical Staff and security tech lead at Socket. His lengthy career spans software engineering, site reliability and security, from early container-platform startups to large technology companies. He built deployment platforms at Apple and worked on reliability and security for the energy grid at Gridmatic. He has founded site reliability engineering teams, built security programs from scratch and led and grown engineering teams. He is a member of the OpenTelemetry organization within the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and a lead organizer of the BSidesSF security conference.

The Bronco Cybersecurity Club stands as a vibrant community, uniting individuals with a common passion for cybersecurity. Our doors are open wide, welcoming enthusiasts from every academic avenue. Here, whether you're majoring in computer science or marketing, your presence is not just welcomed – it's celebrated. Join us, and together we'll unravel the captivating mysteries of cybersecurity.

Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) at Western Michigan University is a student organization dedicated to supporting, advancing, and empowering women and underrepresented genders interested in cybersecurity and computer science.

The organization seeks to provide educational opportunities, professional development, networking, and a supportive community while promoting ethical and responsible practices within the cybersecurity field.

Western Research Advisory for Vulnerabilities, Exploits, & Networks is committed to advancing the field of cybersecurity through research, collaboration, and education. Our mission is to cultivate a community where students can develop technical skills, exchange knowledge, work towards industry certifications, and engage in impactful projects focused on vulnerabilities, exploits, and networks. Whether you're an experienced professional or just beginning to explore cybersecurity, WRAVEN provides a welcoming environment for learning, contributing, and networking.