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Women Who Cyber brings together a diverse group of aspiring and thriving cybersecurity professionals for dynamic and interactive events where they can network with peers, establish meaningful mentoring relationships, share knowledge, and enjoy unique experiences.
You’ll learn from, and be inspired by, our panel of influential women as they discuss how they broke through the glass ceiling and continue to pave the way for women to lead and excel in the industry. They’ll also discuss the unique challenges women face, as well as the importance of diversity and gender equality in the workplace.
Learn and be inspired as our panel of influential women discuss:
After the discussion, we’ll indulge in the “Jasper Experience” to celebrate that day, including a tour of the facility and vineyards, and a sampling of 8 of the wineries best wines paired with small bites.
Register now to support women in changing the face of cybersecurity!
new or used bras/sports bras and sealed packages of maxi pads and tampons.
Meg Anderson leads the vision and execution of the Information Security & Risk team for Principal Financial Group® in the role of VP-chief information security officer (CISO). As the chief information security officer, Meg is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy to mitigate risks, strengthen the company’s security posture, and foster a culture of security awareness. Meg is a driving force in the company’s commitment to security, ensuring the protection of customer data, and maintaining the trust and confidence of stakeholders in an ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. Meg and her high performing global team enable the company to adapt to evolving cyber threats while supporting innovation and growth by aligning security initiatives with business objectives, for a seamless integration of security and operations. With over 15 years of cybersecurity leadership in the financial services industry, Meg is an established trusted professional and collaborator in safeguarding critical assets, protecting customer data, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Meg engages stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including executive leadership and the board of directors, to effectively convey complex security concepts. Meg stays at the forefront of the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, continuously enhancing knowledge and skills by actively participating in a wide variety of CISO councils, is an active participant of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and past Board member. She is passionate about mentoring and developing current and future security professionals including with Cyversity and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering CISO program, along with multiple other professional and volunteer engagements. Meg also co-sponsors the Women in Technology group at Principal®. Before the role of VP-CISO, Meg acquired over 20 years of experience in application development and technology leadership. Meg graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems.
Charity Sharpe is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for UnityPoint Health (UPH) where she started her career in Information Technology (IT) in 1997 as a Customer Service Representative. Charity was promoted to Manager, Information Protection in 2001 with a focus on network, data, and application security, disaster recovery planning, and audit/compliance. In May 2017, she accepted the role of Corporate Information Security Officer and was subsequently promoted to CISO for UPH in 2021. Charity has achieved many IT and security certifications throughout her career including, Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Security Compliance Specialist, and Certified Cyber Security Architect. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry with a minor in psychology from Iowa State University in 1997.
Christina Stevens is the Director of Information Security at Farm Bureau Financial Services, having held the position for just over 5 years. She is responsible for identity access management, information security, compliance & audit, user awareness & education and business continuity. Christina began her career in public accounting before transiting to Internal Audit where she was then introduced to Information Security. She currently has a collection of certifications that have accompanied the many changes throughout her career journey including CISM, CIA, CISA, CPA, CRMA and CFE, and holds degrees in Accounting, Business Management and Information Security.
Megan is the Business Information Security Officer at John Deere Financial and also the Director of Cybersecurity Governance Risk & Compliance for Deere & Company. Within these roles, she responsible for management and oversight of all cybersecurity related activity for John Deere Financials’ operations globally and for enabling risk informed decisions across the company. She is an Iowa State alumnus (Go State!!) though not directly within agriculture or engineering - Accounting and MIS double major. Megan has spent much of her career within the realm of cybersecurity, audit, risk and compliance mostly within the finance services industry. She’s an active supporter of recruiting tech talent, Cyber Defense Competitions, is an external advisory council member of the Cybersecurity Engineering department at Iowa State, new attendee of TAI’s CISO roundtable, CISSP and CFE holder. If she isn’t working, you can find her workout out or doing something active with her husband (Brady), spending time with their families and indulging in any number of Des Moines metro’s eateries!
Wendy Bear is the Manager of Information Security at Telligen, Inc. She is responsible for the corporate information security program including security operations, compliance and audit, data security, and security awareness program. Having begun her career in business operations, Wendy transitioned into technology as a business analyst and project manager prior to discovering her passion for security. Her security experience includes building the first security program for a Des Moines-based fintech start-up and designing the Regional Information Security Officer position for the largest senior affiliate of a midwest healthcare system. Wendy supports growth of women in security and technology by her participation in Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys), where she is currently mentoring a cohort of women security professionals. Wendy graduated from Central College with a degree in Communication Studies.
At Proofpoint, we embrace and foster the diversity of our team members, customers, and stakeholders. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are a journey, and we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive company and society for our employees, customers, and partners. Women@Proofpoint is one of nine Proofpoint Employee Inclusion Groups (EIGs) and the group is focused on bringing opportunities in cyber to the forefront, encouraging women to pursue a career in the industry, and fostering a safe and respectful working environment where women feel empowered.
