Deidre Melton
Associate Vice President for Audit and Chief Risk Officer
Florida A&M University

Deidre Melton is the dynamic Associate Vice President for Audit and Chief Risk Officer at Florida A&M University. With a career spanning over two decades, Deidre's expertise in audit, risk management, and information technology is unparalleled. In her current role, Deidre provides invaluable daily strategic direction and supervision for audit, advisory, and investigation services at Florida A&M University. Her leadership extends beyond the immediate scope of her position; she serves as a trusted advisor to university leadership and leads the charge in enterprise risk management efforts across the institution.

Beyond her pivotal role at the university, Deidre is a stalwart in both the audit and tech professional communities. She holds influential positions on various local, state, and national boards and committees. Deidre's leadership shines as she chairs the IT Audit Group for the State University System of Florida and the Leon County (Florida) Audit Committee. She is also the Vice President for ISACA Tallahassee, a member of ISACA’s SheLeadsTech Advisory Council and holds a national board position for the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA). Deidre Melton is a true trailblazer, dedicated to excellence, innovation, and the pursuit of knowledge in the fields of audit, risk management, and technology. Her contributions continue to shape the landscape of her profession, and her impact on Florida A&M University is immeasurable.

Rob Clark Jr.
Chief Audit & Compliance Officer
Howard University

Rob Clark, Jr., Chief Audit & Compliance Officer for Howard University, is a nationally recognized authority in internal audit, risk management, compliance, and cybersecurity and with over 36 years of industry experience. He is a highly rated and engaging speaker with a gift of being able to connect with his audience in an impactful way.

He has been leading the internal audit and compliance team at Howard since 2020. He served as the Chief Audit & Compliance Officer at Clark Atlanta University, Chief Audit Executive at Georgia Tech and the University of Nebraska, and Audit Manager at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds professional designations as a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional, and Certified Business Manager. He is Past President of ACUA; Past President of IIA – Atlanta; Board Member of the National Speakers Association – GA; a Certified Virtual Presenter through eSpeakers; and performs stand-up comedy.

Talvis Love
SVP, Chief Information Officer
Baxter

Love joined Baxter in 2020 from Cardinal Health's Pharmaceuticals Segment, where, as SVP & CIO Pharma Segment, he was responsible for Segment IT service delivery. Additionally, he held positions of SVP, eCommerce, Governance Execution, Enterprise Architecture and CISO of Cardinal Health. His career includes executive and management positions within TD Bank Group, Ford, Oracle and Quaker Oats, a division of PepsiCo.

Love serves as director on the board of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit and Thrive Scholars – Chicago plus Tricentis Growth Advisory Board. He has also served on the public boards of Poly and Duck Creek Technologies. He holds degrees in Technology and Information Systems Management from University of Maryland, MBA from Michigan State University, completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School and completed graduate studies at the University of Chicago.

Ali Pabrai
Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder
ecfirst

Mr. Ali Pabrai, a global cybersecurity & compliance expert, is the chairman & chief executive of ecfirst. His designations include MSEE, CISSP (ISSAP, ISSMP), DoD CMMC (CCA, CCP, RPA, RP), Security+. A highly sought after professional, he has successfully delivered solutions to U.S. government agencies, IT firms, healthcare systems, legal and other organizations worldwide. His career was launched with the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear research facility, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He has served as vice chairman and in several senior officer positions with NASDAQ-based firms. Mr. Pabrai was appointed and served (2017) as a member of the select HITRUST CSF Assessor Council. Mr. Pabrai is a proud member of the InfraGard (FBI).

Mr. Pabrai has led numerous engagements worldwide for ISO 27001, PCI DSS, NIST, CMMC, GDPR, CCPA, HITRUST CSF and HIPAA. Mr. Pabrai served as an Interim CISO for a health system with 40+ locations in USA. Mr. Pabrai has presented passionate briefs to tens of thousands globally, including the USA, United Kingdom, France, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Japan, Ireland, Bahrain, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana and other countries. He is a globally renowned speaker who has been featured as a keynote as well as moderated cybersecurity conferences. Mr. Pabrai is the author of several published works. Clients that Mr. Pabrai has delivered to have included the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Naval Surface Warfare Center.