ISACA Los Angeles 2026 Annual Career Night

When:  Tue, Sep 8, 2026 from 15:00 to 23:00 (PT)
Associated with  Los Angeles Chapter

ISACA Los Angeles

2026 Annual Career Night

The Evolving World of ISACA Certifications

Tuesday, September 8, 2026  |  Career Workshop: 3:30 PM  ·  Dinner & Panel: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM PST

Golden Eagle Ballroom, Building #314  ·  California State University Los Angeles  ·  5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032

Buffet-Style Dinner Included  |  Free Student Career Workshop  |  Attire: Business Casual

ISACA Los Angeles  ·  Annual Career Night  ·  September 8, 2026

2026 Annual Career Night

Career Workshop for Students, followed by a Dinner & Panel Discussion on The Evolving World of ISACA Certifications

📅 Tuesday, September 8, 2026

📍 CSU Los Angeles

✨ Up to 3.5 CPEs  ·  Dinner Included

Moderator & Featured Panel

Mike Villegas

Mike Villegas

Moderator
Raquel De Leon

Raquel De Leon

Reliance, Inc.
Michael Herman

Michael Herman

PwC
Daniel Razmjou

Daniel Razmjou

IT Assurance
Azim Pathan

Azim Pathan

Cathay Bank

Event Details

Two Events, One Evening

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Tuesday, September 8th, 2026

Location: Golden Eagle Ballroom, Building #314, California State University Los Angeles

5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032  For Directions, click here.
For CSULA Campus Map, click here.

Two Events:

1. Workshop – 3:30 – 5:15pm (Registration starts at 3:00pm) – Free

CPE: Up to 1 CPE

2. Dinner & Panel Discussion – 6:00 – 8:30pm (Registration starts at 5pm with paid registration, see rate details below)

Meal Type: Buffet Style

CPE: Up to 2.5 CPEs

Parking Information & Pricing:

1 hour: $4  ·  All day: $13  ·  2 wheels (Motorcycles): $5

Visitors without passes should park in areas with permit dispensers or meters: top level of Parking Structure C, all levels of Parking Structure A, Lot 2, Lot 5, or Lot 7.

Rate Details

Sessions & Pricing

Dinner & Panel Discussion

Full-Time Faculty/Staff/Student

$20.00

Changes to $20.00 after Thursday, September 3, 2026

Refund policy

Member

$25.00

Changes to $40.00 after Thursday, September 3, 2026

Refund policy

Non-Member

$35.00

Changes to $46.00 after Thursday, September 3, 2026

Refund policy

ISACA LA Career Workshop

Full-Time Student

Complimentary

Member

Complimentary

Non-Member

Complimentary

2026 ISACA LA Annual Career Night

STUDENTS ONLY – ISACA LA Career Workshop 3:30 – 5:15 PM

1 CPE

Whether you're launching your cybersecurity career or preparing to pivot into the field, this interactive workshop is designed to help you build a powerful career toolkit. Attendees will rotate every 15 minutes between small-group sessions, each focused on a different career-building topic. You'll meet directly with professionals, and subject-matter experts offering insights you can apply right away.

Bring several copies of your resume and come ready to network!! (Space is limited — arrive early to get a seat.)

1. Resume Reviews & Tips – Hosted by the CPP Career Center. Get real-time feedback on how to make your resume stand out.

2. Interview Do's and Don'ts – Learn how to ace both virtual and in-person interviews — with tips on what to say (and what to avoid).

3. Certifications & Professional Memberships – Which ones really matter? When to get them — and how to leverage student memberships.

4. Flash Intros: Your 60-Second Pitch – Practice your "elevator pitch" for when you meet the right person and have only a minute to shine.

5. Power Portfolios: Show What You Can Do – Learn how to build and present a portfolio that showcases your projects, labs, or competition experience.

6. Cyber Soft Skills: Think & Communicate Like a Pro – Technical skills may get you the job, but soft skills help you nail it. Learn how to communicate like a security professional.

Dinner & Panel Discussion 6:00 – 8:30 PM

The Evolving World of ISACA Certifications – 2.5 CPEs

For more than fifty years, ISACA certifications have tracked the evolution of an entire profession — from the earliest days of EDP auditing to today's AI-driven world of assurance, security, risk, and privacy. In this keynote, Mike Villegas draws on more than three decades of certification training and volunteer leadership with the ISACA Los Angeles and San Francisco chapters to demystify what these credentials really mean for students standing at the start of their careers. Attendees will learn how ISACA's certifications have evolved alongside the profession, how CISA, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT, and CDPSE — and the new AI credentials AAIA, AAISM, and AAIR — differ from one another, how they compare to vendor and other professional certifications, and, most importantly, how to choose the certification that aligns with their strengths, values, and career goals. He will also answer the question of whether a student or recent graduate should take these certifications even if they do not meet the years experience requirements. Equal parts roadmap and rallying cry, this session helps students see certification not as a hoop to jump through, but as a lifelong companion on a rewarding career in IS audit, GRC, and cybersecurity.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this keynote, attendees will be able to:

  • Understand how ISACA certifications have evolved alongside the profession.
  • Understand the differences between the ISACA certifications.
  • Understand how to choose the ISACA certification that fits their goals.
  • Understand how ISACA certifications differ from other professional and vendor certifications.
  • Understand the difference between ISACA other professional certifications.

Moderator

Mike Villegas

Mike Villegas

Founder and President | iSecurePrivacy LLC.

Mike Villegas is Founder and President of iSecurePrivacy LLC and CTO/CISO for Xahive, with prior CISO and Senior VP roles at Tristar Insurance Group and K3DES. He holds CISA, CISSP, CEH, and ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer certifications, and previously served as President of both the ISACA Los Angeles and San Francisco chapters. He currently chairs Certification for ISACA LA and has written more than 150 articles for SearchSecurity—TechTarget.

Panel Speakers

Raquel De Leon

Raquel De Leon

Senior Manager Enterprise Risk | Reliance, Inc.

Raquel De Leon, CISA, CIA, is a risk, audit, and compliance leader with 25+ years of experience across enterprise risk, ESG reporting, SOX compliance, and information security governance. She currently serves as Enterprise Risk Senior Manager at Reliance, Inc., overseeing risk management, ethics and compliance, and executive risk reporting.
Michael Herman

Michael Herman

Senior Manager | PwC

Michael Herman, CISA, is a Senior Manager in PwC's Cybersecurity practice with 20 years of experience building GRC programs for clients across technology, aerospace, financial services, retail, and manufacturing. His work spans cyber risk frameworks, maturity benchmarking, and audit readiness aligned to NIST, ISO 27001, CMMC, and SOX, and increasingly brings AI into how organizations evaluate their cyber posture. He is currently working toward ISACA's Advanced in AI Audit (AAIA) certification.
Daniel Razmjou

Daniel Razmjou

Director of IT Assurance

Daniel Razmjou is an IT assurance and cybersecurity professional with over 20 years of experience in governance, risk management, and audit. As Director of IT Assurance, he leads initiatives that strengthen internal controls and translate complex risk into actionable insights for leadership. Since 2019 he has lectured at CSU Los Angeles and serves ISACA Los Angeles as CISM Certification Chair, Accredited Trainer, and Global Mentorship Program mentor, contributing to ISACA certification development as a CISM Review Manual SME and CISA item writer.
Azim Pathan

Azim Pathan

Sr. IT Governance Analyst | Cathay Bank

As a Senior IT Governance Analyst at Cathay Bank, Azim manages enterprise change management, vulnerability programs, and AI agent development in a highly regulated environment. His background spans systems administration, GRC, and hands-on security awareness work, including phishing simulation and behavioral change campaigns. He is currently pursuing CISA.

Venue

Event Location

Golden Eagle Ballroom, Building #314

California State University Los Angeles · 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032

The Career Workshop and Dinner & Panel Discussion both take place at the Golden Eagle Ballroom on the CSULA campus. Paid parking is available in nearby structures and lots — see the Event Details above for rates and locations. Attire is Business Casual.

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CPE Credit & Disclaimer

ISACA reserves the right to alter or delete items from the program in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Material has been prepared for the professional development of ISACA members and others in the IT audit, control, security, and governance community. Neither the presenters nor ISACA can warrant that the use of material presented will be adequate to discharge the legal or professional liability of the members in the conduct of their practices.

All materials used in the preparation and delivery of presentations on behalf of ISACA are original materials created by the speakers, or otherwise are materials which the speakers have all rights and authority to use and/or reproduce in connection with such presentation. All applicable copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights in the materials are and remain with the speakers. Please note: unauthorized recording, in any form, of presentations and workshops is prohibited.

Seats for the Career Workshop are limited — arrive early and register before rates increase on September 3, 2026.

Register Now →

Contact

John Vimrish Baskar Vincent

john.vimri@gmail.com

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