Colin Ahern

Chief Cybersecurity Officer, New York State

Colin Ahern is New York State’s first Chief Cyber Officer, serving as the Governor’s principal advisor on cybersecurity. He leads statewide efforts in cyber threat assessment, mitigation, and response. Previously, he held senior roles at NYC Cyber Command, where he helped transform the agency and led the development of the city’s first cloud-based, zero trust environment.

Colin began his career in the U.S. Army, serving in Afghanistan and later commanding a unit in the Army Cyber Brigade. He has taught at Columbia University and the George C. Marshall Center, and his work has been published in leading academic and media outlets. He holds degrees from Tulane University and NYU Stern, and is a certified information systems security professional.

Rafail Portnoy

Chief Technology Officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

Rafail Portnoy became the MTA’s Chief Technology Officer in January 2020. He is leading the transformation of the Information Technology Department, including major initiatives that will further consolidate, modernize, and standardize the MTA’s technology environment, systems and applications while enhancing cybersecurity posture. His goal is to continue building a robust, agile, and customer-focused IT department essential for supporting efficient service delivery and transformation throughout the MTA. 

Portnoy is currently a member of the teaching faculty at NYU Tandon School of Computer Sciences and Engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in Information Systems Engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic (now NYU) and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management Information Systems from Pace University. He resides in Rockland County, New York, with his wife and two children. 

Tariq Habib

Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

Tariq Habib is the Chief Cybersecurity Officer at New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) where he is responsible for all aspects of MTA’s Cybersecurity Strategy and Operations. He is an experienced Executive in Operational Technologies and Intelligent Transportation Systems programs as well as Security strategy and operations. With many years of Information Security experience, he is promoting an evolution of the behavioral and cultural transformation to manage cybersecurity risks within an organization. He has a strong understanding of threat landscape, public policy and critical infrastructure systems security.

Carolyn Hayward-Williams

Director, Office of Railroad Systems and Technology Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

Carolyn is the Director of the Office of Railroad Systems and Technology in FRA’s Office of Safety.  She was responsible for ensuring the railroad industry met the 2020 Positive Train Control deadline.  Along with continued oversight and audit of railroad’s PTC systems, she is also leads FRA’s oversight of operating practices, passenger rail and new technology approvals.

Lisette Camilo

Chief Administrative Officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

Lisette Camilo joined the MTA as Chief Administrative Officer in December 2021, where she oversees its people, procurement, information technology and real estate organizations.

In January 2016, Camilo was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio as Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), the agency responsible for providing City agencies with essential services to aid them in their operations. DCAS manages a broad range of areas including: all of the City’s real estate transactions, centralized procurement of large-scale goods and services, the City’s fleet program, recruitment and training of the City’s workforce, administration of the City’s Civil Service system and EEO policies, as well as the City’s efforts to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from more than 4,000 City buildings.

Camilo has a long history of public service. In April 2014, she was appointed as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) and City Chief Procurement Officer by Mayor Bill de Blasio, where she ensured Mayoral agencies’ compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements related to the City’s procurement of billions of dollars of goods and services. Camilo began at MOCS in 2011 in the legal unit, and also served as its Acting General Counsel. Prior to MOCS, Camilo served as Legislative Counsel at the New York City Council and was an attorney practicing immigration law at a private law firm. She began her legal career as Counsel for UNITE HERE Local 100, which represents hotel, restaurant, and commercial cafeteria food service workers.

Born and raised in Washington Heights, Lisette Camilo is a graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University, and George Washington University School of Law.

Joseph P. DeLorenzo

Associate Administrator for Transit Safety and Oversight and Chief Safety Officer

Joe DeLorenzo serves as the Associate Administrator for Transit Safety and Oversight and Chief Safety Officer at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In this role, he leads the Office of Transit Safety and Oversight, which administers the national transit safety program and ensures compliance with safety standards across all modes of public transit in the United States. Since joining FTA, Mr. DeLorenzo has prioritized making data-driven decisions to improve transit safety and oversight and reducing assaults on workers and riders.

Before joining FTA, Mr. DeLorenzo served as the Acting Associate Administrator for Enforcement for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Agency’s Director of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance. With over 30 years in the transportation industry, Mr. DeLorenzo's experience includes more than 15 years in field operations and leadership roles in enforcement and compliance was well as in training and professional development for Federal, state, and local agencies involved in safety programs.

Outside of professional responsibilities, Mr. DeLorenzo enjoys spending leisure time vacationing in Maine.

Kelly Moan

Chief Information Security Officer, City of New York

Having smashed the glass ceiling as New York City’s first woman Chief Information Security Officer, Kelly Moan now shields America’s largest municipal network from billions of weekly cyber threats. Heading NYC Cyber Command, she orchestrates real-time defense of critical infrastructure supporting over 8 million residents. During the global CrowdStrike outage, her leadership helped to maintain essential city services when systems worldwide failed.

With prior roles at the NYPD and Department of Homeland Security, Moan combines federal-level security experience with a mission-driven approach focused on collaboration, public safety, and expanding cybersecurity opportunities. Moan is a defender at both the national and individual level: she protects US interests as a Fellow at the National Security Institute, and promotes diversity by speaking at industry events about ways to make cybersecurity careers more accessible.

Katell Thielemann

VP Distinguished Analyst, Gartner

Katell Thielemann is a VP Distinguished Analyst focusing on risk and security of cyber-physical systems. In this capacity, Ms. Thielemann provides strategic insights and direction for her clients by helping them understand major market trends, key business issues, leading technology trends and drivers, industry best practices, and future scenarios.

Prior to joining Gartner, Ms. Thielemann held a number of leadership positions at General Electric and Honeywell in global sourcing, program management, P&L, M&A, product management, and strategic planning. These varied backgrounds provide Ms. Thielemann with multifaceted insights into market and business challenges and opportunities.

Allison C. de Cerreño

Chief Operating Officer, MTA Bridges & Tunnels (MTA B&T)

Dr. C. de Cerreño is an experienced transportation professional, with extensive knowledge and background in policy, research, project management, and operations. In addition to her work as the COO, overseeing operations, maintenance, safety, and intelligent transportation and tolling for TBTA, Dr. C. de Cerreño is the project lead for the Central Business District Tolling Program (“congestion pricing”), which began revenue operations on January 5.

David Gierke

National Public Sector Chief Information Security Officer, Cisco

David Gierke is Cisco’s SLED Chief Security Officer and former Chief Technologist with the Texas Department of Transportation, bringing over a decade of experience securing transportation and public-sector organizations. For the past ten years at Cisco, he has focused on helping state, local government, and transportation entities strengthen their cybersecurity resilience. David guides these organizations through Zero Trust, XDR, and AI-driven security transformations to prepare them for evolving threats.

Paige Graves

General Counsel, MTA HQ

Paige joins the MTA as General Counsel, after serving almost two years as Vice President and General Counsel of LIRR, four years as Vice President and General Counsel of MTA Bus Company and four years in NYC Transit Law Department. As the MTA General Counsel, she is responsible for developing high-level legal and policy strategies for the MTA and senior staff regarding key MTA initiatives and priorities. In this position, Paige also directly manages a law department of more than 350 attorneys and staff, who provide a wide range of legal services to the MTA and its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Paige has over 25 years of legal experience. She started her legal career as a prosecutor for the Manhattan DA’s Office; afterwards, she joined the Forensic Litigation Group of the accounting firm, KPMG, as a consultant providing investigative and integrity advisory services. She then went back into the legal field as senior counsel for an insurance defense firm handling various complex litigation matters, and as an adjunct professor at Monroe College School of Criminal Justice.

Paige holds both a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Hofstra University.

Danielle Jablanski

Cybersecurity Consulting Program Lead – Operational Technology (OT), STV

Danielle “DJ” Jablanski leads STV’s operational technology (OT) cybersecurity consulting program, advising clients in security program development, strategy, tool selection and deployment to mitigate cybersecurity threats facing operational technology and cyber-physical environments across transportation, energy, water, and infrastructure projects. Formerly a SME in the Office of the Technical Director at CISA, at Nozomi Networks, and Guidehouse, she is an experienced strategist, analyst, and program manager, with hands-on industry and governance expertise in OT and industrial control systems (ICS).

DJ developed OT and industrial control systems (ICS) strategy for the Cybersecurity Division (CSD) of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a department of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She conducted analysis of cross-sector security needs, controls assessments, and OT cybersecurity challenges. She authored the latest OT guidance on network segmentation, and consulted on OT projects across the federal government, from Zero Trust implementation in OT networks to high value asset identification and classification across the federal civilian and executive branch. DJ also led interagency and cross-sector risk analysis related to the White House National Security Memorandum 22, Sector Risk Management priorities, and industry collaboration efforts. She developed a classified threat briefing for owners and operators of OT across lifeline sectors (transportation, water, energy, and communications) in collaboration with the NSA, and co-led the development of critical infrastructure classified cybersecurity intelligence (CI3) briefings directed in collaboration with the FBI and the White House Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

In prior roles DJ was an industry expert on intrusion detection systems for industrial control systems, as well as IoT deployments, smart cities, and cyber insurance. Early in her career, DJ spent two years contributing to the creation and ideation of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University. Before that, she served a globally operating non-profit foundation working at the intersection of technology and nuclear weapons policy. In 2022 DJ joined the Atlantic Council as a non-resident fellow with the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, focusing on operational technology and workforce development issues. She is also an adjunct professor, who enjoys teaching Intro to ICS cybersecurity at Dallas College and Cyber-Physical Defense at the Middlebury Institute.

Polly Hanson

Senior Director Security, Risk & Emergency Management, APTA

To strengthen and improve public transportation, Ms. Hanson coordinates with APTA stakeholders to develop transit security, risk and emergency management standards and policies. Hanson performs peer reviews and assists with safety audits and serves as an advocate for transportation security as well as a source matter expert on transit security, risk and emergency management issues and concerns. Ms. Hanson served as the Vice-chair of the TSA Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee and represents passenger rail and mass transit on the DHS cross-sector coordinating council.

Previously Ms. Hanson was the Chief of Police for AMTRAK where she led a national police department responsible for protecting over 30 million passengers and 20,000 employees. Polly began her career at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) where she progressed through the ranks of the Metro Transit Police Department. As the Chief of the Metro Transit Police, Polly led a tristate police department and directed the response to the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London.

Polly received her Masters degree in Applied Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins and her Bachelors degree in Communications from Temple University. Polly has her FTA TSSP and PTSCTP certifications. Polly is the recipient of WMATA’s Carmen E. Turner Award and a COMTO Women Who Move the Nation. Ms. Hanson is a member of the Operation Lifesaver, Inc Board of Directors.

Michael Mi, P.Eng., MBA

Chief Engineering Manager, New Flyer/MCI

Michael Mi is an accomplished engineering leader with over 30 years of experience in electrical design, product development, functional safety, and vehicle cybersecurity for the commercial vehicle industry. As Chief Engineering Manager – Regulatory and Functional Safety, he guides the integration of ISO 26262 functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434 cybersecurity standards into advanced vehicle programs, including zero-emission platforms. Michael has led multidisciplinary teams delivering complex electrical and control systems, driving improvements in reliability, compliance, and cost efficiency across diesel, hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles. He holds a Master of Electrical Engineering (Control Systems) and an MBA from the University of Alberta, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Controls from Shanghai University of Technology. Michael is a licensed Professional Engineer in Alberta and Manitoba and a certified Crucial Accountability trainer.

Ahsan Baig

Chief Information Officer, AC Transit

Ahsan Baig leads AC Transit’s IT strategy and operations, overseeing all technology initiatives and investments. With over 24 years of experience in both public and private sectors, he has managed high-impact projects and teams. Prior to AC Transit, he held leadership roles at the Cit of Oakland, including Interim CIO and Deputy CIO, and worked on smart transportation projects with Parsons Brinckerhoff. Ahsan hold degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Karachi and City College of New York (CUNY).

Russ Auerbach

Assistant Chief Engineer - Communications & Signal, LIRR

Russ Auerbach is a seasoned engineering leader with over 25 years of progressive experience at the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), specializing in communications, signal systems, and capital program execution. As Assistant Chief Engineer of Communications and Signal, he oversees 24/7 operations ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient train service across one of the nation’s busiest commuter railroads.

Throughout his career, Russ has managed major capital and state-of-good-repair initiatives including East Side Access (ESA), Jamaica Central Improvements (JCI), Positive Train Control (PTC), and the Mainline Expansion Project. His leadership spans technical execution, workforce development, and strategic coordination between Engineering, Labor Relations, and Union organizations to enhance safety, performance, and employee engagement.

A licensed Professional Engineer in New York State, Russ has been instrumental in developing long-term capital plans, implementing process improvements to boost on-time performance, and ensuring compliance with FRA regulations. His expertise bridges multiple engineering disciplines, reflecting his deep understanding of signal systems as the backbone of rail operations.

Russ holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the New York Institute of Technology.

Muhammad Najam-Ud-Din

Assistant Chief Engineer C&S/PTC, Metro-North Railroad

Muhammad Najam-Ud-Din is the Assistant Chief Engineer of Communications & Signal/Positive Train control (C&S/PTC) at Metro-North Railroad. With over 21 years of experience, he leads the Operational Technology Group, overseeing critical control systems including CTC, SCADA, and PTC. His team manages system maintenance, innovation, and cybersecurity across more than 750 miles of track and hundreds of interlockings and substations.

Starting as a Signal Maintainer, Mr. Najam rose through the ranks to become a recognized leader in operational technology. He has spearheaded major infrastructure upgrades, introduced safety innovations, and advanced Metro-North’s cybersecurity posture. He is deeply committed to making Metro-North the safest railroad in the world – across train operations, infrastructure maintenance, and cybersecurity – by leveraging advanced technologies that proactively reduce the risk of human error.

Jaco Cronje

Director, WSP

Jaco Cronje is a digital solutions architect and systems integration lead at WSP USA. With a strong foundation in electrical, renewable, and digital engineering, he brings broad international experience to the planning and delivery of technology in the built environment. Jaco has led the implementation of transformative digital technologies across multiple continents, driving innovation and cyber security in building systems integration and smart infrastructure. A licensed electrical engineer and MIT-certified in smart cities architect, he combines technical rigor with a practical focus on system architecture, cyber security, and digital user experiences.

Polly Hanson

Global Managing Partner Cybersecurity, IBM

Polly Hanson brings decades of leadership in security, risk management, and law enforcement. She has served in senior roles at the Washington Metro Transit Police, Amtrak Police, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and now leads security and emergency management efforts at the American Public Transportation Association.

Polly holds degrees from John Hopkins University and Temple University, and is certified in public safety, rail operations, and contact tracing.

Mark Hughes

Global Managing Partner Cybersecurity, IBM

Mark Hughes is the Global Managing Partner of IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services and leads IBM’s team of thousands of experts in helping organisations transform security into a business enabler and establish cyber resiliency. His role spans the sales and services delivery of threat detection and response, data security, cloud security, IAM, infrastructure, risk management and ecosystem partnerships.

Before joining IBM, Mark’s cybersecurity career spans over two decades, including recent roles as President of Security at DXC Technology, a fortune 500 global technology services provider and Chief Executive at BT Security, a leading global telecommunications provider.

Mark has served on national boards, including the Cyber Growth Partnership for the United Kingdom and the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Cybersecurity Board.

Sunil Nair

Vice President, MTA

Sunil Nair leads the MTA’s Zero-Emissions Fleet Transformation program, driving the agency’s transition to a fully electric bus fleet by 2040. With over 18 years in public transit, he has delivered innovative, data-driven solutions including electric bus deployment, charging infrastructure, and real-time passenger systems.

Sunil previously worked at Goldman Sachs and the Indian Space Research Organization. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science from NIT Calicut and Penn State.

Craig Porter

Director Analyst, Gartner

Craig Porter is a Director Analyst at Gartner, specializing in AI and cybersecurity. With deep expertise in securing artificial intelligence systems, leveraging AI for advanced security operations, incident response planning, data loss prevention (DLP), email security, and multicloud security, Craig advises CISOs and security leaders on their most critical priorities.