Arizona Technology Council to Host 11th Annual Cybersecurity Breakfast Forum

PHOENIX - Aug. 21, 2026 - PRLog -- The Arizona Technology Council, in partnership with the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA), today announced it will host the 11th annual Cybersecurity Breakfast Forum, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, to examine the evolving threat landscape and strategies for strengthening cyber resilience.

Senior government officials, industry executives, technology leaders and cybersecurity practitioners will meet 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Grand Canyon University, 2600 W. Camelback Road, Building 71, Phoenix.

"Artificial intelligence is creating tremendous opportunities for organizations while also fundamentally changing the cybersecurity risks they face," said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Council and SciTech Institute. "The Cybersecurity Breakfast Forum gives Arizona's technology and business leaders an opportunity to learn directly from experts confronting these challenges, and share practical strategies that can help organizations innovate securely while protecting their people, operations and critical assets."

Cybersecurity has evolved beyond an IT challenge to become a business, operational and national security imperative. As artificial intelligence reshapes both innovation and cyber threats, organizations are increasingly focused on how they manage risk, build resilience and securely enable emerging technologies.

Through keynote presentations, executive panel discussions and expert presentations, the Cybersecurity Breakfast Forum will provide practical perspectives on AI-enabled threats, cyber defense modernization, threat intelligence, incident response, AI governance and organizational preparedness.

Featured Speakers and Programming

The forum will feature cybersecurity executives and experts from the public and private sectors, including:

• Max Chan, global CIO, Avnet, who will deliver the opening keynote "Stewardship as a Security Control: A Practical Framework for Governing AI Safely," examining how organizations can establish effective governance and security controls as AI agents become increasingly integrated into enterprise operations.
• Pete Kim, executive director, Special Programs, RTX, who will deliver the closing keynote "Cyberspace Operations at the 'Speed of Cyber,'" exploring how AI is transforming cyber operations. Kim is a former CISO of Raytheon Missiles and a U.S. Air Force officer in offensive cyber operations.
• John Skaarup, field CISO, Apollo Information Systems, who will present "The Compliance Theater Problem: Why Passing Your Audit Doesn't Mean You're Secure," addressing the gap between point-in-time compliance assessments and continuously evolving cyber risk.
• Caroline Lynch, owner, Copper Hill Strategies, who will provide a Washington, D.C., cybersecurity update examining developments at the federal level.

The forum also will feature the executive panel "Leading Through Change: Proven Strategies for Today's AI-Powered Threat Landscape," which will be moderated by Frank J. Grimmelmann, president and CEO of ACTRA. Panelists will discuss practical approaches to AI adoption, cyber defense modernization, threat intelligence, incident response, governance and workforce readiness.

Panelists include:

• Jason Bredimus, CISO, Shamrock Foods
• Dana Kline, CIO, Cordia Energy
• Prakash Mana, CEO, Cloudbrink
• Tim Miller, global field CTO and chief cybersecurity strategist, Dataminr
• Christian Taillon, director of threat intelligence, ACTRA

The Council also thanks the organizations supporting the 2026 Cybersecurity Breakfast Forum. Event sponsors include Grand Canyon University, 10 to 1 PR, Hive Pro, Critical Start, Quarles, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University, and more. Sponsor support helps bring together Arizona's cybersecurity, technology and business communities to share insights and strengthen cyber resilience across the state.

Additional information and registration is available on the Council's event page https://www.aztechcouncil.org/event/2026-cybersecurity-breakfast-forum/.