Gaining the visibility you need into your children’s online presence
CEO, Tenable Network Security
Frequently sought out by media such as the Bloomberg, Forbes and New York Times, Ron Gula is one of the leading cybersecurity thinkers in the industry. Ron started his career in information security at the National Security Agency conducting penetration tests of government networks and performing advanced vulnerability research. He was the original author of the Dragon Intrusion Detection System and CTO of Network Security Wizards, acquired by Enterasys Networks. Ron also helped to develop one of the first commercial network honeypots and developed security policies for large carrier-class networks.
Since co-founding Tenable Network Security in 2002, Ron has served as CEO. Under his leadership the company has become the leader in continuous network monitoring and is relied upon by organizations world-wide to identify vulnerabilities, reduce risk, and ensure compliance.
Ron serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Maryland Cybersecurity Center. He was also appointed to the National Cybersecurity Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Advisory Board as part of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). Ron has received special awards for leadership from both The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun, and was named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 for defense and security.
CEO, PivotPoint Risk Analytics
Julian Waits is currently the CEO of PivotPoint Risk Analytics and also serves as the Chairman of ICMCP’s Strategic Advisory Board. He was formerly CEO of ThreatTrack Security.
Julian is an accomplished chief executive, business development professional, risk-management strategist and sales leader with a tenured background in information security. He also has extensive experience in the venture capital arena, leading tech companies through periods of rapid growth, innovation and transition.
He has more than 20 years of experience at all levels of IT, from network engineer to sales and previous roles as CEO, when he led Brabeion Software Corporation, maker of IT governance, risk and compliance software, and Way2Market360 LLC., a startup accelerator. He also held senior leadership positions at Archer Technologies, e-Security and BNXSystems.
He is an alumnus of both Loyola University of New Orleans and Xavier University.
aliciaproject.org
In January of 2002, Alicia Kozakiewicz became the victim of an Internet luring and was abducted to another state where she was held captive. Following a rescue by the FBI, Alicia, still recovering from her ordeal, returned to school and was highly involved in both academic and extracurricular activities, graduating with high honors. During these years, she came to realize that other children need not suffer her traumatic experience, and so, “The Alicia Project” was born.
Her story and mission has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Fox & Friends, Good Morning America, Anderson Live, CNN and MSNBC, as well as in a number of publications including People and Cosmopolitan.
Additionally, Alicia testified before Congress, and has lobbied successfully for the Protect Our Children Act and Alicia’s Law. Alicia’s Law has passed in Virginia, Texas, Hawaii, and Idaho. She has dedicated herself to seeing the initiative passed in all fifty states. Alicia has received both a 2009 Jefferson Award and the 2007 Courage Award from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as U.S. Presidential recognition of her efforts.
“I’d like,” she says “to ultimately become the person who rescues the child, and then helps to recover that child’s soul.”
Grace's Law advocate
Grace McComas, born on October 9, 1996, is described as “a bright light from birth: Joyful, kind and loved beyond belief.” Grace began to be harassed and bullied after an uninvestigated drug-assisted sexual assault by the older brother of her good friend next door in June 2011. In the fall, Grace brought the online bullying to her mother, Christine. Unfamiliar with the social media platform, Christine read the hateful posts for the first time. She was shocked. She immediately took screen shot proof to her Howard County School, who said there was nothing to be done. The Howard County States Attorneys office told them they could make it stop, and they assumed it would. Over time she saw her daughter’s demeanor change: Grace wouldn’t go outside; the posts affected her ability to eat and sleep. As they continued to hear about the threatening posts, Christine found them, took screenshots of the posts and again requested help from the school system, the police and the courts, none of whom validated Grace's fear or pain. With limited follow up and several loose ends, there was no resolve.
On Easter Sunday, April 8th, 2012, Grace took her own life. She was 15 years old.
Christine knew she had to raise her voice and make a change, and less than 4 days before the first anniversary of her death, Grace’s law was signed. Grace’s Law makes it a misdemeanor to repeatedly and maliciously use a computer or smartphone to bully a child. Today, Christine shares her family’s story with other parents and students to raise awareness of cyberbullying and the need for additional change, including more kindness, civility and up-stander intervention to prevent another tragedy. We encourage people to Stand for G.R.A.C.E.!, by Giving Respect and Compassion to Everyone.
Howard County Police Department
Sgt. Aaron Miller began his law enforcement career with the Howard County Police Department (HCPD) in November 2001. He started out in Patrol, working throughout various areas of the county until January 2006. At that time, Sgt. Miller began his career as a detective with HCPD in the Family Crimes Sexual Assault Division, specifically the Child Abuse Sexual Assault Section. As a member of this Section, he was responsible for investigating serious physical child abuse cases, all sexual child abuse cases, all serious sexual assaults, Sex Offender violations and registrations, child pornography cases and online crimes against children. He was one of the first Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce investigators in HCPD. During his time as a detective for the Child Abuse Sexual Assault Section, Sgt. Miller handled 409 cases. Around 150 of these cases involved criminal activity online. Sgt. Miller also spent a year as a detective in the Violent Crimes Section of HCPD. During that time, he handled 26 cases.
Athletics and Activities Manager, River Hill High School
Brandon Lauer is the Athletics and Activities Manager and head wrestling coach at River Hill high school. Not only is Brandon a current staff member at River Hill, but he is also an alumnus. During his time as a River Hill student, Brandon enjoyed an undefeated wrestling career, going 111-0 and winning three state championships before graduating in 2000. Brandon then went on to wrestle at West Virginia University where he was recognized as an All-American for his performance on the mat. Since taking over as head coach of River Hill in 2006, a position previously held by Brandon’s father Earl Lauer, Brandon and the Hawks have won four county championships, five regional championships, and one state championship. In 2008, Brandon was inducted into the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame.