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CISO of the Year Award
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NOMINATION COMMITTEE |
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Wayne Johnson, Founder |
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Arlan McMillan, Head of Judges Committee and Co-Chair |
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Sally Martin, Head of Operations and Co-Chair |
On behalf of the Program Committee, prior winners, nominees, partners, sponsors and the CISOs of the Chicago region, thank you for your participation in the Program.
Wayne Johnson, Founder
Timeline
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April 20, 2025 |
Sponsors notified of their selection |
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April 1, 2025 |
Program launch announcement and opening of nominations Links and nomination forms shared with sponsors and partners AITP, ChicagoFIRST, InfraGard, ISACA, ISSA, PAABC, SIM, CSA and WiCyS |
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Tuesday, May 20, 2025 5:00pm – 8:00pm |
First Mixer Event: Smith and Wollensky on the Chicago River 318 N State St, Chicago IL 60654 |
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Tuesday, June 17, 2025 5:00pm – 8:00pm |
Second Mixer Event (Suburban Event): Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse 5464 N River Rd, Rosemont IL 60018 |
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Friday, July 20, 2025 |
Final day for completed nominations to be submitted |
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 5:00pm – 8:00pm |
Third Mixer Event (Partner Event): Raised Urban Rooftop located in the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel 1 W Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601 |
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Sunday, August 4, 2025 |
Final day for nominees to submit application forms |
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August 12-21, 2024 |
Program judges review applications and perform interviews with nominees |
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Tuesday, August 19, 2025 5:00pm – 8:00pm |
Fourth Mixer Event: Metropolitan Club, Oak Room, 67th Floor, Willis Tower 233 S Wacker Drive, Chicago IL 60606 |
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September 9, 2025 |
Finalists announced for each category |
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September 13-23, 2025 |
CEO judges interview finalists and select winners |
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 7:30am – 10:00am |
Award Breakfast: Metropolitan Club, Oak Room, 67th Floor, Willis Tower 233 S Wacker Drive, Chicago IL 60606 |
FOR OUR SPONSORS:
It's a pleasure to offer out sponsors the best opportunity to meet Chicago area Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Senior Information Security Practitioners in multiple settings! You will meet many of the same CISOs multiple times throughout the course of the 6-month Chicago CISO of the Year Program. As we all know, relationships build success. The program is designed for our Sponsors to be able to communicate with CISO’s in great settings and as a way for CISOs to meet their Peers to grow their careers and network.
There are 5 events that make up the program sponsor year. We have averaged about 100 people per event. Significantly more people attend the last events in the program. We are limiting the number of sponsor participation to 12 for 2025. As the year progresses we will be adding a couple more events like baseball games and/or round-tables.
Please Thank Our 2025 Program Sponsors:
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For detailed information on sponsor opportunities, contact:
Wayne Johnson (Founder and Sponsors Contact), wayne.johnson@chicagocisooftheyear.com
FOR OUR PARTNERS:
We have a tremendous group of partners in Infragard, AITP, ISSA, SIM, ISACA, WiSys and ChicagoFirst. We are very pleased to announce a new partner was added last year.
Given the circumstances this year, we expect to work much more directly with our partners to cross-promote through virtual events and ongoing chapter communications. We will rely more than ever on partners to drive nominations and keep our communities collectively engaged. We are interested in your ideas, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to Wayne Johnson, Arlan McMillan or Sally Martin with any questions or concerns.
SUMMARY:
While COVID-19 has introduced a world of uncertainty, we on the committee would like to think positively and are dedicated to conducting an In-Person program this year in a way that our nominees, judges, event attendees, sponsors, and partners can do so safely and healthily.
Thank you to everyone who makes this program and the Chicago CISO community great! We look forward to another good year.
About the Program Partners
AITP Chicago
www.aitpchicago.com
It is the mission of AITP Chicago to provide superior leadership and education in Information Technology. AITP is dedicated to using synergy of Information Technology partnerships to provide education and benefits to our members and to working with the industry to assist in overall promotion and direction of Information Technology.
Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)
https://issa-chicago.org/
The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) is a not-for-profit, international organization of information security professionals and practitioners. It provides educational forums, publications, and peer interaction opportunities that enhance the knowledge, skill, and professional growth of its members.
InfraGard
https://chicagoinfragard.org/
InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector. The InfraGard program provides a vehicle for seamless public-private collaboration with government that expedites the timely exchange of information and promotes mutual learning opportunities relevant to the protection of Critical Infrastructure. With thousands of vetted members nationally, InfraGard's membership includes business executives, entrepreneurs, military and government officials, computer professionals, academia and state and local law enforcement; each dedicated to contributing industry specific insight and advancing national security.
ISACA Chicago
https://engage.isaca.org/chicagochapter/home
As an independent, nonprofit, global association, ISACA engages in the development, adoption and use of globally accepted, industry-leading knowledge and practices for information systems. Previously known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, ISACA now goes by its acronym only, to reflect the broad range of IT governance professionals it serves.
Society of Information Managers (SIM)
https://www.sim-chicago.org/
SIM brings together IT leaders to share, network and give back to their communities through the collaboration of local chapters. SIM Chicago provides a unique opportunity to interact with thought leaders throughout the technology and business fields. SIM Chicago sponsors regular programs for members to network, hosts social and philanthropic events to enhance the community, and acts as a forum for business and technology leaders in partnership with peer executive organizations in Chicago.
WiCyS
https://www.wicys.org/wicys-chicago-affiliate/
Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with global reach dedicated to bringing together women in cybersecurity from academia, research and industry to share knowledge, experience, networking and mentoring. The WiCyS Chicago Affiliate is Chicago CISO of the Year's newest partner, and we look forward to working together to raise awareness, opportunity and inclusion for women in (or aspiring to) the CISO role.
ChicagoFIRST
www.chicagofirst.org
In 2020, the CotY committee announced a new partnership between ChicagoFIRST and the Chicago CISO of the year awards program. ChicagoFIRST is a nonprofit association that provides critical firms a collaborative forum to address private sector resilience and emergency management planning and response with relevant local, regional, and national public sector agencies. We look forward to collaborating with ChicagoFIRST in the years to come.
Pan Asian American Business Council
The mission of the Pan Asian American Business Council (“PAABC”) is to enable and foster the development and growth of Asian American owned businesses.
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Cloud Security Alliance - Chicago Chapter
https://circle.cloudsecurityalliance.org/chicago/home
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. CSA harnesses the subject matter expertise of industry practitioners, associations, governments, and its corporate and individual members to offer cloud security-specific research, education, certification, events and products. CSA’s activities, knowledge and extensive network benefit the entire community impacted by cloud — from providers and customers, to governments, entrepreneurs and the assurance industry — and provide a forum through which diverse parties can work together to create and maintain a trusted cloud ecosystem.
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2024 Chicago CISO of the Year Winners
ENTERPRISE MIDCAP
Dan Manley, CISO, CME Group Angela Williams, CISO, UL Solutions
2024 Chicago CISO of the Year Finalists
ENTERPRISE
Erik Hart, CISO, Cushman & Wakefield Dan Manley, CISO, CME Group
MIDCAP
Fred Kwong, CISO, DeVry University Angela Williams, CISO, UL Solution
Upcoming Events
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Tue, May 20, 2025 5:00 PMSmith & Wollensky on the River, 318 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60654
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Tue, June 17, 2025 5:00 PMGibson's Bar & Steakhouse, 5464 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL
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