AITP Chicago upcoming events

2026 CISO of the Year Award Breakfast (Tue, October 13, 2026)

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT

The CISO of the Year Committee and the Chicago Chapters of AITP, ChicagoFirst, InfraGard, ISSA, ISACA, CSA, PAABC, WiCyS and SIM are excited to welcome you to our 2026 CISO of the Year Award Breakfast!

The purpose of the CISO of the Year program is to recognize the top CISOs in the greater Chicago area and provide a higher level of awareness and recognition to the CISO (or equivalent in authority) position.

Join us for the culmination of the 2026 Awards Program on October 13th. The events are Private, intended to support CISO’s and their direct reports, 2024 CISO Nominees, the Program Judges, our CISO Program Sponsors and delegates from esteemed industry partners-AITP, Chicago FIRST, Infragard, ISSA, ISACA, CSA, PAABC, WiSys and SIM. (Limit of up to 2 Board Members from each Industry Partner per event without special approval).

Click Here for More Information on the Program

Click Here to Visit the New CISO of theYear Website

This is a great opportunity to to recognize the exceptional talent we have in the Chicago Region, to network with security professionals and to meet the candidates and judges for the 2026 CISO of the Year Program - and to congratulate the 2026 CISO of the Year Winners! Great Food and Drink Too!

Click Here to Register

Prior CISO of the Year Award Winners:

2025 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Shefali Mooklencherry, CISO, UIC
2025 - CISO of the Year, MID-CAP, Nitin Raina, CISO, Thoughtworks

2024 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Dan Manley, CISO, CME Group
2024 - CISO of the Year, MID-CAP, Angela Williams, CISO, UL

2023 - ENTERPRISE, Darin Hurd, CISO, Guaranteed Rate
2023 - MID-CAP, Neil Witek, CISO, Oak Street Health

2022 - ENTERPRISE, Mahmood Khan, SVP & CISO, CNA Insurance
2022 - MID-CAP, Walter Lefmann, Director of Security, Chicago Trading Corporation

2021 - CISO of the Year, Ricardo LaFosse, CISO, The Kraft Heinz Company

2020 - CISO of the Year, Paige Adams, Global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

2019 - CISO of the Year, Jill Rhodes, CISO, Option Care Health

2018 - CISO of the Year, Bradley Schaufenbuel, VP & Chief Information Security Officer, Paylocity

2017 - CISO of the Year, Erik Decker, Chief Security & Privacy Officer, University of Chicago Medicine

2016 - CISO of the Year, Todd Fitzgerald, CISO, Grant Thornton International Ltd

2015 - CISO of the Year, Kevin Novak, CISO and Technology Risk Officer for Northern Trust Bank

2014 - CISO of the Year, Arlan McMillan, CISO, Department of Innovation and Technology, City of Chicago

2013 - CISO of the Year, Jason Witty, SVP & CISO, US Bank.

Please Thank Our 2026 Program Sponsors:

CIO 100 Leadership Live Chicago (Tue, October 13, 2026)

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:30:00 GMT

AITP is proud to support CIO 100 Leadership Live Chicago, a one-day gathering built for CIOs and senior technology leaders navigating enterprise transformation, AI adoption, innovation and the evolving demands of technology leadership.

This is not another day of high-level theory. Attendees will hear directly from experienced technology executives about the decisions they are making, the challenges they are working through and the lessons they have learned leading transformation inside complex organizations.

The day opens with Real Talk: Stories from the Leadership Live Series, featuring candid insights from technology leaders including Annie Baymiller of Owens Corning, Chris Nardecchia of Rockwell Automation, Sastry Durvasula of TIAA, Bob McCowan, formerly of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Deborah Youmans of MITRE.

Join Chicago’s technology leadership community on October 13.

Click Here to Register Through AITP

Click Here for Full Agenda

Criteria for Admission: In-person events are learning and networking opportunities for IT executives (i.e., C-level, VP and, director) from organizations with 250+ total employees. Attendees must be involved in the purchase, evaluation and recommendation of IT products/services; and/or have IT policy responsibility within their organization. All applications to attend are carefully reviewed. Registrants will be notified promptly should the status of their application change. Analysts, venture capitalists, sales, marketing or consulting staff from non-sponsoring technology or technology-related companies do not qualify to attend. All participants are subject to Foundry approval.

AITP Chicago - Executive Panel on AI ROI (Tue, November 10, 2026)

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 23:30:00 GMT

AITP Chicago Invites You to an Executive Panel on AI ROI

This is an exclusive event - all 4 panelists are from Teams that were finalists in the 2026 Most Effective Technology Team Awards. Hear from the best.

Topic: AI, Where's the Beef - where AI seems to be generating ROI above expectations and where it is falling short.

Event Host: Alden Hutchison, CYBER | Principal. RSM US LLP

Location: RSM US LLP, 30 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, 33rd Floor

Event Agenda: 5:30-8:00 PM

5:30 - 6:00 PM, Registration and Networking

6:00 - 7:00 PM, Panel Discussion "AI, Where's the Beef (ROI)"

7:00 - 8:00 PM, Pizza and Networking

Click Here to Register

Seating will be limited so only register if you will attend

Moderator: Lance Fortnow, Former Professor of Computer Science at IIT

Panelists:

Tom Cesario, Vice President of US Operations & IT, The Radio Flyer Company

KD Mohanty, Sr. Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Sargent & Lundy

Lee Roberson, Director of Technology, DePaul University

Brent Maher, Vice President of information Technology, First Student

BIOs:

Lance Fortnow is a computer scientist specializing in computational complexity, most recently developing a theory to understand why AI works as well as it does. He was a professor in Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he served as the founding dean of the College of Computing from 2019 to 2025.

Before joining Illinois Tech, he was chair of the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology and previously a professor at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago following a PhD in Applied Mathematics from MIT. He was a

Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands in 1996-97 and a visiting fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford, in Hilary Term 2026.

Fortnow founded and co-authors the Computational Complexity weblog, the first major theoretical computer science blog, which has run continuously since 2002, and wrote a popular science book, The Golden Ticket: P, NP and the Search for the Impossible.

Tom Cesario joined Radio Flyer in 2008. Home of the iconic Little Red Wagon, Radio Flyer has been creating tricycles and other ride-on toys for generations. As Vice President of U.S. Operations & IT, Tom develops and leads the company’s technology and operations strategy, with responsibility for IT, domestic operations, and customer service. He is also a member of Radio Flyer’s Executive Leadership Team. During his tenure, Tom has led significant business and technology transformations spanning ERP, cloud computing, eCommerce, data and analytics, warehouse technology, and digital customer engagement. More recently, he has focused on advancing the practical application of artificial intelligence across the organization to improve productivity, decision-making, and the customer experience. Tom is particularly interested in moving AI beyond experimentation and embedding it into everyday business processes where it can deliver measurable value.

Kuldip "KD" Mohanty is Chief Technology Officer at Sargent & Lundy leading enterprise initiatives that advance operational excellence, modernize core business platforms, and accelerate adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced analytics. With extensive experience delivering complex transformation programs, KD partners with business and technology leaders to align digital strategy with organizational goals, improve workforce productivity, and drive sustainable growth. He is passionate about building high-performing teams, fostering a culture of innovation, and translating technology investments into measurable business outcomes.

Lee Roberson is Director of Technology for the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University, where he leads technology strategy and operations for the School of Computing, School of Design, and School of Cinematic Arts. His portfolio spans infrastructure, applications, endpoint management, classroom and production technology, research computing, and technical support for more than 6,200 students.

At DePaul, Roberson has led the development of AI and high-performance computing infrastructure, helped shape long-term technology and capital planning, and oversees more than 150 teaching and learning spaces, including specialized cybersecurity and virtual production environments. He also serves on university committees focused on artificial intelligence, teaching and learning, and digital transformation.

Previously, Roberson held technology leadership and architecture roles at Northwestern University, including the McCormick School of Engineering, where his work included enterprise systems, infrastructure, classroom technology, and university-wide platforms. He also has experience consulting for Fortune 500s in ITSM and in developing e-government initiatives with the EPA and USDA. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University and an M.S. in Information Systems from Northwestern University.

Brent Maher is Vice President of Information Technology at First Student, where he leads enterprise IT strategy, cybersecurity, and technology operations supporting one of North America’s largest student transportation providers. Maher brings more than two decades of experience in technology leadership, with deep expertise in cybersecurity, infrastructure, and digital transformation. Prior to joining First Student, he spent over 15 years at Johnson Financial Group, where he held multiple executive roles including Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer. In those roles, he built and scaled enterprise security programs, modernized IT operations, and led strategic technology initiatives across the organization.

Cyber Crisis Exercise (Tue, December 15, 2026)

Tue, 15 Dec 2026 23:30:00 GMT

AITP Chicago and ISSA Chicago Invite you to a Cybersecurity Exercise!

Topic: An Interactive Cyber Crisis Exercise

Event Host: Alden Hutchison, CYBER | Principal. RSM US LLP

Location: RSM US LLP, 30 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, 33rd Floor

Agenda:

5:30 - 6:00 PM Sign In and Networking

6:00 - 7:30 PM Cyber Response Tabletop

7:30 - 8:00+ PM Refreshments and Networking

Click Here to Register

Seating will be limited so only register if you will attend

A Cyber event becomes a business crisis when the potential consequences extend beyond technology and begin impacting the business, affecting customers, operations, revenue, reputation, regulatory obligations, and strategy.

A common misperception is that responding to a cyber attack is purely an IT security problem. To be effective, two parallel but interdependent disciplines must operate together: Technical IT Incident Response – managing the cyber attack and technical recovery efforts, and Crisis Management – managing the business impact and coordinating the full response.

Rather than talking about cyber incidents, we put the audience in the middle of one...

We facilitate an interactive Cyber Crisis Exercise where attendees become the decision-makers during a rapidly unfolding cyber crisis. Through live polling, audience participation, and real-time discussion, members help determine how the organization responds. Every choice changes how the scenario unfolds.

Think of it as a live, immersive "choose your own adventure" experience for cyber incident response.

Participants will face the same decisions executives and response teams encounter during a real cyber event:

Do we pay the ransom?
What do we tell customers and employees?
When do we engage law enforcement?
How do we handle media attention?
What are the legal, regulatory, and business implications of each decision?

Because the audience controls the outcome, no two sessions are exactly alike. The format keeps attendees engaged throughout the event while providing practical insights into cybersecurity, crisis leadership, business continuity, and risk management.

This format works particularly well because it appeals to both technical and business professionals. Experienced practitioners can debate strategy, while business leaders gain a firsthand understanding of the decisions that drive successful incident response.

Your Core Team (Click Here for Full BIOs)

Alden Hutchison, Principal, Risk Consulting, RSM US LLP

Kevin Donahue, Senior Managing Director, Crisis Preparedness and Remediation, Coologee

Rich Servillas, Director, Risk Consulting, RSM US LLP

Ralph Jackson.Senior International Counsel . Coologee Senior Managing Director

Crisis Preparedness &