Cybersecurity

Tom Kealey is the Director of Idaho Commerce. Director Kealey is responsible for leading the state’s economic development efforts, fostering a business-friendly environment to aid in job creation, support existing companies, strengthen communities, and market Idaho domestically and abroad.

Director Kealey received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and B.A. from the University of Washington. He has held numerous senior business roles in Fortune 500 companies and is a long-time Idaho business owner and investor. Director Kealey was appointed by Governor Brad Little in January 2019.

Director Kealey lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife of more than 40 years, Joy. Their three grown sons were raised in Idaho where the family enjoys skiing, fishing, camping, boating, hiking, hunting and all that outdoor Idaho has to offer.

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Zach Tudor is the associate laboratory director of Idaho National Laboratory’s National and Homeland Security (N&HS) directorate. INL’s N&HS is a major center for national security technology development and demonstration, employing 550 scientists and engineers across $300 million in programs. N&HS is responsible for INL’s Nuclear Nonproliferation, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Defense Systems and Homeland Security missions. These missions include safeguarding and securing vulnerable nuclear material, enhancing the overall security and resilience of the nation’s infrastructure, and providing protective system solutions and heavy manufacturing of armor for national defense. N&HS supports major programs for the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Intelligence Community.

Tudor was previously a program director in the Computer Science Laboratory at SRI International, where he served as a management and technical resource for operational and research and development cybersecurity programs for government, intelligence and commercial projects. He supported DHS’ Cyber Security Division on projects including the Linking the Oil and Gas Industry to Improve Cybersecurity consortium, and the Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group. He has served as a member of the (ISC)2 Application Security Advisory Board and the NRC’s Nuclear Cyber Security Working Group, and vice chair of the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection at George Washington University. Prior to SRI, Tudor led a team of cybersecurity engineers and analysts directly supporting the Control Systems Security Program at DHS, whose mission is to reduce the cybersecurity risk to critical infrastructure systems. Past assignments include on-site deputy program manager for the National Reconnaissance Office’s worldwide operational network, information security manager for the Secretary of Defense Chief Information Officer Enterprise Operations Support Team; security management support for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and several senior-level consulting positions including vice president of SAIC’s Enabling Technology Division, and senior manager for DOD programs at BearingPoint’s Security Practice.
A retired U.S. Navy Submarine Limited Duty Electronics Officer and chief data systems technician, Tudor holds an M.S. in information systems concentrating in cybersecurity from George Mason University, where he also was an adjunct professor teaching graduate courses in information security.
His professional credentials include the Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Certified Information Security Manager, and Certified Computer Professional.

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Bradley J. Wiskirchen is the founding CEO at Kount—which is the premier fraud prevention solution for card-not-present transactions. Kount protects many of the world’s largest card-not-present merchants and some of the largest acquiring banks and payment platforms.

Prior to December 2015, Wiskirchen was also CEO of Keynetics and Executive Chairman of Keynetics’ other subsidiary, ClickBank. Wiskirchen joined Keynetics in 2005. Under his guidance, Keynetics became one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest privately held technology companies, and ClickBank grew to be one of the world’s largest online retailers of digital goods.

In December 2015 Kount raised its “A” (and only) round of financing from CVC Capital Partners. CVC is one of the largest private equity firms n the world, with offices in 23 countries.

Kount was acquired by Equifax in February 2021 for $640M.

Among his many other community involvements, Wiskirchen was the Chairman of the Board of the Salt Lake City Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in 2014 and 2015. He was a member of the board for three years prior to serving as the Chairman. He currently serves on the High-Level Advisory Group of the International Monetary Fund’s Interdepartmental Working Group on Finance and Technology. He was awarded a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame and a B.A. from Brigham Young University.

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Frank Harrill is the Vice President of Security for Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), which invents, designs and builds digital products and systems that protect power grids around the world. Frank retired from the FBI in 2016, where he devoted over 20 years to the investigation of sophisticated cyberattacks, terrorist incidents, and other federal crimes. Prior to joining the FBI, he served in the U.S. Navy for nearly ten years as a carrier pilot and jet flight instructor. In 2011, Frank earned a master’s degree in information technology with an emphasis in security and assurance from Carnegie Mellon University. He obtained a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification in 2004.

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Brad Richy is the Director of the Idaho Office of Emergency Management. As the Director, he is responsible for Idaho’s emergency preparedness and response planning in support of the Idaho Homeland Security and Emergency Management Strategies. He serves as the Homeland Security Advisor and principal Emergency Management Advisor to the Governor and The Adjutant General.

As the Governor’s Authorized Representative Brad acts as the single point of contact for all federal, regional, and state emergency management activities. Brad also serves as the State Administrative Agent overseeing implementation and compliance of all eligible Department of Homeland Security sponsored grants. The Idaho Office of Emergency Management has six offices around the state and is staffed with 40 full-time personnel. Brad serves on multiple national-level working groups.

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Jeff Weak was appointed by Governor Brad Little as Administrator of the Idaho Office of Information Technology Services in December 2018. Jeff leads 135 IT professionals providing services for over 7,000 customers across 54 state agencies, boards, and commissions. The primary responsibilities for his office include the state network, server and storage infrastructure; cybersecurity; telephone services; application development; service desk; data analytics; regional support; project management; compliance; licensing and enterprise architecture. He is also responsible for state IT governance and policy as the Chair for the Idaho Technical Authority and serves on several boards and committees.

Jeff is the principal advisor to the Governor for cybersecurity and IT solutions. Over the past three years, he has spearheaded Governor Little’s IT modernization initiative, centralizing IT services throughout the state and dramatically improving cybersecurity.

Prior to his appointment, Jeff was Idaho’s first Director of Information Security under former Governor Butch Otter. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Air Force, working as an information technology and cybersecurity officer. He served a 20-year military career that included stints as Chief of Information Security for a strategic NATO base in Germany, and for Multi-National Forces Iraq while deployed to Baghdad.

Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho, a master’s degree in Management from Troy State University in Alabama and completed numerous advanced Air Force leadership and technical training courses.

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Ryan White has served as Chief of Staff for Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) since 2020, elevating to that position from Deputy Chief of Staff, which he held for the preceding year. From 2015-2019, he worked for the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence where he managed the Committee’s Department of Energy, Homeland Security, China, and Africa portfolios. Prior to that, he worked on counterterrorism issues at the Central Intelligence Agency related to Iran and groups in the Levant for five years.

Ryan has held a variety of other positions in State and Federal government, including serving as the Legislative Director for Senator Risch, Deputy Chief of Staff for then-Governor Risch, and Military Legislative Assistant for Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID).

Ryan is originally from North Idaho and graduated with a BS in Political Science from the University of Idaho. He earned a Master of Public Policy and International Affairs from George Mason University in 2015. He resides in Virginia with his wife and their two children.

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George Mulhern is the CEO of Cradlepoint, Inc. He joined Cradlepoint in 2011 and led the organization to become the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE & 5G wireless wide-area networking. He and his team raised $160M in venture capital, grew the company from 80 employees to over 1,000, and were recently acquired by Ericsson for $1.1B. He has held leadership roles in the technology industry for 30 plus years. Prior experience includes driving economic growth as a general partner at entrepreneurial catalyst Highway 12 Ventures; running hardware, software and services businesses through a 20-year career at Hewlett Packard.

George serves on the executive board of directors for the Idaho Technology Council and as an Independent Director of Cambia Health Solutions and Regence Blue Shield of Idaho. He also serves on the Board of AppDetex, a Boise-based brand security company. A scholarship athlete, he earned both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University.

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Jeff Newgard is the President & CEO of Bank of Idaho. Mr. Newgard, who has held a number of leadership positions in regional and community banking since 1998, is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking (Colorado) and holds a Masters of Business Administration from Washington State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Walla Walla College.

Jeff volunteers on several boards with local, regional, and national organizations that align with this passion. He presently serves as an Area 5 Committee Member for the Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR), an all-volunteer arm of the Department of Defense. He also serves as a Director and Treasurer with the War Bonnet Roundup, coined Idaho’s Oldest Rodeo, and is the Vice-Chair with the Independent Community Bankers of America Select Committee on Cyber Security, just to name a few. Jeff holds a certification in the COMP TIA Security Plus program on cybersecurity, an accreditation he pursued and obtained as a CEO, so he could better understand the needs of his I.T. team in protecting the bank and its clients from cyber threats. Mr. Newgard was recently named an Idaho Business Review 2020 Excellence in Finance Honoree. He has a wife, Savannah, three daughters, and a son. His family is his greatest joy in life.

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Lisa Grow has been President and Chief Executive Officer of IDACORP, Inc. and Idaho Power since June 1, 2020; President of Idaho Power since October 2019; Former Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Idaho Power since March 2017.

Grow has also served as Senior Vice President of Operations and, prior to that, Senior Vice President of Power Supply. Grow was appointed to the IDACORP and Idaho Power Company Boards of Directors in February 2020.

Grow began her career at Idaho Power in 1987 and held many engineering positions before moving into management. This broad background allowed her to gain valuable experience in many areas of the company. In 2005, Grow was named Vice President of Delivery Engineering and Operations.

Grow graduated from the University of Idaho in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and received a Master of Business Administration degree from Boise State University in 2008.

Grow is a leader in her field and involved in a number of industry groups, currently or previously serving on various committees and boards associated with the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Northwest Power Pool, National Hydropower Association, Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee and the Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee.

Grow was on the advisory committee of, and presented at, the University of Idaho’s Energy Executive Course (formerly UEC), an internationally-recognized training program for industry executives worldwide. She also serves on the university’s Foundation Board and is a past member of the advisory boards for the University of Idaho College of Engineering and the Boise State College of Engineering.

She served on the board of the Idaho division of the American Heart Association and currently serves on the St. Luke’s Health System Board of Directors. She is also a Hope Society Member of the Women’s and Children’s Alliance. In 2021, she was appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Salt Lake City Branch Board of Directors for a three-year term.

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Anand Bahl is Chief Information Officer, CVP at Micron Technology, Inc. where he oversees the global technology teams supporting manufacturing and engineering solutions, enterprise applications and analytics, global security, infrastructure and operations, and other business-facing IT services and capabilities. Anand is focused on driving an enterprise-wide digital transformation at Micron to enable speed at scale.

He has more than 20 years of international and domestic experience in both IT and Finance in the chemical, textile, and technology industries. Immediately prior to joining Micron in July 2018, Anand led Vivint Smarthome’s Finance and Supply Chain IT organization. He has also held various IT and Finance leadership positions at Symantec, Advanced Micro Devices, Koch Industries, and Dow Chemical (Rohm & Haas).

Anand received a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Operations and a Master of Inorganic Chemistry from Vanderbilt University.

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Domini is a thought leader in the technical and cybersecurity talent space and has led technical executive search firm, Blackmere Consulting, since 2011. In addition to developing the company’s growing team of executive search consultants, she leads executive recruitment across a variety of industries, with a functional focus on cybersecurity and data science. She advises industry and HR executives, clients, and recruitment teams on unique aspects of cybersecurity recruiting challenges. The company is driven by Domini’s commitment to serving clients and making a powerful impact through intelligent connections, and her expertise, experience and passion remain key ingredients in Blackmere’s continued success.

Under Domini’s leadership, the Blackmere team specializes in difficult-to-fill, critical hires, including executive placement, cybersecurity research, information technology, data science, wireless research, and energy-related technical leadership.

Prior to Blackmere, Domini served as part of a small, elite team at Battelle Energy Alliance through the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where she was the primary recruitment strategist for all executive-level positions. She developed the search capability for INL’s award-winning cyber research team dedicated to national and homeland security and critical infrastructure protection. Prior to Battelle, she served as executive recruitment partner and finance team leader at a boutique recruitment firm, handling clients such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Rio Tinto and Allegheny Technologies.

Domini sits on the board of directors for ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) Utah and received the Luminary award from the International ISSA Women In Security Group. Domini is a graduate of the University of Utah, with a master’s degree in clinical social work.

Domini is a dedicated supporter of the American Heart Association and is simultaneously pursuing a passion project, Warrior Widow, in support of widows and widowers and their families, with the aim of transforming significant loss into personal power. She lives in Idaho with her two amazing children.

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Edward Vasko is the Director of Boise State University’s Institute of Pervasive Cybersecurity where he is currently helping Boise State establish itself as a top-tier University known for solving the complex cybersecurity problems facing all businesses, industries and critical infrastructure. In doing so, his goal is to establish Boise State as a national leader of cybersecurity research and workforce development. He is a successive entrepreneur with over 30-years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. Prior to joining Boise State University, Edward established and was a Senior Vice President at Avertium, a leading national managed security and consulting provider. Before establishing Avertium, he was the co-founder and CEO of Terra Verde, based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Edward grew Terra Verde into Arizona’s largest provider of cybersecurity advisory and managed security services, with over 2,000 active clients around the world. Throughout his career, he started, successfully ran, and exited five businesses, all in the cybersecurity industry. His extensive experience in cybersecurity provides him deep expertise to help organizations of all sizes in securing their critical assets.

Edward is also an active member on university advisory councils, working with universities to develop curriculum that more quickly enable our highly needed Cybersecurity workforce ready to help defend the nation’s critical data and assets. Appointed by Arizona’s Governor, Edward held a Commissioner role in Arizona’s Commission for Post-Secondary Education from 2015-2019. He was also appointed as the co-Chair of Arizona’s Cyber Team (ACT) Workforce Development Committee. He is a graduate of Arizona State University and a multi-year recipient of ASU’s Sun Devil 100 business leadership award. Most importantly though, Edward is a proud father and husband.

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Dr. Scott Snyder currently serves as the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Idaho State University (ISU), a position he started in June 2018. In December 2018, Scott was appointed ISU’s interim Vice President for Research and held this position for 18 months.

Prior to moving to ISU, Dr. Snyder served as Chief Research Officer at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) for nearly eight years. For five years in Omaha, he was also the Interim Executive Director of the Peter Kiewit Institute, a teaching and research institute comprised of UNO’s College of Information Science and Technology and the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s College of Engineering in Omaha.

Prior to rejoining UNO in an administrative capacity, Scott served as a Program Director in the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation. Scott first joined UNO in 2001 as a faculty member in Biology where he became a full professor. Snyder previously held a faculty position at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and was an NSF/Alfred P. Sloan Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Evolution at the University of New Mexico.

Scott earned his Ph.D. in parasitology at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where he also earned his B.S. in biology. His M.S., also in parasitology, comes from Wake Forest University. He spent time on the Board of Directors for the National Strategic Research Institute, which works closely with United States. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) on research central to their mission of combatting weapons of mass destruction. Scott also served as an advisor to the USSTRATCOM’s Strategic Advisory Group.

His career has been dedicated to finding opportunities for students in and outside of the classroom.

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Dr. Christopher T. Nomura is Vice President for Research and Economic Development and holds an academic appointment as Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Idaho. Prior to his current role at the University of Idaho, he served as the Vice President for Research and Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF).

He received his BA in Biology with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he studied immunology and physiology of elephant seals, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University for his research on cyanobacterial electron transport proteins and gene regulation. From 2001 to 2006, he worked in the internationally recognized Natural Polymer Chemistry laboratory of Prof. Dr. Yoshiharu Doi at the RIKEN Institute in Japan. Dr. Nomura has a multi-disciplinary research group whose interests span the fields of molecular microbiology, microbial physiology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, protein engineering, biochemistry, synthetic chemistry, and polymer chemistry with a focus on understanding gene regulation in bacteria and producing sustainable materials. Throughout his academic career, he has published and co-authored more than 70 original articles in refereed scientific journals and book chapters, and holds 4 U.S. Patents. In 2011, he received the SUNY ESF Exemplary Researcher Award for his contributions to the field of biopolymer production and has received special recognition for his mentorship of student researchers. While at SUNY, Dr. Nomura worked with researchers across the SUNY system through the SUNY Networks of Excellence to foster collaborations between SUNY faculty and industry partners. Dr. Nomura’s research programs have been sponsored by NIH, NSF, DOE, USDA, and NYSERDA.

As Vice President for Research and Economic Development (VPRED) at the University of Idaho, Dr. Nomura leads, highlights and works to advance the research programs and economic impacts of university research by leading initiatives to identify research opportunities and ensure that faculty and staff members have access to the resources needed to compete at a high level for extramural funding, and build external collaborative partnerships. As VPRED, he is the Chief Research Officer of the institution and oversees the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED) which is an umbrella for administrative and technical support functions for the research enterprise at the University of Idaho.

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Ben Ysursa was born in Boise, Idaho in 1949. A graduate of Gonzaga University and St. Louis University College of Law, Ben was elected Idaho’s 26th Secretary of State in 2002. Ysursa was re-elected in 2006 and 2010 and retired from elective office 2015. Ben started his professional career serving first as Deputy Secretary of State from 1974 to 1976 and then as Chief Deputy from 1976-2002.

Ysursa worked for more than 40 years in the office of the secretary of state and acquired a reputation for fair, non-partisan administration of elections, campaign finance and lobbying disclosure, and corporation registration. Ysursa also served on the State Land Board, Executive Board Member of the National Association of Secretary of States, board member for various state and city committees and as a volunteer for youth athletic organizations. Ben currently serves as a board member on the State Deferred Compensation Committee and Idahoans for Openness in Government.

Ben was the recipient of the “Boyd Martin Award” presented by the Association of Idaho Cities, the 1992 Recipient for Outstanding Administrator for the Idaho Republican Party and the Edward and Dottie Stimpson Award for Civic Engagement for the City Club of Boise for his commitment to openness and transparency in government. He recently was honored as an Icon by the Idaho Business Review.

He and his wife Penny have three children, Shawn Del, Matthew and Andrew and two grandchildren Benjamin and Thomas.

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Raised in Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint, Idaho; B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Idaho; U.S. Navy submarine officer with 21 years of active and reserve service; owner/operator of a heavy construction company; board member, Northern Lights Electric Cooperative; board member, Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Assoc.; spouse: Brenda; two children.

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Brooke Green is a two-term Idaho State Representative and a Senior Transportation Planner with Ada County Highway District (ACHD). Brooke began her career in the field of public transportation with the Community Transportation Association of Idaho. Brooke later joined ACHD as a transportation planner supporting ACHD bike and pedestrian planning, moved into managing project development, including concept development and the scoping program. She is ACHD Emergency Management Liaison providing emergency transportation support functions for Ada County, Emergency Management.

As a state legislator, Brooke serves on the Joint Appropriations Committee, Business, Local Government Committee, and Millennium Fund Committee. She is a Commissioner on the Idaho Hispanic Commission, an alternate delegate for the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Delegate Council, a member of the Behavioral Health Committee, and the Group Insurance Advisory Committee. She is a 2021 Alumni of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).

Brooke received two degrees from Boise State University in Communication and Marketing Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Northwest Nazarene University. She is a certified Professional Community Economic Developer (PCED). Brooke is a recipient of the 2010 Idaho Business Review 40 accomplished under 40, Idaho Business Review 2014 and 2019 Woman of the Year Honoree, and 2017 Woman of the Year from the Southwest Idaho Chapter of Women in Transportation.

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Born in Pocatello and raised in Blackfoot; graduate of Blackfoot High School, University of Utah, and Drake University Law School; Idaho State Bar; State Bar of California; currently own Milestone Law, a boutique business, intellectual property and estate planning law firm serving clients in Idaho and California; worked for Mitt Romney’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns; served as undersecretary of election day operations for the Republican party of Iowa; law clerk for U.S. Attorney’s Office, S.D. Iowa; manager for Utah-based SkyWest Airlines; spouse: Whitney.

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