Fortifying the Future

Dr. Shaila Rana is the Founder of CyberSecure, a cybersecurity consulting firm and a Professor of Cybersecurity and IT. She is also the co-founder of the ACT Research Institute, which is an AI, cybersecurity, and technology focused thinktank. Dr. Rana is also the chair of an IEEE Standards Association (SA) for ZTA in Healthcare, an Author at Pluralsight, and an Instructor at O'Reilly. Her research focuses primarily on AI, cybersecurity, and VR/AR. She has authored multiple courses focusing on security risks associated with AI, security governance, and cybersecurity laws and regulations. She holds a PhD specializing in Information Systems Security and holds an MS in Computer Information Systems specializing in Cybersecurity. Dr. Rana publishes and presents at multiple conferences annually and serves as a review for multiple journals.

Dr. Rhonda Chicone is a dedicated academic, professor, researcher, and software engineer with dual passions for software product development and cybersecurity. Throughout her career, she has held various positions, including software engineer, software engineering manager, director of software development, CTO (Chief Technology Officer), CSO (Chief Security Officer), and Professor, primarily focusing on commercial software products. Her significant contributions to program development within academia demonstrate her strong passion for the intersection of innovation, education, and technology. She is the Co-Founder of the ACT Research Institute, an AI, cybersecurity and technology focused thinktank. In addition to her professional achievements, she frequently publishes and presents at national conferences.