In-Person

Florida CIO Community

Executive Summit

May 14, 2026 | Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center

May 14, 2026
Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Florida's top CIOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.

Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:

Driving Purposeful Innovation Through AI Adoption and Governance

Strengthening Cybersecurity Leadership to Navigate Evolving Risks and Regulations

Optimizing Technology Investments for Strategic Agility and Resilience

Florida CIO Governing Body

The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CIOs, For CIOs®.

Governing Body Co-Chairs

Carrie Busbee

Core & Main
CIO

Elvis Clemetson

SBA Communications
SVP & Global CIO

Otto Contreras

Miami-Dade County
Director of Public Safety and Criminal Justice Division, IT

Chad Couch

JM Family Enterprises
CIO

Christina Shannon

KIK Consumer Products
Chief Information Officer

Luis Suarez

H.I.G. Capital
Chief Technology Officer

Christine Vanderpool

Florida Crystals Corporation
VP & Chief Technology Officer

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CIO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Florida CIO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda

May 14, 2026

8:00am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Gartner Keynote

Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2026 and Beyond

Gene Alvarez headshot

Gene Alvarez

Distinguished VP Analyst

Gartner

Hear from Gene Alvarez, Gartner distinguished VP analyst, about the top trends for 2026 and beyond to propel your business and technology goals. Learn how to transform disruption and uncertainty into opportunity and growth.

Join this session to hear about:

  • Emerging technology trends shaping the future
  • Understanding the impact and importance of these trends
  • Leveraging insights to drive opportunity, growth, and competitive advantage

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Rethinking Security for Agentic AI — From Control to Orchestration

Thomas Mazzaferro headshot

Thomas Mazzaferro

Chief Data Officer

Cyera

As AI agents start acting across business environments, data becomes the true control surface. These agents require broad access to data, identities, and business processes, creating new risk patterns as sensitive data and outbound actions converge at machine speed. This is a control shift. CISOs must modernize their data approach to adopt agentic AI confidently while maintaining oversight.

Join this session to explore how to:

  • Detect emerging risk behaviors in autonomous AI
  • Build a data-centric and intent-aware security model
  • Establish the CISO as the orchestrator of scalable AI and business growth enabler

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Foundations vs. Frontiers — Debate Showdown

Johann Balaguer headshot

Johann Balaguer

Global CISO

Hard Rock

Christina Shannon headshot

Christina Shannon

Chief Information Officer

KIK Consumer Products

As technology and risk rapidly evolve, CIOs and CISOs must choose: reinforce core IT and security fundamentals, or pursue advanced capabilities?

During this interactive debate-style breakout you will:

  • Hear how peer leaders set organizational priorities
  • Broaden your perspective on key IT and security topics
  • Join in through audience participation

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Securing Applications and Data Amid Evolving Risks

Chad Bairnsfather headshot

Chad Bairnsfather

Chief Information Security Officer

Employbridge

Carlos De La Uz headshot

Carlos De La Uz

Information Security Officer - CISO

Tropical Financial Credit Union

Long-standing browser vulnerabilities and the rapid integration of AI into browsers have significantly increased security and privacy risks for organizations. Further complicating the landscape are legacy technologies and persistent challenges with data quality and availability. 

Join this boardroom session to explore:

  • Strategies for balancing security measures with the end-user experience
  • Best practices for continuously assessing and adapting to evolving browser security risks
  • Approaches to aligning cybersecurity initiatives with organizational objectives to enhance execution and impact

 

10:25am - 11:10am  Networking Break

10:35am - 11:00am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:10am - 11:55am  Breakout Session

Decoding Tomorrow’s Threats — Trends & Insights Unveiled

Ben Cook headshot

Ben Cook

Global Security Architect

Google Cloud Security

CISOs today are pulled in multiple directions, facing a relentless onslaught of evolving threats while balancing competing priorities and limited resources. As adversaries leverage new technologies—especially AI—organizations must rethink how they utilize threat intelligence and set security priorities. Yet, with historical knowledge and ongoing engagement in adversary tracking, there is hope: we can anticipate and outmaneuver tomorrow’s threats.

Join this session to explore:

  • Key findings and use cases from 2025
  • Predictions for 2026’s threat landscape and adversary tactics
  • Actionable strategies for prioritizing and mitigating emerging threats

11:10am - 11:55am  Breakout Session

Operational Trust in AI — Control, Integrity, Recovery at Machine Speed

Jason Cook headshot

Jason Cook

Field CTO Americas

Rubrik

AI is scaling faster than organizations can control. As systems act autonomously across data and workflows, the real risk is loss of control, integrity, and recoverability. Establishing operational trust ensures systems are governed, impact is contained, and operations are restored when failure occurs.

Join this session to explore how to:

  • Maintain control as AI systems act autonomously
  • Ensure integrity of data and decisions under real-world conditions
  • Recover to a clean, trusted state when AI-driven systems fail

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

AI Security – Turning Agents into Security Allies

Nicole Darden Ford headshot

Nicole Darden Ford

Vice President, Customer Security Officer

Microsoft Corporation

The dual nature of AI is here - extraordinary innovation paired with complex risks. According to recent reports, more than 29% of employees have turned to unsanctioned AI agents for work tasks and these unsecured agents lack clear visibility into what they can do, what they access, or the blast radius they introduce. CIOs and CISOs must secure AI agents with the same rigor as human users, ensuring visibility, governance, and robust controls amid rapid change and resource constraints.

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Enforcing Zero Trust principles for both human and AI identities
  • Establishing continuous observability and monitoring of AI agent activity
  • Implementing governance frameworks to manage access, actions, and compliance

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

Think AI is Tough? Quantum is Coming

Liz Morton headshot

Liz Morton

Field CISO

Cloudflare

Executives must rethink strategic planning as current AI and future quantum technologies reshape the landscape, demanding a shift from traditional constructs to future-ready frameworks. Capturing lessons learned from AI, staying agile, and focusing on problem selection (rather than tool selection) is critical to navigating uncertainty and preparing for the quantum future

Join this session to discuss:

  • Reframing strategic priorities to retain strategic agility as technologies evolve
  • Building adaptable practices that evolve with innovation
  • Strategic planning with confidence for an uncertain and abstract future

11:55am - 12:25pm  Networking

Rising Together — Women Leaders in Security/Technology Networking Session

 

11:55am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

AI Authority Drift — Closing the Governance Gap

Fabio Rosa headshot

Fabio Rosa

Field CTO

Netskope

Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase. No longer limited to generating insights, modern AI systems are beginning to act — initiating workflows, interacting with applications, and making decisions at machine speed. As agentic AI systems become operational participants inside enterprise environments, this session explores how enterprises can safely scale AI by establishing governance across identity, authority, behavior, and data, while enabling innovation without introducing unmanaged risk.

Attendees will learn:

  • How to control the authority, behavior, and data access of autonomous systems operating across complex digital ecosystems
  • The emerging governance model, enacted through a real-time control plane, to address authority drift, misconfigured permissions, and unintended AI behavior
  • A practical framework and architecture for governing AI at enterprise scale

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Securing the AI Enterprise

Anupam Upadhyaya headshot

Anupam Upadhyaya

SVP Product Management

Palo Alto Networks

The transition to the AI enterprise is the fastest technology shift in history. From vibe coding to autonomous agents, the promise of total operational transformation brings an entirely new landscape of well-disguised vulnerabilities.

In this session, you'll explore:

  • Mitigating risks through a "Secure AI by Design" philosophy
  • Protecting users, agents, and models with a unified platform approach
  • Ensuring integrity, transparency and accountability in your AI strategy at scale

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Beyond Passwords — Advancing IAM for the Cloud and Agentic Era

Brett Conlon headshot

Brett Conlon

CISO

American Century Investments

Ryan Winn headshot

Ryan Winn

CISO

AdventHealth

Modernizing identity is a top priority as organizations realize traditional approaches fall short—especially with agentic systems and cloud environments. Security leaders are rethinking Identity and Access Management to reduce user friction, address technical debt, and build a solid foundation before adopting advanced capabilities like passwordless authentication. The challenge extends beyond new tools to integrating identity across legacy systems, federated domains, and diverse workloads for seamless, secure access.

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Approaches for modernizing identity in hybrid and cloud environments
  • Strategies to reduce friction for users and agents while maintaining security
  • Overcoming technical debt to enable advanced identity controls

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Gartner Boardroom

Turning Tech Talk into Business Impact — The Value Equation

Walter Harmon headshot

Walter Harmon

Executive Partner

Gartner

Chris Akeroyd headshot

Chris Akeroyd

CIO

Lee Health

In today’s digital-first economy, IT and security leaders are under increasing pressure to justify investments in terms that resonate with the business—measurable outcomes, competitive advantage, and tangible value. Yet, bridging the gap between technical activities and business impact remains a persistent challenge.

Join this session to hear more on:

  • Identifying and aligning IT initiatives with core business objectives
  • Moving beyond traditional metrics to business-relevant KPIs
  • Building a value-driven IT narrative for the board

2:15pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Breakout Session

Security Hot Topics — Pulse Check Your Priority

Security continues to find its way into the boardroom and even into headlines. As the spotlight grows, so does the pressure CISOs face to foster constructive conversations around the value, opportunity and impact of key priorities.

Join this interactive session to:

  • Engage with like-minded CISO peers on shared priorities
  • Validate strategies and uncover new ways of thinking
  • Share key lessons learned and proven best practices

Table topics include: Leading through M&A, Communicating with the Board, Generative AI Governance, CISO Role Evolution, Life After CISO / Board Membership, Collaborating Across the C-Suite, OT Security & Quantum Computing / Next-Gen Technology

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Executive Boardroom

From Data to Decisions—Building a Resilient Analytics Strategy

Warren Sponholtz headshot

Warren Sponholtz

CIO

State of Florida

Elvis Clemetson headshot

Elvis Clemetson

SVP & Global CIO

SBA Communications

CIOs striving for more data-driven decisions often face resource constraints and the need for organizational alignment. Success requires a strategic, business-focused approach that prioritizes data and analytics investments and engages stakeholders across the enterprise.

Join this boardroom session to explore:

  • Actionable strategies for prioritizing D&A investments that deliver measurable business impact
  • Engaging stakeholders organization-wide to build a resilient, outcome-focused D&A strategy
  • Evolving data governance to power accuracy in reporting and analytics

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Executive Boardroom

Modernizing Application Portfolios to Enable New Business Models

Eric Firer headshot

Eric Firer

Chief Information Officer

RealTruck

Modernizing the application portfolio enables organizations to capitalize on new business models, yet CIOs must navigate resource constraints, skill shortages, and budget limitations. Effective execution demands ongoing portfolio assessment and targeted remediation to ensure alignment with evolving business and technical requirements.

Join this boardroom session to discuss:

  • Strategies for continuous application portfolio review and modernization
  • Approaches to overcoming resource and skill gaps with innovative delivery models
  • Leveraging AI-powered platforms to drive agility and competitive advantage

3:45pm - 4:00pm  Networking Break

4:00pm - 4:35pm  Keynote

True Leadership During Times of Change and Innovation

Tony Ambrozie headshot

Tony Ambrozie

SVP and Chief Digital, Technology and Information Officer

CVS Health

At a time of incredible innovation acceleration, new technology adoption must be driven by meaningful organizational change. That's easier said than done. CIOs and CISOs have the opportunity to step up to become strategic change agents who lead their teams into the future.

Join this session as Tony Ambrozie, Chief Digital, Technology, and Information Officer at CVS Health, is helping to fundamentally reshape the healthcare journey to deliver greater value to both consumers and the business through:

  • Experience-driven strategies that overcome transformation challenges
  • Defining the best-in-class digital experiences
  • Taking bold steps to ensure technology delivers lasting value

4:35pm - 4:45pm  Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

4:45pm - 6:00pm  Governing Body Reception

Governing Body Reception

Finish the day sharing lessons learned with your peers over light fare and drinks at this closing reception hosted by your governing body members.

May 14, 2026

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering

Gartner cares about the health and safety of our community. If you are feeling unwell, please refrain from attending the conference. At this time, Gartner does not have any health-related requirements in place for attendance. Should this change, we will follow up with updated guidance.

Location

More Information

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling (954) 753-5598. Please mention Florida Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $134 USD (plus tax) is April 21, 2026.

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Community Program Manager

For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Natalia Klein

Community Program Manager

239 839 8616

natalia.klein@gartner.com