In-Person

Washington, DC CIO Community

Executive Summit

November 12, 2025 | Hilton Washington DC National Mall the Wharf

November 12, 2025
Hilton Washington DC National Mall the Wharf

Apply to Participate

Governing Body Agenda Location Sponsors Contact

Governing Body Co-Chairs

Ryan Boulais

Bunge
CISO

Massimo Favro

NVR
CISO

Vishal Gupta

Lexmark
CTO & CIO, SVP Connected Technology

John McClure

Sinclair, Inc.
CISO & SVP, Enterprise Infrastructure & Cloud

April Wiggs

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Division Chief, Enterprise Project Services

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 Washington, DC 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.

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Agenda

November 12, 2025

morning afternoon

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

8:30am - 9:15am Keynote

Demystifying Agentic AI — Applications and Capabilities of Today and Tomorrow

Danielle Casey

Director Analyst

Gartner

Agentic AI products are flooding the market, and the pace of AI change continues to accelerate. Join Gartner Analyst Danielle Casey to examine current agentic AI market dynamics and emerging opportunities.

In this session, you will:

Learn about agentic AI offerings and the new capabilities they provide
Gain insights into market challenges inhibiting adoption
Explore real-world agentic AI case studies and value outcomes

9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session

Modernizing Cloud Security for the Age of AI

Cloud security is a rapidly evolving field, driven by increasingly complex threats and emerging technologies. The rise of AI tools adds new layers of complexity, requiring cybersecurity and technology leaders to rethink traditional approaches. By building on established cloud security frameworks, organizations can create scalable, resilient strategies that support innovation while meeting regulatory demands.

Join this session to explore how to:

Leverage cloud security frameworks to support and secure AI workflows
Adapt to highly regulated environments with low risk tolerance
Implement cost-efficient, scalable security strategies

9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom

Not All Security Metrics Are Created Equal

Kyle Waggoner

CISO

Perdue Farms

An effective security metrics program enhances decision-making and stakeholder communication, offering early issue detection and aiding resource allocation decisions. However, it is imperative for CISOs to take a closer look at metric selection taking into account emerging threats in the quickly evolving landscape.

Join this session to discuss:

Forward-thinking strategies in interrogating your current security metrics program
The role of emerging technology when considering essential metrics
Tool recommendations for gathering and generating meaningful metrics for your security program

9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom

Smart IT Spending – Sustaining Value While Managing Costs

Scott Donaldson

CTO & VP

FINRA

Raylene Dufresne

Vice President of IT

Miller & Long

Chris Panagiotopoulos

VP & CTO

LifeBridge Health

During times of economic uncertainty, organizations often cut costs without fully assessing the potential risks and consequences. As IT and technology departments face increasing budgetary pressures, leaders will need to balance short-term efficiency with long-term growth strategy.

Join this session to discuss:

Evaluating cost-saving initiatives while optimizing existing resources
Meeting cost targets without compromising progress toward broader business objectives
Communicating IT and cybersecurity value to stakeholders

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

Reducing Application Delivery Tech Debt from the Inside Out

Scott Montgomery

VP, Strategic Initiatives

Island

With high volumes of sensitive data now flowing through web browsers, three in five organizations say data leakage is likely given current IT and security infrastructures. Stop playing catch-up. Discover new approaches to enterprise operations to reduce risk while simplifying operations.

Join this session to discover:

How disparate IT and security solutions create technical debt
What challenges impact internal and end user stakeholders
How simplifying IT can strengthen security, and boost productivity

11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom

Executive Boardroom hosted by AppOmni

11:55am - 12:30pm Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm Keynote

Zero Trust & AI — Strengthening Security, Reducing Complexity, and Driving Innovation

Businesses stand to benefit from AI in unprecedented ways, but only if IT and security leaders overcome transformation challenges. This includes implementing a modern zero trust architecture to protect data and users, embracing AI while managing its risks, and handling the technical and financial implications of ever-expanding environments. A risk-based approach to security ensures CIOs and CISOs deliver a secure, phased transformation.

Join this session to:

Understand how zero trust and AI together, unlike firewalls, provide the strongest cyber defense by stopping threat actors from lateral movement within networks
Learn strategies for protecting AI applications developed in data centers and the cloud, while preventing data leaks from public AI applications
Discover how eliminating costly legacy hardware simplifies environments while cutting network and security costs

1:05pm - 1:30pm Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm Breakout Session

Breakout Session

Kelly Doney

CIO

University of Virginia

Details coming soon.

1:30pm - 2:15pm Executive Boardroom

Ready or Not – Enabling AI Through Data Management

Ryan Bateman

CTO & CISO

Sands Capital

Vishal Gupta

CTO & CIO, SVP Connected Technology

Lexmark

Gartner research shows through 2026, 30% of generative AI projects will be abandoned after proof of concept due, in part, to poor data quality. Has your organization made the necessary changes to ensure its data is AI-ready for any initiative?

Join your peers to discuss:

Effective collaboration between IT, security and data management leaders
Essential data management modifications
Compelling linkage between AI-ready data and business outcomes

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

The Adaptive Executive

Michael South

CISO

Dick's Sporting Goods

The CIO and CISO roles demand constant evolution and vary widely from one organization or industry to the next. How can experienced leaders stay agile as their careers progress, while drawing on the unique strengths and experiences that shaped them?

This interactive panel will cover:

Growing technical, business and leadership skills in dynamic environments
Building your personal brand and identifying growth opportunities
Championing emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds

3:00pm - 3:45pm Executive Boardroom

Strategic Cyber Leadership — Turning Insight into Influence

Boards and C-level executives expect CISOs to deliver clarity, alignment and measurable outcomes. It requires translating risk into business outcomes, building trust and inspiring shared accountability.

In this session, you’ll discuss how to:

Define and communicate success in a way that resonates with boards and business leaders
Build open, productive relationships by aligning cyber priorities to business outcomes
Foster a culture of resilience and shared accountability, where security is seen as a business enabler rather than a barrier

3:00pm - 3:45pm Executive Boardroom

Optimizing IT Operating Models

Patricia Pichardo

Global CIO

TE Connectivity

CIOs are under increasing pressure to deliver measurable value and must proactively evolve their IT operating models to drive enterprise objectives. However, a disconnect between a task-driven culture and an outcomes-oriented mindset can hinder sustained business growth.

Join this session to discuss with your peers:

Assessing and realigning your IT operating model to support your organization’s digital vision and strategic goals
Shifting from operational efficiency to models that boost business performance and enable enterprise-wide transformation
Building stronger partnerships with business stakeholders and fostering collaboration for greater impact

3:45pm - 4:00pm Networking Break

4:00pm - 4:35pm Keynote

Closing Keynote on Leadership

Zerrick Pearson

CIO

Five Guys Enterprises

Details coming soon.

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

November 12, 2025

morning afternoon

Apply to Participate

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Apply to participate in the Washington, DC CIO Community Executive Summit.

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Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.

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- C-level or senior most executive for respective function

- Organization revenue of $500M+

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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

Venue & Accommodation

Hilton Washington DC National Mall the Wharf

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Washington DC National Mall the Wharf at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1800-Hiltons. Please mention 901 to ensure the appropriate room rate.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $306 USD (plus tax) is October 20, 2025.

Reserve Room

Your Community Sponsors

Global Thought Leader

CIO Thought Leader

Community Program Manager

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

Melissa Tarpley

Community Program Manager

619-300-6401

melissa.tarpley@gartner.com