Diversity is one of ISACA’s great strengths, and it comes in so many forms.
Because of our global scope – ISACA has a presence in 188 countries and more than 220 chapters worldwide – our geographic diversity may be most obvious, enabling ISACA members to network and learn from colleagues from many cultures and backgrounds.
While geographic diversity is a great starting point, there is much more to the diversity of our learning community. We bring together professionals at different points in their career journeys who have expertise across the IT audit, governance, privacy, risk and security professions. Additionally, we are taking on the important mission of advancing gender diversity in the technology workforce, powered by our One In Tech foundation.
Just as diversity is among the defining characteristics of our membership, diversity is also a focal point for ISACA at the board level. Last year, we added several new board directors and new capabilities to the board, supplementing ISACA engagement and industry expertise with expanded knowledge and experience in functional areas such as finance, operations, technology and digital transformation to further drive organizational improvement.
This commitment to a diverse board – including global representation, wide-ranging professional acumen and diversity of thought – is an ongoing priority, evident in the new 2021-22 ISACA Board of Directors that we are pleased to announce today.
I am delighted to report that our incoming board chair will be Gregory J. Touhill, CISM, CISSP, Brigadier General (ret). Greg brings an incredible amount of industry leadership experience to the role, including the distinction of having served as the US government’s first federal CISO. Greg is currently president of the AppGate Federal Group. He will be an extraordinary leader for the board, working closely with the incoming vice chair, Pam Nigro, CRMA, CISA, CGEIT, CRISC, vice president information technology and security officer at PWNHealth.
Before introducing the rest of the new board, I want to express heartfelt appreciation to our outgoing board chair, Tracey Dedrick, for the important part she played in helping ISACA remain on such stable ground during a challenging pandemic year. Tracey’s passion for enterprise risk management and data analytics to support ISACA’s strategy will continue to be an asset as she remains on the board as past chair.
Below is the rest of ISACA’s 2021-22 Board of Directors slate. The board will be installed via a virtual Annual General Meeting on 3 June.
Joining the ISACA Board for the first time will be:
- John De Santis, Director; technology executive. De Santis is a past chairman and CEO of HyTrust, an IT infrastructure security software company that was acquired by Entrust in January 2021. He is a company-builder with experience in the software, networking and information security domains. De Santis has more than 30 years of international and US-based experience at venture-backed technology start-ups as well as at large global public companies in the telecom and IT fields. He currently serves on the board of cybersecurity-focused companies Cequence and ValiMail. (US)
- Niel Harper, CDPSE, CISA, CRISC, Director; Chief Information Security Officer for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Harper has more than 20 years of deep interdisciplinary knowledge and experience across the domains of technology, law and business. He also has leadership or advisory experience with organizations such as Bemol, Canonical, European Commission and the Internet Society, among others. (Denmark)
- Veronica N. Rose, CISA, CDPSE, Director; Lead Information Systems Auditor, Metropol Corporation. A board member with the ISACA Kenya Chapter, Rose is the author of the book BEING: Choosing to be at the Top Because the Bottom is Too Crowded. She is the founder of Encrypt Africa and a former Engage Topic Leader for the SheLeadsTech community. (Kenya)
Here are the returning ISACA Board members and their roles for the 2021-22 term:
- Gregory J. Touhill, CISM, CISSP, Brigadier General (ret), Chair; President of AppGate Federal Group (US)
- Pam Nigro, CRMA, CISA, CGEIT, CRISC; Vice Chair; Vice President Information Technology and Security Officer at PWNHealth (US)
- Gabriela Hernández-Cardoso, Director; Lawyer with significant experience in the public and private sectors (Mexico)
- Maureen O’Connell, Director; Executive experienced in finance and education (US)
- Gerrard Schmid, Director; President and CEO of Diebold Nixdorf (Canada)
- Asaf Weisberg, CSX-P, CISM, CRISC, CISA, CDPSE, CGEIT; Director; Founder and CEO of introSight (Israel)
- Tracey Dedrick, Director; Board Chair (2020-2021); C-Suite executive experienced in risk, compliance, treasury and investor relations (US)
- Brennan P. Baybeck, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CISSP; Director; Board Chair (2019-2020); VP & CISO for Customer Services at Oracle Corporation (US)
- Rob Clyde, CISM, NACD Directorship Certified and Board Fellow; Director; Board Chair (2018-2019); Executive chair of the board of directors, White Cloud Security, and executive advisor to ShardSecure (US)
- David Samuelson, Director; Chief Executive Officer, ISACA (US)
I look forward to working with this talented and diverse group of board directors to find new ways to deliver the trusted resources and value our members and credential-holders rely upon. I am confident our board directors’ varied backgrounds, range of knowledge and unique points of view will be a terrific match for our diverse community of lifelong learners.
