RETR3AT

Montreat College will host its 9th annual RETR3AT Cybersecurity Conference on September 22, 2023. RETR3AT is a conference designed to engage, educate, and raise awareness about cybersecurity in Western North Carolina and beyond. RETR3AT goes beyond the “1s and 0s” approach to cybersecurity training, empowering attendees to think about how to lead in protecting their organization’s information within an ethical framework.

Cyber Awareness and Business Networking Reception

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023 |  6:00 – 8:00 PM
950 Hendersonville Rd | Asheville, NC 28803
FREE event!
Join us as we bring together Asheville area business leaders to discuss cyber risk reduction (without the jargon) and why it is critical for your organization and our community.
Network with other local business leaders, enjoy great food and beverages, and learn how you can build a more secure culture in your business.
Please RSVP for this event here.

RETR3AT 2023 Conference Schedule*

Friday, Sept. 22, 2023

7:45–9:00 a.m.: Registration & Breakfast
9:00–9:50 a.m.: Welcome & Opening Panel 
9:50–10:00 a.m.: Break
10:00–10:50 a.m.: Opening Keynote 
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Lunch
12:15–1:00 p.m.: Technical & Educator Track Breakout Sessions
1:00–1:10 p.m.: Break
1:10–1:55 p.m.: Technical & Educator Track Breakout Sessions
1:55–2:05 p.m.: Break
2:05–2:50 p.m.: Technical & Educator Track Breakout Sessions
3:00–3:30 p.m.: Closing 

*Subject to change

Campus Map

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Speakers

Jeff Crume

Distinguished Engineer, Chief Technology Officer | IBM Security – Americas

Jeff Crume is a Distinguished Engineer, Master Inventor and CTO for IBM Security Americas with more than 40 years’ experience in the IT industry. He has a PhD in Cybersecurity and serves as an Adjunct Professor at NC State University. Jeff is the author of a book entitled “Inside Internet Security: What Hackers Don’t Want You To Know” as well as a contributing author to the “Information Security Management Handbook.” He is a member of the inaugural class of the NC State University Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame where he has served on the school’s Strategic Advisory Board. He also serves on the editorial board for the “Information and Computer Security” research journal. He holds CISSP and ISSAP professional IT Security certifications as well as Distinguished Chief IT Architect credentials from The Open Group.  Jeff lived in Beijing on assignment in 2006 and has worked with clients in 50 countries.

Mark Cummuta

Cyber Specialist/System Engineer | Department of Defense

Mark Cummuta has nearly 40 years total experience in IT and cybersecurity, with over a decade now in the Department of Defense.  Prior to his current roles across DoD, he led award-winning product development and consulting services teams as CIO/CTO/CISO/COO for 15 years in commercial industry. Mr.Cummuta is named on several technical patents,and has been a speaker and author on CIO & technical startup strategies, Lean Six Sigma, data warehousing, and technology executive search. After honorably serving our country as a U.S. Marine, he completed multiple degrees in IT and international finance, studied Intellectual Property Protection law, and is DoD certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Rob Dalzell

BISO | Bank of America

Rob Dalzell is a cybersecurity professional with over 30 years of Information Technology and Cybersecurity experience. He has worked in the following cybersecurity areas: BISO, Third Party Defense, Vulnerability Management, Identity and Access management, Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure, email encryption and general security awareness. He is a member of the ISACA, serves on the Advisory Board for SecureWorld Charlotte and has a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity. He is an ardent believer in life-long learning. He can be found easily on LinkedIn. In his spare time, Rob can be found playing or officiating soccer, generating sawdust or digging in the dirt around his house, riding a bike and trying to keep a British sports car running.

Ed Harris

CISO | Mauser Packaging Solutions

Ed Harris is pursuing his Doctorate in Information Assurance and has 32+ years of Network and Security experience. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional and has spent 12 years in academia teaching Computer Security at the University of North Carolina. Ed is a founding member of the Retail Cyber Information Sharing Center.  He currently serves on the Cyber Security Scholarship Review Board for ISC2 and is an active member of FBI InfraGard.  He is the past President of the ISC2 Chapter in Greensboro, NC, and is a former member of the National Security Council for the US Chamber of Commerce. Ed is a security evangelist, author, and international speaker and has spoken academically and professionally for more than 29+ years.

Jeff Kaplan

Director | Venture Asheville

Jeff Kaplan is the Director of Venture Asheville and Director of Entrepreneurship at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. Jeff previously worked for the Chamber from Anthroware, a local software development company, where he was a product owner and consultant on Anthroware’s Product Development Team. He has also been active with Hatch AVL Foundation planning programs and events for the entrepreneurial community. Jeff has a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship from the University of Florida and has been involved in several start-ups from the ground up with experience in product development, project management and design thinking. He is also a published author in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy.

Paul Maurer

President | Montreat College

Paul J. Maurer became the eighth president of Montreat College in July 2014. He is a visionary and results-driven leader who believes deeply in the value of Christ-centered higher education. President Maurer has more than 30 years of leadership experience in nonprofit and higher education administration. Prior to Montreat College, Dr. Maurer served as president of Sterling College, a sister institution within the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Dr. Maurer is a published author and frequent speaker. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University, where he was an H. B. Earhart Fellow and a John M. Olin Fellow. He earned his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati where he was co-captain of the men’s soccer team and a local Young Life leader. He earned his Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Maurer is a scholar of the American presidency and teaches American Constitutional History. In his free-time he enjoys biking, golf, and almost anything outdoors.

Mike Muscatell

CISO | Acumatica Inc.

Mike Muscatell has more than 25 years of experience in the information technology field, including 20 years in information security. During the course of his career, he has developed cybersecurity programs from the ground up and has been part of several cybersecurity-focused organizations. Today, he is a part of the FBI InfraGard, the U.S. Chamber Cyber Committee, and several other local and national cybersecurity organizations. Muscatell has been featured in several publications and awarded for internal and external achievements. He was notably honored as one of the top 100 professionals in the Information Security Field by Strathmore’s Who’s Who for 2014, where acceptance is limited to individuals who have demonstrated Leadership and Achievement in their Occupation, Industry, or Profession.

Kyle Offenback

Cyber Threat Analyst | Epsilon

Kyle Offenback is the Chief Technology Officer at Epsilon-inc, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned business with various contracts ranging from federal and state agencies, as well as businesses and non-profits. Kyles background spans across many IT fields, including full-stack development, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity (blue, red, and purple team), R&D, and DevSecOps. Using his diverse background to provide not only Epsilon with solutions but also aids organizations with forward leaning strategic improvements. Kyle is currently overseeing Epsilon-Inc’s support for WAPA’s IT and Security Services under Department of Energy, who services more than 40 million consumers for their electrical needs.

Greg Sayadian

Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity | Montreat College

Prof. Greg Sayadian joined the Montreat College faculty in 2018. Prior to coming to Montreat, he had spent over 20 years working in cybersecurity. He worked for AOL and UUNET, and he has also worked in the government sector for the FAA.

Prof. Sayadian earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in Civil Engineering and master’s degree from George Washington University in Computer and Communications Security. Prof. Sayadian’s areas of technical competency include security engineering and security operations for consumer facing services and infrastructure, global enterprise, employee and member data, and partner relations. His responsibilities have spanned network security, incident response, the security operations center (SOC), identity and access management, and DevOps. He has focused on advancing a holistic security posture employing industry maturity models, prioritizing efforts to adhere to government standards, utilizing agile processes and CI/CD.

Thomas Hill 

Cybersecurity Instructor | Montreat College

Thomas Hill is an Instructor of Cybersecurity at Montreat College. He is a 2017 alumnus of Montreat College’s cybersecurity program. After earning a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy & Management from the University of Maryland in 2019, he joined Montreat College as an adjunct faculty member. He became a full-time instructor of cybersecurity in 2023.