4TH ANNUAL WOMEN IN TECH SYMPOSIUM
REIMAGINING
CYBERSECURITY
FOR ALL
Friday, March 6, 2020
Sibley Auditorium | UC Berkeley
Event Recap
View the original CITRIS post here!
A playlist of video recordings of the event is available here.
By: Kat Madrigal Cheng and Edward Kang
Focusing on inclusive cybersecurity, the symposium featured women leaders speaking on our shared cybersecurity future. Women in Tech Initiative Athena Award recipients who have championed the advancement of women in technology were also recognized.
After a welcome by CITRIS Executive Director and Women in Tech Initiative at the University of California co-founder Camille Crittenden, opening remarks were provided by Dawn Song, UC Berkeley EECS professor, focused on “Building a Responsible Data Economy.”
A fireside chat with Window Snyder, Chief Security Officer at Square and Berkeley Engineering Dean Tsu-Jae King Liu delved into Snyder’s history and experience in cybersecurity. Snyder shared that her mother encouraged her to enter the tech industry after she herself had been discouraged from entering the field in the 1960s. When discussing the use of IoT in the home. Snyder says it’s unreasonable to expect consumers to know the many ways data will be used because the scale is hard for a consumer to wrap their head around, even for practitioners in the field.
The U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission Director of Cyber Engagement Laura Bate moderated the first panel: What’s at Stake? Global and Systemic Cyber Threats. All panelists emphasized the need for a systemic response to cybersecurity threats at the societal, corporate, and individual level. With the theme of our conference being “reimagining cybersecurity for all,” Bate asked the panelists who among that “all” inspires their work. Among the responses, panelists named journalists, activists, small business owners that have a lot to lose and smaller countries with vulnerable infrastructure.
During the Cyber Career Tips & Tricks breakout session, presenters Kavya Pearlman, CEO of Cyber Security Strategist, and Deidre Diamond, CEO and founder of CyberSN/Secure Diversity, discussed their own paths to careers in cybersecurity. Diamond shared that she is in the one percent of people in the field who is a founder, a CEO, and a woman. Pearlman shared that she was working as a hairdresser after college and was inspired by Cyber War, a book by Richard A. Clarke and Robert Knake, and took a chance to change fields, get a master’s in network security, and become a cybersecurity leader and teacher.
Wendy Nather, head of Advisory CISOs at Cisco Systems presented the keynote, “Democratizing Security: From Control to Collaboration.” Nather’s talk focused on the three ways to democratize security: 1) Shifting from control model to a collaboration model, 2) simplifying the design of cybersecurity tools so that it’s easier to be secure and, 3) supporting an open culture of sharing cybersecurity information, education and tools.
Window Snyder (Chief Security Officer, Square, Inc) featured during her "Fireside Chat."
The second panel, “Protecting our Identities and Personal Assets from Stalkers, Trolls, and Hackers,” was moderated by Diana Kelley, Cybersecurity CTO at Microsoft, and featured Muthoni Richards of Google, Cat Wendt of IGDA, Ruby Zefo of Uber, and Erica Johnstone of Ridder, Costa & Johnstone LLP. The panel discussed different definitions of identity and privacy, and what it means to violate them. Cat Wendt, a game developer, discussed the experience for women during Gamergate and how the experience drove so many women to leave the field. As a lawyer, Johnstone discussed the challenge of collecting digital evidence and the need for platforms to help preserve it.
The Women in Tech Initiative Athena Awards were presented throughout the day. This year’s awards were presented to Rama Akkiraju for Executive Leadership by CITRIS Director Costas Spanos, Alice Agogino for Academic Leadership by Senior Advisor Jennifer Mangold, Joy Buolamwini for Early Career by UC Berkeley graduate student Renata Barreto, and Girls Who Code for Next Generation Engagement by UC Berkeley undergraduate students Cara Wolfe and Katherine Shu.
Amy Tong (via video message) and Michele Robinson of the California Department of Technology provided closing remarks. The event concluded with a cybersecurity networking fair and reception in the CITRIS Tech Museum in Sutardja Dai Hall, where art installations by CLTC’s Cybersecurity Arts Contest winners were on display.
The 4th Annual Women in Tech Symposium was sponsored by Lam Research, Microsoft, Berkeley Haas Blockchain Initiative, Cisco, Intel, Crowdstrike, Fortinet, Jumio, Palo Alto Networks, Sandia National Laboratories, University of California Office of the President (UCOP), Berkeley Information Security Office, National Security Innovation Network, One IT, Google, 150 Years of Women at Berkeley, Berkeley Bakar Fellows Program, Berkeley School of Information, Berkeley SKYDECK, Center for Long-term Cybersecurity (CLTC), CyberSN, Coleman Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, and The International Society of Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP).
Data breaches, identity theft, ransomware, deep fakes, doxxing. As digital platforms and tools have become pervasive in our public, professional, and private lives, concern has intensified about the security of our information, institutions, and online identities. The need for innovation in cybersecurity strategies — from the technical hardware, software and networks to training the needed workforce — will drive significant investment and attention for the foreseeable future.
Cyber breaches are projected to cost the global economy $2.1 trillion by 2019, and jobs in information security are projected to grow 37% between 2012 and 2022, much faster than the average for all other occupations. Despite these opportunities, women are vastly underrepresented in the field, holding only 18% of cybersecurity positions. At the same time, women face unique risks and threats of bullying and harassment in the online ecosystem. How can we engage the most inclusive talent pool to tackle the growing challenges, confident that we are mitigating risk, encouraging safe practices, and developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals?
This public symposium will highlight the experiences and career paths of women in cybersecurity, including those working to advance secure systems within their organizations as well as improve the privacy and security of individual users of online platforms. The event will also feature the Women in Tech Initiative Athena Awards recognizing those who have championed the advancement of women in technology.
We welcome participants from startups, nonprofit and government organizations, and established companies as well as students, staff, and faculty. The symposium is open to everyone, allowing a broader audience the chance to join the conversation and reimagine cybersecurity for all.
Attendees will walk away with deep insights about our cybersecurity future, and gain a community of inspiring and motivating people that will champion the advancement of women in technology.
The event has concluded, but past registration info can be found here.
8:30 am Registration at Sibley Auditorium
9:10 am Welcoming Remarks: Camille Crittenden, Executive Director, CITRIS and the Banatao Institute
and Co-Founder of the Women in Tech Initiative at UC
9:20 am Opening remarks: “Building a Responsible Data Economy,” Dawn Song, UC Berkeley
9:40 am Introducing and presentation of the Women in Tech Initiative Athena Award for Executive Leadership: Rama Akkiraju, Distinguished Engineer & Director, IBM Watson. Presented by CITRIS Director Costas Spanos
9:50 am Fireside Chat with Window Snyder, Chief Security Officer at Square and Tsu-Jae King Liu, Dean and Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, UC Berkeley
10:30 am Break
10:40 am Panel: What’s at Stake? Global and Systemic Cyber Threats
- Cybersecurity is no longer just a concern for the IT department – vulnerabilities in our digital services and infrastructure threaten much of the world around us. Cybercrime is predicted to put at risk $5.2 trillion globally over the next five years, and affect everything from the utility of the Internet of Things to rising geopolitical tensions and the spread of disinformation. Systemic threats require a systemic response, and women are at the forefront of the dynamic intersection between people and digital technologies. Join our expert panelists from diverse corners of the ecosystem to explore what is at stake and how cybersecurity must evolve to protect the promise of the digital revolution for all.
- Moderated by: Laura Bate, Director, Cyber Engagement at U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission
- Ashley Tolbert, Cyber Security Engineer, (SLAC) Stanford
- Aanchal Gupta, Head of Security in Calibra, Facebook
- Michele Guel, Distinguished Engineer & IoT Security Strategist, CISCO Systems
- Raluca Popa, Co-Founder of the RiseLab, UC Berkeley
11:45 am Women in Tech Initiative Athena Award, Academic Leadership: Alice Agogino, Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
College of Engineering, UC Berkeley.
12:00 pm Lunch and transition to Breakout Rooms
- Cyber Career Tips & Tricks
Led by Kavya Pearlman, Cyber Security Strategist, Cautelare and
Deidre (Day-Dree) Diamond, CyberSN/Securing Diversity - Tools and Tech for Cybersecurity
Led by Gio Kao, Research and Development Manager, Sandia National Laboratories
Ervinna Lim, VP Global Customer Success, Jumio - Cybersecurity and the Health Sector
Led by Heather McPherson, Kaiser Permanente and
Serena Villalobos, Senior Consultant, Quasar I.T. Solutions - Cyber and Blockchain/Fintech
Led by Karin Bauer, Berkeley Haas Blockchain Initiative &
Lauren Weymouth, Senior Manager, University Partnerships, Ripple
1:30 pm “Democratizing Security: Keynote by Wendy Nather, title, Cisco Systems
2:05 pm Women in Tech Initiative Athena Award, Early Career: Joy Buolamwini, Founder, Algorithmic Justice League.
2:15 pm Panel: Protecting our Identities and Personal Assets from Stalkers, Trolls, and Hackers
- What happens when digital technology is used to threaten our individual identities? Studies show that women are disproportionately targeted for hate speech and violent rhetoric on social media. Misogyny and racism are rampant in video game culture. New technology can be used to stalk and harass ex-partners or spurned lovers. Our banking information, credit scores, health records and more can be exploited for nefarious purposes. What particular dangers lurk for women online and what steps can we take to make the cyber-world safer for everyone?
- Moderated by: Diana Kelley, Cybersecurity CTO, Microsoft
- Muthoni Richards, Privacy Program Manager, Google
- Cat Wendt, Video Game Writer
- Ruby Zefo, Chief Privacy Officer, Uber
- Erica Johnstone, Partner, Ridder, Costa & Johnstone LLP
3:10 pm Women in Tech Initiative Athena Award, Next Generation Engagement: Girls Who Code.
3:20 pm Closing remarks: Amy Tong, State Chief Information Officer (CIO), California Department of Technology
3:30 pm Reception and Cyber Career Networking Fair
6:00 pm AdjournDirector, Cyber Engagement at U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commissio
Please inquire about strategic partnership opportunities with the Women in Technology Initiative at the University of California through the contact info below.
For event questions or more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Jill Finlayson
Director, Women in Tech Initiative at UC
510-505-4004
finlayson@citris-uc.org
