ACT-IAC Cybersecurity COI & ISC2 NOVA Chapter Joint Event
The ACT-IAC Cybersecurity Community of Interest (COI) is pleased to partner with the ISC2 Northern Virginia Chapter for an upcoming hybrid event focused on today’s evolving cyber landscape.
The program will feature remarks from Nick Andersen (Invited), Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Laks Prabhala, Chief Information Security Officer at the Department of Transportation. They will share insights on current cybersecurity priorities across CISA and DOT.
This joint event reflects ACT-IAC’s ongoing commitment to meaningful public-private collaboration, with its Cybersecurity Community of Interest helping to lead critical conversations on national cyber resilience.
Event Details
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
In-Person Location: Capital One, McLean, VA
Format: Hybrid (register to receive full event details)
Registration Information
Registration is being managed by the ISC2 NOVA Chapter and will be hosted at their location. Please visit their event page for additional details and to register.
Please note: A $10 fee will be charged for in-person attendees to help offset event hosting costs, including catering and venue expenses.
Featured Speaker Bios
Nicholas (Nick) M. Andersen will act as the Acting Director and the Deputy Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In this role, he helps lead CISA’s mission to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the cyber and physical infrastructure that the American people rely on every day. He formerly served as the Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity.
A decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Andersen brings discipline and strategic foresight to the CISA mission through his extensive experience and leadership. As the President and Chief Operating Officer at Invictus, Andersen oversaw cybersecurity, intelligence integration, and technology delivery for federal and commercial partners.
As the Chief Information Security Officer at Lumen Technologies Public Sector, he developed and implemented a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, delivered secure offerings and formed strategic partnerships with public sector and private sector customers.
From 2019-2021, Andersen served both as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and performed the duties of Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. In these roles, he directed national efforts to protect America's energy grid from cyber and physical threats, led responses to Iranian cyber threats, Puerto Rican disaster recovery, and energy crises, and spearheaded critical programs like Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities in energy infrastructure.
In 2019, as the Federal Cybersecurity Lead and Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to the Federal Chief Information Officer at the White House, he developed and implemented cybersecurity policies for the federal enterprise, enhancing transparency and risk management. He established the first government-wide Vulnerability Disclosure Programs and Trusted Internet Connections 3.0 policy and strengthened federal incident response capabilities and prioritized workforce strategies to address cyber talent gaps.
As the State of Vermont’s Chief Information Security Officer, he developed Vermont's cybersecurity strategy, integrating efforts across academia, critical infrastructure, and law enforcement. While there, he implemented strategic risk management and supply chain protection actions to include first in the Nation prohibition against the use of certain Chinese- and Russian- state sponsored technology firms across both State- owned and vendor- owned/operated infrastructure.
Among other distinguished positions, he has also served as Chief of the Office of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Systems and Technologies/CIO for Intelligence for the U.S. Coast Guard, and CIO/Senior Cyber Risk Executive for U.S. Naval Intelligence.
Andersen earned a Master of Science degree in Cybersecurity from Brown University, a Master of Science degree in Information Security and Assurance from Western Governors University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology Management from American Military University. He also holds a Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. He was recently named a Pinnacle Awards Intelligence Executive of the Year and one of the top 10 CISOs to watch by Washington Executive Magazine.
Laks Prabhala is a distinguished cybersecurity executive and visionary leader in cybersecurity, application development and cloud computing with over three decades of experience across several government and financial institutions. He has held pivotal roles including Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Justice, CISO for the 2020 Census program and strategic leadership for large and medium system integrators serving the U.S. federal government. Laks is passionate about delivering secure, compliant, customer-focused outcomes for sensitive federal missions and large enterprises through innovative technology and risk-informed programs. He holds a master's degree in computer science from Drexel University and recognition as a Senior Executive Fellow from Harvard University.
Follow the Cyber COI LinkedIn page for the latest updates.
United States