The 25 leaders protecting Ohio’s digital future

Cyber25, from Ohio Tech News and OhioX and presented by ATC, recognizes cybersecurity leaders protecting Ohio’s businesses, public services and critical infrastructure while preparing the next generation of defenders.

Much of cybersecurity’s most important work happens out of sight. A hospital keeps treating patients. A manufacturer keeps production moving. Residents access public services knowing their personal information is protected. Behind those everyday expectations are people working to keep systems secure and organizations ready for whatever comes next.

Across Ohio, that responsibility reaches into every corner of the economy. Cybersecurity leaders are protecting sensitive data, strengthening critical infrastructure, responding to incidents and helping organizations understand and manage risk. Others are developing new security tools, shaping public policy and preparing students for careers on the front lines of digital defense.

As Ohio’s technology economy grows, so does the importance of that work. New investments in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and digital infrastructure depend on secure systems and the people who build, protect and maintain them. Cybersecurity is foundational to the trust that allows businesses to grow and communities to rely on the services around them.

That is what Cyber25 is built to recognize. From Ohio Tech News and OhioX, and presented by ATC, this new annual honor spotlights 25 cybersecurity leaders making a real-world impact across the state. Their work spans industry, government, education and workforce development, reflecting the breadth of expertise needed to defend Ohio’s digital future.

Selected for their demonstrated leadership, the inaugural honorees show the many forms cybersecurity leadership can take — from protecting an enterprise to developing talent and strengthening the institutions Ohioans depend on.

Here are the 25 leaders recognized in Ohio’s inaugural Cyber25.

Ryan Anschutz: North America Leader, X-Force Incident Response, IBM; President, Northern Ohio InfraGard Members Alliance

Anschutz leads IBM X-Force Incident Response across North America. Drawing on experience in Ohio law enforcement, FBI and U.S. Secret Service task forces, he helps organizations navigate cyber crises. As president of the Northern Ohio InfraGard Members Alliance, he advances public-private partnerships protecting critical infrastructure.

Julia Armstrong: Executive Director, Institute for Cybersecurity and Digital Trust, The Ohio State University

Armstrong leads the Institute for Cybersecurity and Digital Trust’s operations and partnerships at Ohio State. Her work helps connect research, education and external collaboration around cybersecurity, digital trust and workforce development.

Gwen Betts: Co-Founder, Maro; Co-Founder, Galing Group

Betts is a seasoned builder that brings UX discipline to complex cybersecurity challenges. She co-founded Maro, which championed cognitive security as a new approach to human risk; led Rapid7’s UX team across 10+ products; and is now co-founder of Galing Group, an AI-native security studio building for an AI-native world.

Kenneth Charnota: Director, IT Cybersecurity, Worthington Steel

Charnota is helping guide cybersecurity at Worthington Steel during a period of growth and integration. His experience in manufacturing, along with work securing newly integrated operations, represents the increasingly important role of cyber defense in Ohio’s industrial economy.

Remard Colston: InnovateOhio Platform Administrator, Ohio Department of Administrative Services

Colston has helped build Ohio’s centralized digital-identity and fraud-prevention infrastructure through the InnovateOhio Platform and OHID. His work uses identity proofing, fraud detection and enterprise monitoring to protect the online services Ohioans rely on for benefits, licensing and other public needs.

J.B. Craft: Director of Cybersecurity, Victoria’s Secret & Co.

Craft helps protect the technology and information supporting one of Ohio’s most recognized global retailers. His work spans enterprise security, risk management and the ongoing effort to strengthen defenses across a complex retail environment, helping safeguard the systems that employees, customers and business operations depend on.

Jon Gorenflo: Chief Executive Officer, ATTACKD

Gorenflo leads offensive-security consulting firm ATTACKD and teaches security practitioners worldwide as a SANS principal instructor. He also leads Columbus’ Hackers Teaching Hackers community and recently presented original password-security research and an open-source tool at DEF CON.

Kirk Herath: Senior Fellow, Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy, Cleveland State University College of Law; Adjunct Professor of Law, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

Herath has shaped the nation’s cybersecurity and privacy agenda across government, industry, and higher education. A former cybersecurity strategic adviser to Gov. Mike DeWine, chair of CyberOhio, and industry tech law leader, he now brings that experience to cybersecurity law, public policy and workforce education at Cleveland State and Ohio State.

Anthony Fisic: Chief Information Security Officer, Battelle

Fisic leads cybersecurity at Battelle, where protecting research, advanced technology and government-facing work is central to the organization’s mission. His background includes more than two decades in the U.S. Army as a law-enforcement and cyber officer.

Jim Kelley: Chief Technology Officer, OhioHealth

Kelley is chief technology officer at OhioHealth, leading technology operations that support patient care and business operations. With 30 years of experience, he has led infrastructure, security and compliance for brands like Limited Brands, Nationwide, and Big Lots, bringing a CTO/CISO perspective to protecting critical systems and sensitive data.

David Kennedy: Founder and CEO, TrustedSec and Binary Defense

Kennedy is one of Ohio’s best-known cybersecurity entrepreneurs and technical practitioners. Through TrustedSec and Binary Defense, he has helped establish Northeast Ohio as a national center for penetration testing, incident response, managed detection and response, and cyber talent.

Jason Koler: Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, Eaton

Koler leads key aspects of cybersecurity operations for Eaton, including incident response, cyber resilience, and the secure adoption of transformative technologies. His experience securing one of the world's largest industrial enterprises provides a practical perspective on managing cyber risk, operational resilience, and technology innovation across critical infrastructure environments.

Frank LaRose: Ohio Secretary of State

Secretary LaRose has made innovation a cornerstone of better government, embracing modern technology, cybersecurity, AI, and blockchain solutions. His leadership has transformed the Secretary of State’s office into a more secure, efficient, accessible, and responsive agency serving every Ohioan.

Todd Lukens: Senior Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Security Officer, Nationwide

With over two decades in cybersecurity and technology leadership, Lukens oversees critical security and technology functions, including Cybersecurity, Information Risk Governance, Continuity and Crisis Management, Infrastructure, Technology Operations, Development Platform Engineering, Enterprise Digital Platform, and Protective Services. His role places him at the center of protecting the technology, data, operational resilience, people, facilities, and communities of a major Ohio-based insurer and financial-services company.

Connie Matthews Reynolds: Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ReynCon Educational Services & Training

Matthews Reynolds is a longtime cybersecurity educator, trainer and community leader who focuses on helping organizations build their own security competence. As founder of ReynCon and a leader in the information-security community, she has consistently advanced cybersecurity education, representation and career development.

Bill McCreary, Ph.D.: Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer, University of Toledo

McCreary leads UToledo’s technology organization and serves as executive sponsor of the university’s information-security program across both academic and clinical operations. Under the university’s broader technology leadership, UToledo has built a cybersecurity pipeline spanning undergraduate and graduate programs, AI based cyber research, and an exceptional student development program.

Rebekah Michael: Executive Staff Director and Co-Director, Ohio Cyber Range Institute

Michael helps lead the Ohio Cyber Range Institute’s statewide network of education, training and institutional partnerships. Her work supports the operational framework required to turn cybersecurity workforce policy into practical opportunities for students, educators and employers.

Warner Moore: Founder and CEO, Gamma Force

Moore founded Gamma Force to help companies strengthen technology and cybersecurity through risk-based strategy and security leadership. He also founded the Tech Community Coalition, a Columbus nonprofit supporting local startups through education, mentorship and connections, helping entrepreneurs build secure foundations for lasting growth.

Juliet “Jules” Okafor, JD: Founder and Chief Executive Officer, RevolutionCyber

Okafor leads RevolutionCyber and EarnedTrust, bringing national influence, enterprise access and security and AI governance expertise to Ohio’s tech ecosystem. A 2x congressional witness on the cyber workforce, she's built high-performing teams, served 150+ organizations and scaled 3 startups from launch through acquisition.

Tony Pietrocola: Co-Founder and President, AgileBlue

Pietrocola co-founded AgileBlue, a Cleveland autonomous cybersecurity company developing AI-native security operations tools for autonomous threat detection, investigation, and response. He has helped build an Ohio-grown security company while contributing to regional industry conversations on cyber resilience and emerging threats.

Tim Porter: Partner, Risk Advisory Services, Pease Bell

Porter leads Pease Bell’s risk-advisory practice, helping technology, SaaS, fintech and health-care companies build and assess control environments tied to SOC, HIPAA, ISO 27001, HITRUST and CMMC requirements. His work helps startups and growth companies use security and compliance readiness to establish trust with customers and compete in regulated markets.

Rakesh Sharma: Vice President and Global Chief Information Security Officer, Cleveland Clinic

Sharma leads cybersecurity for Cleveland Clinic, protecting patient care, research and sensitive health information. He serves on the Health Sector Coordinating Council’s Cybersecurity Working Group and advises cybersecurity companies and industry boards, bringing a health-care perspective to security technology and strategy.

Jason Slagle: President, CNWR

Slagle leads Toledo-based managed-services firm CNWR and is a prominent advocate for practical cybersecurity among small and midsize organizations. GTIA named him its 2025 North America Cybersecurity Leadership Award winner, recognizing his industry engagement, thought leadership and public threat guidance.

John Virden: Assistant Vice President for Security, Compliance and Risk Management and Chief Information Security Officer, Miami University

Virden leads cybersecurity, compliance and risk management at Miami University, bringing three decades of security, technology and national-security experience to an Ohio institution. A former U.S. Navy officer and deputy director of the National Security Agency’s Cyber Red Team, Virden has held cyber leadership roles in government and industry.

Shawn Waldman: Founder and Chief Executive Officer, SecureCyber; Board Chairman, GoCyber Collective

As CEO of SecureCyber, Waldman leads threat hunting and incident response work protecting Ohio organizations, including water and wastewater utilities. Through the GoCyber Collective, he created a cyber upskilling center with hands-on forensics and ethical hacking training, building a growing community focused on Ohio's cyber readiness.

Twenty-five names can’t capture the full breadth of cybersecurity leadership in Ohio. Consider this inaugural list a snapshot of the people protecting our institutions, strengthening our businesses and preparing the next generation of defenders. Much of their work happens outside the spotlight. Cyber25 is an opportunity to bring it into view.

Our thanks to everyone who submitted a nomination and helped us identify outstanding leaders across the state. We’re also grateful to ATC, Cyber25’s presenting sponsor, for supporting this recognition of Ohio’s cybersecurity community.

Know someone who belongs on next year’s list? Subscribe to OhioX and Ohio Tech News to be among the first to learn about nominations: ohiox.org/subscribe.