Meet the Speakers – 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit

As technology becomes more deeply embedded in our lives, the risks are evolving with it. AI is changing how attackers operate; our reliance on digital tools is creating new vulnerabilities, and increasingly sophisticated scams are raising the stakes for organizations and individuals alike.

The 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit: Resilient Together, taking place virtually on October 6 and 7, will feature an extraordinary lineup of experts who are helping define the future of cybersecurity and how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from emerging threats.

From one of the world’s largest cybersecurity educators and security leaders at some of tech’s biggest companies to nationally recognized researchers and UC leaders, these speakers will offer diverse perspectives into building safer, stronger, and more resilient communities and institutions.

Register for the free virtual event by October 2nd at 11:59 p.m. PT. Then, meet the speakers taking the stage at this year’s Summit!

Meet the Summit Speakers

Speakers for Summit in small circular frames - Aitlin Sarian, Alex Stamos, Safiya Noble, Kerry Tomlinson, Marti DeLiema, Melonie White, Caesar Sedek, Ronise Zenon

Caitlin Sarian

Caitlin Sarian has turned cybersecurity education into a global platform, reaching more than 3.1 million followers with practical guidance designed to make the digital world safer and more accessible. Known online as “Cybersecurity Girl,” she makes cybersecurity approachable and actionable, helping people protect themselves online, demystifying careers in the field, and encouraging more women to pursue opportunities in STEM.

Before focusing full time on Cybersecurity Girl, Sarian spent more than a decade working in cybersecurity, data protection, and data privacy. Her experience includes leading TikTok’s Global Cybersecurity Advocacy team, conducting global cybersecurity awareness assessments, and collaborating with prominent industry leaders, including former U.S. Cyber Defense Agency Director Jen Easterly.

Her work has earned prestigious recognition across the cybersecurity and digital media industries. Sarian was named Cybersecurity Woman of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. In 2025, she was nominated for a Webby Award (a.k.a. “the Oscars of the Internet”) for Best Social Media in Education and Science, alongside organizations including NASA and National Geographic, and received Bronze and Silver honors at the Anthem Awards for her work promoting online safety.

Sarian’s reach extends beyond social media. She is a sought-after speaker and commentator, bringing her accessible approach to global industry conferences including GISEC and Black Hat, as well as podcasts such as Microsoft’s Afternoon Cyber Tea.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, Sarian will turn today’s biggest online threats into practical takeaways, sharing simple steps anyone can use to strengthen their digital security in the session, Securing Your Online Presence.

Alex Stamos

From the classrooms of UC Berkeley, where he studied electrical engineering, to securing platforms used by billions of people and advising experts on cybersecurity around the world, Alex Stamos is a leader in cybersecurity and internet safety.

Stamos currently serves as Chief Product Officer of Corridor and a lecturer in Computer Science and International Policy at Stanford University. His previous roles include Chief Security Officer of Facebook, Yahoo, and SentinelOne. Notably, at Facebook, he led efforts to address security and safety risks across platforms serving 2.5 billion people and oversaw the company’s investigation into manipulation of the 2016 U.S. election. He also helped coordinate incident responses to the “Operation Aurora” cyberattacks targeting major technology companies.

Stamos has also done foundational work on AI and child safety. At Stanford, he founded the Stanford Internet Observatory, advancing research and policy around online safety in information technologies. He has also co-founded two elite security consultancies, advised the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and NATO, and spoken at premier international forums, including NATO CyCon and the Munich Security Conference.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, Stamos will bring this wide-ranging experience to the session, AI and Defending Large Networks, exploring how organizations can prepare their teams to keep pace with an emerging AI-driven threat landscape.

Dr. Safiya Noble

Safiya Noble is one of today’s leading voices on how digital technology shapes society. A recipient of the UCLA MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship (awarded to people the foundation deems “extraordinarily talented and creative individuals”), her groundbreaking work brought attention to algorithmic discrimination and the broader societal impacts of technology.

Noble is the David O. Sears Presidential Endowed Chair of Social Sciences and Professor at UCLA, where she directs the Center on Resilience & Digital Justice, co-directs the Minderoo Initiative on Tech & Power, and serves as a director of the UCLA DataX Initiative.

She is also the author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, a best-seller examining how social values shape search engine results and can perpetuate harm. Among the book’s many readers are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who later joined Noble for a TIME100 Talks conversation about misinformation in the digital age. Noble’s expertise has made her a sought-after voice in national and international media, including The New York Times, Wired, the BBC, The Guardian, and CNN International.

Her many honors include the inaugural NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award and the Miles Conrad Award, recognizing her contributions toward building a more inclusive and equitable society.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, Noble will bring that critical lens to the rapidly evolving world of AI, examining the media and technology ecosystems shaping our lives in the fireside chat session, AI and Our Future: How Artificial Intelligence and Search Engine Algorithms Reinforce Oppression.

Ronise Zenon

A proud Triton and longtime member of the UC San Diego community, Ronise Zenon has spent nearly three decades building connections, championing belonging, and advancing cybersecurity awareness across campus. Since joining UC San Diego in 1997, she has brought a deep understanding of the university and a strong commitment to supporting its people.

Zenon currently serves as an Information Systems Analyst on UC San Diego Information Technology Services’ Messaging and Collaboration Team, which she rejoined after six years as the Cybersecurity Awareness Program Coordinator within ITS Security and the Office of Information Assurance.

Beyond her work in technology and cybersecurity, Zenon is an active advocate for connection and community. She has been involved with campus affinity groups including the Black Resource Center, LGBT Resource Center, and UC San Diego Moms, and has taken on leadership roles supporting the campus community, including serving as Membership Chair on the Black Staff Association Executive Board and Chair of the Parents, Guardians & Caregivers Association.

A first-generation college graduate with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Redlands, Zenon remains actively engaged in campus and systemwide cybersecurity initiatives while seeking opportunities to contribute and build community across the UC system.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, Zenon will bring her combination of cybersecurity experience and community advocacy to the stage as fireside chat co-host alongside Safiya Noble for the session, AI and Our Future: How Artificial Intelligence and Search Engine Algorithms Reinforce Oppression.

Kerry Tomlinson

An award-winning journalist with three decades of television reporting experience, multiple Emmys, and reporting assignments around the world, Kerry Tomlinson has spent her career uncovering stories and making complex issues understandable.

Today, Tomlinson applies those investigative instincts to cybersecurity as a cyber news reporter focused on helping people become smarter and safer online. Her reporting has taken her to Russia, the Philippines, Spain, France, Denmark, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia, and beyond. During her television career, she frequently went undercover to investigate crimes and received local, regional, and national journalism awards for her work.

Tomlinson has launched numerous news programs, organizations, and investigative units, including Ampyx News, a cyber news site focused on showing audiences what is happening in the digital world and why it matters in an understandable, creative, compelling way. She is a certified security awareness professional, an experienced speaker to companies ranging from small organizations to Fortune 500 companies, and a SANS Difference Maker award recipient – an honor recognizing cybersecurity professionals who are shaping the field.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, Tomlinson will help attendees understand how cybercrime is changing and how to prepare in the session, Deepfake Diaries: The Latest AI-based Attacks and How to Protect Yourself from AI Scams.

Melonie White

At the intersection of cybersecurity, privacy, law and risk management, Melonie White brings a multidisciplinary perspective to navigating the complex challenges of today’s digital landscape.

White is the Digital Risk Governance, Analytics, and Advisory Services Manager at the UC Office of the President, where she leads systemwide initiatives in digital risk governance, cybersecurity metrics, supplier risk management, and regulatory compliance. She also serves as a strategic liaison between UC Digital Risk & Security and partners across Legal, Privacy, Procurement, Audit, Compliance and other areas, helping connect priorities across disciplines.

Her background spans security and privacy frameworks such as NIST, HIPAA and GDPR, along with extensive experience building risk management programs in higher education. Before joining UC, White served as Director of Risk, Compliance, and Privacy at Florida State University (FSU) and as an Adjunct Professor, teaching courses on cybersecurity law, privacy regulations, breach response and compliance. She holds a J.D. from FSU, as well as Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credentials.

White has also earned recognition as a rising leader in her field, receiving multiple Rising Star of the Year nominations from Women in Technology, one of the world’s leading global communities dedicated to advancing women in the technology sector.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, White will help attendees understand how laws and regulations shape their individual protections in the session, Federal Rules, California Rights: Understanding Privacy and Security.

Caesar Sedek

Protecting one of the world’s largest public research universities means securing a vast, highly complex environment across learning, discovery, care, and essential operations. Caesar Sedek helps lead that mission.

As Assistant Chief Information Security Officer at UCLA, Sedek oversees Security Operations, Incident Response, Vulnerability Management, Endpoint Security and Security Engineering. His team works across a highly decentralized enterprise, balancing strong security with the diverse technology needs of UCLA’s research, healthcare, academic, and administrative environments.

Before joining UCLA, Sedek held executive cybersecurity leadership roles across consulting, media, entertainment and technology. He has advised Fortune 500 companies on cyber strategy, incident response, and enterprise risk management, serving as a CISO, Managing Director, and trusted advisor to organizations navigating complex security challenges.

Throughout his career, Sedek has focused on translating cybersecurity into business risk, strengthening resilience, and building effective security programs through pragmatic governance and cross-functional collaboration.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, Sedek will explore what it takes to prepare a complex institution for a high-profile event in the session, Preparing UCLA for the 2028 Olympics: Cybersecurity at the Intersection of Public Safety, Research, and Critical Infrastructure.

Marti DeLiema

Through her research on financial victimization, fraud prevention, aging and decision-making, Marti DeLiema is uncovering why people become vulnerable to scams and how they can be better protected.

A gerontologist and Associate Professor in the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, DeLiema also serves as Associate Director of Education for the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation. She is a 2026-2029 McKnight Presidential Fellow, a prestigious recognition awarded to people the university deems the “most promising individuals” demonstrating excellence in research, scholarship and leadership.

DeLiema uses interviews, focus groups, surveys, and other research methods to study financial victimization and the factors that increase vulnerability to fraud. She collaborates with financial institutions, the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, and federal agencies to better understand fraud risks and evaluate strategies for protecting consumers. Her research has received support from the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Justice, and U.S. Social Security Administration.

Before joining the University of Minnesota, DeLiema was a Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity. She earned her doctorate from the USC School of Gerontology and is also a UCLA alumna, with a B.S. in Psychobiology.

At the Cybersecurity Summit, DeLiema will bring her research to a timely conversation about protecting older adults and their financial well-being in the session, Fraud: Aging and Retirement Security.

About the 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit

What to Expect

The 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit is a webinar bringing together colleagues from UC and beyond to learn how we can safeguard our institution and communities. Whether you’re a security professional or simply curious about today’s digital risks, you’ll gain practical insights and a better understanding of how we can all build a more secure digital future.

The free, virtual event will take place on:

October 6, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT AND
October 7, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM PT

Who Can Attend

The Summit is intended for professionals across the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges, and invited guests. If you are outside of this community, registration will require exception approval. Please contact uccybersummit@ucop.edu for assistance.