Sue M. Gordon is the former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI) – the country’s number two ranking intelligence official. As the fifth PDDNI, she co-led the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and oversaw the entire Intelligence Community, comprised of over a dozen agencies that collect information on threats against the United States. In particular, Gordon’s transformative leadership focused on integrating intelligence across the organization, expanding outreach and partnerships, driving innovation, and advancing diversity and inclusion throughout the Community. With nearly four decades of legendary and dedicated service, Gordon has led at every level of the Intelligence Community with roles spanning numerous organizations and disciplines – drawing on this experience to inspire audiences to challenge the status quo, adapt to changing environments, and apply innovation to their business.

A presidential-level communicator with more than three decades experience as a national security official, Beth Sanner is among the most influential voices at the highest levels of American intelligence. As the senior-most analyst for the entire Intelligence Community (IC), she was a trusted adviser to the President of the United States on our nation’s most important intelligence matters – first as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s director of the President’s Daily Brief and later as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration. Having served in several leadership, staff, policy, and analytic positions in the IC, Sanner has briefed four Presidents and also advised vice presidents, congressional and cabinet officials, and foreign partners; her acumen is highly sought after by our nation’s decisionmakers and organizations across various industries. Sanner uniquely immerses audiences in her talks —making them feel as though they are our nation’s leaders being briefed on hot-button developments with the potential to reshape our world.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is one of the finest intelligence minds of the 21st century. In the midst of shifting national security policies and varying threats to American interests at home and abroad, Clapper illuminates a broad array of intelligence-related issues.

A powerful voice in the Intelligence Community and one of its leading national security professionals, Eric Traupe is the former assistant director of the CIA for the Near East and served on the front lines of U.S. counterterrorism efforts for more than 20 years. He remains a trusted advisor to our nation’s highest-ranking leaders, having advised CIA directors, presidents, cabinet and military officials, and members of Congress, and participated in momentous White House strategic, policy, and resource decisions. Traupe has tackled the full range of U.S. national security issues, and his leadership, acumen, and unmatched ability to cultivate enduring relationships between the U.S. and its foreign partners continues to be heralded in intelligence circles. To complement his highly sought-after leadership insights, Traupe is masterfully skilled at engaging audiences with his captivating perspectives on today’s top issues in risk management, national intelligence, and the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape.

General Stanley McChrystal is a four-star general, the former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan and the former leader of Joint Special Operations Command, which oversees the most sensitive counter-terrorism units. He is widely praised for revolutionizing warfare by fusing intelligence and operations and is credited with the capture of Saddam Hussein and the location and killing al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called McChrystal “one of America’s greatest warriors.” McChrystal addresses leadership, teambuilding, and geopolitics.

Revered as a uniquely-skilled “warrior-diplomat,” General John Nicholson retired in September 2018 from his post as Commander of U.S. Forces – Afghanistan and NATO’s Resolute Support mission. In this role, Gen. Nicholson led a 41-nation coalition war effort. The longest serving Commander of the Afghan war, he oversaw a $46.3 billion budget and roughly 14,000 international troops. A combat-seasoned military legend, he discusses coalition building, strengthening culture through collaboration, leadership, geopolitics, and organizational success in the 21st century.

Bruce Schneier is one of the world's leading experts on cyber security and technology. He has published a number of books detailing information about data, security, and cryptography which have received immense praise. Schneier is often consulted by the government, radio and television programs, and various organizations when it comes to cyber security.

Michael Coates has worked in the information security space for the past 20 years, leading security at global organizations, such as Twitter and Mozilla, and protecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Coates is currently the CISO of CoinList and the CEO of the sub-entity CoinList Digital Asset Services, a leading exchange platform that is disrupting the Web 3.0 and cryptocurrency digital asset offerings. He is also a co-founder of Altitude Networks and served as its CEO before a successful exit following the company’s acquisition. Previously, Coates was the Chief Information Security Officer at Twitter. There, his team worked to protect nearly 300 million users, securing both Twitter systems and user data.

Alex Stamos is a cybersecurity expert, business leader, and entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to improving the security and safety of the Internet. He serves as the chief trust officer for SentinelOne (NYSE: S), whose mission is to defeat every attack every second of every day with AI-powered threat prevention, detection, response, and hunting. At the same time, he is an adjunct professor at Stanford University, where his teaching and research focuses on international security and cooperation. Formerly Facebook’s chief security officer and Yahoo’s chief information security officer, Stamos is regarded among the most authoritative experts and problem-solvers in his field. The New York Times called Stamos “a celebrated figure in privacy and security circles,” and Tech Crunch said he is “widely regarded as one of the smartest people working in the security space.”

General John Allen is one of the nation’s most legendary military leaders and most respected thought leaders on U.S.-global engagement. When President Obama created the appointment of special envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, General Allen was the first American tapped to confront the Islamic State terror group. Widely hailed as a strategic thinker and a true battlefield leader, Gen. Allen is one of the nation’s foremost experts on the geopolitical relationships between U.S. and Asia and the Middle East. A unique combination of warrior and diplomat, Allen shares awe-inspiring stories of the challenges facing our nation, the keys to combating the enemy, and the leadership lessons that can be applied to today’s business environment.

Former FBI special agent Christopher Tarbell was heavily involved in the tracking and arrest of two of the most infamous figures in cyberspace – Sabu, of the hacktivist collective Anonymous (and at one point the most influential hacker in the world), and Dread Pirate Roberts, the man behind the deep web’s infamous Silk Road—“the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the internet.” Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Tarbell has extensive expertise in cyber security and computer forensics. A former member of the FBI’s preeminent cyber crime squad, he is the man about whom even the most notorious cyber criminals have nightmares.

With a career devoted to understanding how humans make risk decisions, Andy Ellis is a seasoned technology executive with deep expertise in security. An advisor to several cyber security startups, including Orca, Vulcan, and Uptycs, he currently serves as an advisor at cyber security venture capital firm, YL Ventures. Ellis formerly served as the chief security officer of web and internet security company Akamai. In his 20 years with Akamai, he helped to design and bring to market several of the company’s core technologies behind its security solutions. Combining more than 20 years of security experience with insider anecdotes from his time serving as CSO, he explores how and why humans make risk choices and decisions – and their impact on security.