Cybersecurity Luminary Ira Winkler Elected President of ISSA

Business Wire

Thursday, September 27th 2012

ISSA Adds Six Prominent Industry Leaders to 2012-2013 Board of Directors; Collective Experience Advances Mission to Protect the World’s Vital Information and Develop the Next-Generation of Cybersecurity Leaders

The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) announced today that cybersecurity luminary Ira Winkler has been elected as the International President for the new 2012-2013 term. In addition six prominent industry leaders have been elected to the Board of Directors: Frances "Candy" Alexander, CISSP, CISM and CISO, Long Term Care Partners; Debbie Christofferson, CIPP/IT, CISSP, CISM; Mary Ann Davidson, CSO, Oracle; Nils Puhlmann, CISSP-ISSMP, CISM, and CSO, Zynga, Inc.; Brian Schultz, CISSP, ISSMP, ISSAP, CISM, CISA, Technical Director, Cyber Architecture & Advisory Services, Battelle Memorial Institute; and Stefano Zanero, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Milano.

These IT security professionals are at the forefront of protecting personal data, proprietary corporate information and intellectual property for some of the world’s largest organizations and government agencies. Through ISSA, this collective experience is transformed into powerful knowledge and peer networking to help security practitioners at all levels – from students to CISOs - stay in the loop with the rapidly-evolving technology climate and to develop the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.

ISSA also provides a unified voice for the industry on key issues – such as the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace - that influences public opinion, government regulations, media and other important audiences. ISSA is the only independent organization and community of choice for nearly 10,000 cybersecurity professionals with over 150 chapters worldwide.

“ISSA is more relevant than ever in today’s fast changing threat landscape and plays a crucial role in developing the cybersecurity leaders and best practices of the future,” said Kevin Richards, CISSP, Managing Director of Security Strategy & Risk Management at Accenture and immediate past president of ISSA. “Ira has consistently demonstrated his commitment to ISSA, which, combined with his deep understanding of the security professional role, vision, and strong relationships will take ISSA into the next phase of its growth. Further we would like to recognize the entire board of directors, including new and returning members. ISSA continues to attract the world’s foremost experts and thought leaders and is poised to advance the security profession in many ways.”