St. Louis-area cybersecurity professionals have a full day of practitioner-led programming to look forward to when SecureWorld returns to The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis on September 2nd. Now in its 16th year, the regional conference has built its 2026 agenda around a theme that's impossible to avoid in security circles right now: what happens when AI moves faster than the governance built to control it?
That tension shows up early. The event opens with a keynote panel titled "The AI Train Isn't Stopping—What CISOs Do Next," featuring Alan Berry (SVP & CISO, Centene Corporation), Mike Ehlers (CISO, Soleo Health), and Renita Rhodes (VP, Audit Manager – Cybersecurity Audit, and adjunct professor at Harris Stowe State University and Maryville University). Rather than another AI hype session, the panel is set as an unscripted conversation about the guardrails organizations haven't figured out yet—including how to give security teams visibility into AI agents that show up in tools no one approved.
Several sessions push past generic "adopt AI safely" advice into specifics practitioners can actually use.
Kyle Oris (IT Security Analyst, SSM Health) delivers "Governing AI You Shouldn't Have Built: Why Strategy Has to Come Before Governance," challenging the assumption that having an AI governance committee means an organization is actually managing AI risk. Oris co-authored a chapter on operationalizing AI governance for third-party AI adopters, published in Cyber Risk Management and AI Governance in the Digital Era (IGI Global, 2026), and draws on that research plus his work building governance programs inside a large healthcare system.
Drew Klauser (Engineering Manager, Security & Compliance, ezCater) presents a five-rung "AI Vulnerability Ladder" framework in "Don't Jump the AI Ladder," aimed at teams who've concluded they're not ready for AI-assisted vulnerability management because they're picturing full autonomy on day one.
Patrick Mayer (Director of Solution Engineering, Island) makes the case for a "Secure Yes" framework—visibility, accountability, and resilience—in "Is Your Enterprise Ready for AI?"
Josh Behnke (Manager of Pre-Sales Engineering, Concentric AI) examines how AI is simultaneously expanding the data security attack surface and enabling smarter defenses in "AI Is Breaking Data Security… and Fixing It."
Beyond the individual talks, two panel discussions round out the day's AI thread.
"The Human Layer: Insider Risk, Behavioral Analytics, and the AI Threat Multiplier," featuring Hitesh Kumar (Sr. Security Architect, Zappsec), covering deepfake-enabled social engineering and MFA fatigue attacks.
"Navigating the Evolving Digital Battlefield," moderated by Travis Nichols (CISO, Shelter Insurance), on identity-first security and fourth-party risk in an increasingly automated threat environment.
The workforce conversation gets its own spotlight, too. Ryan Frillman (CISO, Equifax Workforce Solutions) and Michelle Sickbert (Sr. Director, BISO, Equifax) headline a fireside chat, "Left Behind or Leveled Up? The Talent Gap and the Future of the Security Workforce," asking a question the industry hasn't fully reckoned with: if AI does more of the work, does the field still need more people—and what kind? Rhonna Novy (Cybersecurity Chair & Director of Tech Talent, TechSTL) follows with practical pathways for breaking into the field in "Expanding Pathways into Cybersecurity Careers and Closing the Gap."
The day wraps with a closing keynote panel, "More than Cyber: What the CISO Role Actually Looks Like in Practice," bringing together Tami Spellman (Director, IT Security, Caleres, Inc.), Rich Temples (CISO, Graybar), and Larry Woods (VP, CISO & CPO, Post Holdings, Inc.) for a candid look at the risk-translator, board-communicator, vendor-negotiator reality of the modern security executive role.
Attendees can also opt into a full-day pre-conference workshop on September 1st, "Securing & Enabling AI: Transform Chaos into Competitive Advantage," led by Bonnie Viteri (Sr. Cyber Risk Analyst, Cyber Risk Opportunities LLC), which includes a 90-day AI governance roadmap and a complimentary private strategy session.
Registration, along with the full agenda and pricing details, is available on the SecureWorld St. Louis event page.