Paul Benda is the Executive Vice President for Risk, Fraud and Cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association. Paul joined the ABA in 2018, where he leads the association’s initiatives in fraud, cybersecurity, physical security, and information security practices and chairs the ABA Fraud Coordination Group. In addition, he acts as a media spokesman for the ABA and the banking industry on these issues. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council which is the primary point of contact for the Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security on cybersecurity and resiliency issues facing the Financial Sector.

His past experiences include leadership positions in the Department of Homeland Security where he was head of research and development and in the Department of Defense where he was a DARPA Program Manager and designed security systems for the Pentagon. Paul started his career as an Active-Duty U.S. Air Force officer and transitioned to the private sector where he worked as a consultant for Booz Allen before returning to government service.

James McQuiggan has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity. He is currently a Security Awareness Advocate for KnowBe4, where he is responsible for amplifying the organization’s messaging related to the importance of, effectiveness of and the need for new-school security awareness training within organizations through social media, webinars, in-person presentations, industry trade shows and traditional media outlets.

Prior to joining KnowBe4, McQuiggan worked at Siemens where he held various cybersecurity roles, including consulting and supporting various corporate divisions on cybersecurity standards, information security awareness and securing product networks. McQuiggan is a part-time faculty professor at Valencia College in the Engineering, Computer Programming and Technology division. He also volunteers for several initiatives through ISC2, including president of the ISC2 Central Florida Chapter, a member of the North American Region Advisory Council and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Cyber Safety and Education.

Nikki Rutman has over 20 years of intelligence experience in the public and private sectors. Much of her US Intelligence Community (USIC) experience was with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where she built and grew intelligence programs as well as wrote and briefed intelligence products. She has previously worked for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as an Adviser on Terrorism to a Mission Manager and as a counterintelligence analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency.

She built the intelligence program at Moderna, a pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is now the Managing Partner for Global Intelligence & Investigations at Sentinel, a boutique security firm where she manages the in-house intelligence team. She holds two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Connecticut (Political Science and Latin American Studies) and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross. She has served as adjunct faculty at Nichols College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where she taught courses on transnational organized crime, domestic violent extremism, and co-created an Intelligence Analysis for Professionals course. In addition to her role on the board of the FBI Association of Intelligence Analysts, she is also on the Nichols College Graduate School Advisory Board.

Terrence is an experienced security professional with over two decades of protecting others through his versatile career. Having served in the U.S. Air Force, as a Parole Officer, Corrections Corporal, Deputy Court Marshal, and Manager of Court Security he has gained a unique skill set in combat training, weapons, special operations, and executive protection.

As a U.S. Air Force Police Officer, he was stationed at multiple Air Force bases throughout the United States serving roles as a Security Forces Team Leader and a Fire Team Leader.

Terrence was selected as a member of the security team for President Obama during a visit to Whiteman Air Force Base in Kansas City. He worked with the United States Secret Service to ensure no threats to the President.

At Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, he was part of a joint task force that targeted gang violence in the region. He also gained experience as a Fire Team Leader when he oversaw asset protection of the BS2 bomber, a special aircraft that carries nuclear bombs and weapons for missions.

Before his time in the U.S. Air Force, Terrence served the Kansas Department of Corrections in Leavenworth as a Certified Corrections Corporal and a Special Operations Response Team Sniper. He oversaw executive protection for judges at the Missouri Court of Appeals and conducted Bailiff duties at Family Court in Kansas City.

His hobbies include coaching basketball, cross country, mentoring youth, serving in church, and traveling.

Nick Podhradsky is the Executive Vice President at SBS CyberSecurity. Nick has spent the last 15 years working with banking leaders to identify and understand cybersecurity risk to make decisions that ultimately lower the impact and probability of a security breach. He also hosts a free webinar series called “Hacker Hour” which brings a community of bankers together every month to talk about common security issues. Nick has a master’s in educational technology, is a certified banking security professional, and is passionate about helping community banks and credit unions.

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