Protecting Utilities Lunch at ISC East: Building Resilience
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 p.m. (EST)
ISC East, Javits Center, Room 1A21/1A22, New York City
About the Event
Join us at ISC East for the Protecting Utilities Lunch hosted by the SIA Utilities Advisory Board! This luncheon will bring together utility leaders, cybersecurity experts, technology providers, and security professionals to discuss the growing cyber and physical security challenges facing the water and wastewater sector. Speakers will examine the current threat environment, where physical and cyber risks converge and what’s realistically achievable for resource-constrained utilities. The challenges facing water utilities today offer a preview of the vulnerabilities other critical infrastructure sectors may face tomorrow.
Through a panel discussion followed by facilitated, table-based conversations, participants will learn about how utilities can collaborate, strengthen resilience before and after incidents and access the resources, technologies and support needed to respond effectively when risks converge. The event will be followed by a post-event report produced by SIA, the Utilities Advisory Board, and event sponsors.
Space is limited at this free event to learn more about securing this vital sector!
Sponsors:
Moderator:
Michael Darling
Founder
Solstice Security
Michael Darling is the founder and principal consultant at Solstice Security, where he provides fractional chief information security officer services and helps high-confidentiality industries like defense, legal and financial services build strong security programs and navigate their compliance challenges. Darling has spent 25+ years building security programs that actually work. He led the ground-up development of a cybersecurity program at one of the largest law firms in the country and helped shape national cyber policy at the White House budget office and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. A retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel and combat veteran, he served in infantry, physical security, IT and cybersecurity roles. Darling is passionate about closing the gap between what security frameworks promise on paper and actual security outcomes.
Panelists:
Brooke Bastin
Integration Solutions Specialist
ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions
Brooke Bastin has a diverse background in the security industry with roles in integration, software development and hardware development. He has focused on several verticals including utilities, oil and gas, education, multidwelling units and corporate office. Bastin's knowledge of mechanical and electrified hardware along with his understanding of multiple software platforms allows him to be a “technology interpreter" for owners, developers, operators, consultants, distributors and integrators.
R.S. Richard, Jr.
Cybersecurity Advisor, Region 2
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
R. S. Richard, Jr., is the chief of cybersecurity with the Region 2 of CISA, located in New York City Richard is a native Long Islander who served in the U.S. Navy from 1983 to 2003. After honorably retiring from the Navy in 2003 as a data systems technician chief petty Officer, he and his family moved to Chesapeake, Virginia, where he worked at the Naval Network Warfare Command (NAVNETWARCOM) as a senior cyber security engineer managing a team cyber security analysts and engineers which was responsible for the certification and accreditation of all Navy systems and networks. Richard was then the information systems security manager with Northrop Grumman Corporation in Bethpage, New York, where he directly supervised all facility information system security officers and was responsible for managing the IT governance and cyber security compliance of 1,200+ computers that processed secret and top secret information including SIPRNET and the Secret Defense Research and Engineering Network systems. Desirous to return to service to country, in 2016 Richard transitioned to CISA, where he currently serves as the chief of cybersecurity for CISA Region II.
Facilitators:
Vince Ricco
Senior Global Alliances Manager
Wasabi Technologies
Vince Ricco is a seasoned alliance manager and subject matter expert with more than 20 years of experience in safety, security, computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence markets. He has worked at leading technology companies including Wasabi Technologies, Axis Communications, Dell Technologies and Johnson Controls. Vince also actively collaborates with industry associations such as the Security Industry Association, ASIS International and the National Retail Federation. Outside of work, Ricco enjoys snow skiing, cooking, spending time with pets and being with family.
Betsy Soehren-Jones
Partner and Utilities Practice Lead for AI, Cyber and Data
West Monroe Energy
Betsy Soehren-Jones is a cybersecurity and artificial intelligence leader with over two decades of experience securing critical infrastructure. She is the founder and volunteer executive director of the Critical Infrastructure Security Consortium, a 100-member nonprofit that advances collaboration across utilities and related organizations to shore up cyber and supply chain resilience. Previously, Soehren-Jones was chief operating officer at Fortress Information Security, where she managed daily operations for the Critical Infrastructure Sector’s Center of Excellence for Supply Chain Security and worked with clients to design and implement enterprisewide cybersecurity programs. She spent nearly 20 years with Exelon and its ComEd subsidiary, including leadership roles responsible for cybersecurity strategy and governance. Soehren-Jones holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in public policy administration from Northwestern University.
Joey St. Jacques
Chair
SIA Utilities Advisory Board
Joey St. Jacques' career spans many years in the critical infrastructure sector, where he has established himself as a seasoned security practitioner. His professional journey reflects exceptional leadership in creating and advancing physical and cybersecurity roadmaps, programs and initiatives across North America and internationally. In a previous role as global director, St. Jacques wore multiple hats, driving strategic growth initiatives while supporting security practitioners in protecting their infrastructure with proven solutions. He currently serves as chair of the Security Industry Association (SIA) Utilities Advisory Board. In his current role, he focuses on the integration side of critical infrastructure security for government, national defense, utilities, embassies, health care and transportation sectors. Throughout his career, St. Jacques has built a 360-degree perspective on security—as an end user, product developer, integrator, consultant and sales professional—giving him a rare vantage point on the challenges facing practitioners across the industry.
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