Important Lunch Arrangements Notice:
Due to limited space, we will be hosting an open lunch from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. during the SparkCon event. Please plan your lunch schedule accordingly and feel free to grab a bite at your convenience during this time.
Please note that presentations will continue as scheduled in the main auditorium, and it is strictly prohibited to bring food into the auditorium. We kindly request that you respect this rule to ensure a comfortable and distraction-free experience for all attendees.
Time | Event | Location / Room |
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch | Lunch will be served in the Main Atrium. |
SparkCon Event Agenda:
Note: Links to the remaining presentation abstracts are coming soon.
| Time | Session | Speaker(s) | Location |
| 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Check-in, Registration and Welcome Coffee | Main Atrium | |
| 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Exhibitor Booths | Follow signage in Sam Walton Hall for the Expo Booths | |
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:12 a.m. | Opening Remarks and Conference Overview | Welcome video from Suresh Kumar, Global Chief Technology and Development Officer and introduction from Jerry Geisler, EVP Global Chief Information Security Officer, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 9:12 a.m. - 9:59 a.m. | Fireside Chat: Mapping the Path to Success in Cybersecurity: Insights, Lessons, and the Role of Mentorship | Jerry Geisler, Walmart and Rinki Sethi, CSO, Upwind Security | Main Auditorium |
| 9:59 a.m. - 10:46 a.m. | Panel Discussion: Skimming the Surface: A Collaborative Approach to the Fight Against Payment Card Fraud | Dr. Shinelle Hutchinson, Qui Le, Wayne Murphy, Axel Lester, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 10:46 a.m. - 11:13 a.m. | Fireside Chat: Stronger Together: Uniting Retail Cybersecurity in a Competitive World | Jerry Geisler and Andrea Shoppach, Walmart with Jodie Kautt, Target | Main Auditorium |
| 11:13 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Presentation: Navigating a Quantum Safe Future | Lory Piccirilli Thorpe, Senior Strategy Advisor, IBM | Main Auditorium |
| 12:00 p.m. - 12:27 p.m. | Presentation: A Retailer’s Motley Crue: Transforming Cyber Deception Practitioners with Simulation and Reflection | Tim Pappa, Incident Response Engineer, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 12:27 p.m. - 12:54 p.m. | Presentation: Identity in the Uncertain World of AI | Melissa Cronquist, Principal Systems and Infrastructure Engineer, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 12:54 p.m. - 1:24 p.m. | Presentation: Cybersecurity One-Liners: Laugh, Learn, and Lock It Down | Dr. Jesper Johansson, Fellow, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 1:24 p.m. - 1:51 p.m. | Presentation: From Overwhelmed to Optimized: Transforming a SOC to Deliver Real Security Impact | Jason O’Dell, Global Vice President of Security Operations, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 1:51 p.m. - 2:38 p.m. | Presentation: How to Begin a Practical Zero Trust Strategy | Steve Riley, VP and Field CTO for Netskope, Inc. | Main Auditorium |
| 2:38 p.m. - 3:05 p.m. | Presentation: The Zen of Secure Computing | Matthew Moses, Red Team Operator, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 3:05 p.m. - 3:55 p.m. | Presentation: How does AI and Quantum Impact Cyber Threats and Defenses | Roger Grimes, CISO Advisor, KnowBe4 | Main Auditorium |
| 3:55 p.m. - 4:22 p.m. | Panel Discussion: Modern Offensive Security | Skylar Simmons, Amelia Heaton, Alex Flores, Rishitha Reddy Munugala, Walmart, and Stanko Jankovic, External Security Researcher | Main Auditorium |
| 4:22 p.m. - 4:49 p.m. | Presentation: The People-Led, AI-Powered Security Operations Center | Dr. Alycia N. Carey, Dr. Joshua Reynolds, and Dr. Chris Fennell, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 4:49 p.m. - 4:59 p.m. | Closing Remarks, Drawing Prizes Announced, and After Party Announcement | Donnie Dean, Lori Buresh, Emcees, Walmart | Main Auditorium |
| 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | After Party | Bike Rack Brewery, Bentonville, AR |
Reserve Presentations
Session | Speaker / Facilitator |
Presentation: The Intersection of Business Culture and Cybersecurity: Lessons from Sam Walton | Rick Ault, Distinguised Risk Expert, Walmart |
Presentation: Rebooting Your AI Mindset | Zach Roth, Senior Risk Expert, Walmart |
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