DAY ONE 11:30 - 12:30PM MAIN SESSION THREE
A FORMER CONTRACT OFFICER'S PEEK INTO YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN
When it comes to DFARS clauses, NIST requirements, and CMMC levels all roads lead to the Contracting Officer. The problem is most defense contractors never speak with the contracting officer and most “KOs” have so much to juggle that the particulars of cybersecurity just don’t filter to the top. In this session you will hear directly from two former contracting officers about the realities of the KO world and what it means for granting CMMC waivers, exceptions to NIST requirements, and negotiating DFARS clauses out of contracts.
About the speakers
Lauren Ayers
Lauren Ayers is the Vice President of Defense and Intelligence for the Professional Services Council. In this role, she leads PSC’s policy, advocacy, and education efforts in areas related to the U.S. Department of Defense, the agencies of the Intelligence Community, and related organizations.
Prior to joining PSC in October 2022, Lauren was the Director of Program Analysis and Business Transformation for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Procurement) (DASN(P)), responsible for providing strategic advice and direction on over $300B of procurements across the FYDP. Before joining the Navy Secretariate, Lauren spent nearly 10 years in the Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) Shipbuilding Contracts Division, leading and directing contracts and procurement efforts for the Navy’s surface combatant platforms (i.e., DDG 51, DDG 1000, and LCS). During her tenure as a Contracting Officer with an unlimited warrant, Lauren provided strategic direction and execution of efforts on existing portfolios in excess of $40B, and the award of nearly $20B in new ship construction contracts.
Prior to joining NAVSEA in 2010, Lauren worked for the private investment firm of Bernstein Global Wealth Management in Seattle, Washington. As a Senior Associate with NASD Series 7 and 63 licenses, she led a diverse team in the management of a $3B high net worth client base while focusing on client engagement as well as financial projections and risk management analyses.
Lauren earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy as a Distinguished Graduate of the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. Lauren also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in Economics from James Madison University.
Michael Gruden
Michael G. Gruden is a counsel in Crowell & Moring's Washington, D.C. office, where he is a member of the firm’s Government Contracts and Privacy and Cybersecurity groups. He possesses real-world experience in the areas of federal procurement and data security, having worked as a Contracting Officer at both the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Information Technology, Research & Development, and Security sectors for nearly 15 years. Michael is a Certified Information Privacy Professional with a U.S. government concentration (CIPP/G). He is also a Registered Practitioner under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework. Michael serves as co-chair of the ABA Science & Technology Section's Homeland Security Committee.
Jacob Horne
Jacob Horne is Chief Cybersecurity Evangelist at Summit 7. As a former NSA intelligence analyst and U.S. Navy cryptologic technician, Jacob has over 14 years of experience in offensive and defensive cybersecurity operations. As a civilian he has led Governance, Risk, and Compliance teams at AT&T, Northrop Grumman, and the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership. He has developed and taught numerous cybersecurity training programs for the NSA National Cryptologic School, UCLA, UC Irvine, and more.
Jacob has a master’s degree in cybersecurity risk and strategy from the NYU School of Law and is an MBA graduate at the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. Jacob is a CMMC Provisional Instructor, CISSP and CDPSE.