About us
Welcome to the Cybersecurity Innovation Forum Meetup Group organized by the Center for Assurance Research & Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing and the School of Business, George Mason University.
The Cybersecurity Innovation Forum Series is generously supported by Accenture.
Our meetups are held several times a year and feature a series of 15-minute presentations by cybersecurity experts and technology innovators followed by a panel discussion and questions. The focus of the meetings is on cybersecurity innovation including innovation rationale and motivation, technology, metrics and lessons learned.
Upcoming events
1
Third Annual Financial Services Symposium: Innovation, Regulation, Risk 2026
·OnlineOnlinePlease RSVP here and in Meetup
Third Annual Financial Services Symposium: Innovation, Regulation and Risk in 2026
Thursday, March 19th
8:30am -- 5:30pm ET
Arlington, VA
In Person and OnlineOVERVIEW
Join George Mason University’s (GMU) Center for Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience (CRC), the Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE), the Donald G. Costello College of Business, the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center, and the Women in Housing and Finance (WHF) on March 19th in Arlington, Virginia and online / hybrid for the Third Annual Financial Services Symposium: Innovation, Regulation and Risk in 2026.
21st Century markets are increasingly challenging an aging system of financial oversight created nearly 100 years ago. Whether it is the speed at which money now moves, the explosion of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, the impact of artificial intelligence, or decades-old agency overlaps that impact efficiency and effectiveness of regulation, the system needs modernization if it is to prevent major financial crises in the future.
Schedule
Co-Chairs:
Dr. Jean-Pierre Auffret
Co-Director, Center of Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience (CRC), George Mason University
Director, Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE), College of Engineering & Computing, George Mason
Director, Research Partnerships, Donald G. Costello College of Business, George MasonThomas Vartanian
Executive Director of the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center
Author, 200 Years of American Financial Panics; The Unhackable InternetRobert Ledig
Managing Director of the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity CenterHeidi S. Wicker
Partner, Stinson LLP
President, Women in Housing and Finance8:30 – 8:40 a.m. Welcome and Overview
8:40 – 9:10 a.m. Breakfast Fireside Chat: Mortgages, Madoff and Other Financial Disasters
Thomas Vartanian
Stephen Harbeck
Former President and CEO, Securities Investors Protection Corporation9:10 – 10:00 a.m.
PANEL 1 – Is Bank Regulation Antiquated and How Do We Remake It in The Digital Age?
Richard Alexander
Of Counsel, Arnold & Porter, former Managing Partner & Chair
John Court
EVP & General Counsel, Bank Policy Institute
Margaret Tahyar
Partner and Head of Financial Institutions, Davis Polk10:00 – 10:20 a.m. In Person Exclusive: Faculty/Audience Donut Networking Break
10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
PANEL 2 – How & When Should Consumer Protection Regulation Be Reconstructed?
Brad Blower
Principal, Inclusive-Partners LLC
Kelvin Chen
Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Policy, Consumer Bankers Association
Adam Rust
Director of Financial Services, Consumer Federation of America11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
PANEL 3 – Reimagining Financial Stability Regulation, Deposit Insurance & Central Banking in a Digital World
Alex Pollock
Senior Fellow, Mises Institute
Author, Finance and Philosophy – Why We’re Always Surprised; Surprised Again! – The Covid Crisis and the New Market Bubble
Paolo Saguato
Professor of Law, GMU Scalia Law School, Executive Director of the Program on Financial Markets
Richard Wald
Vice Chairman, Emigrant Bank12:20 – 1:30 p.m. Buffet Lunch
12:45 – 1:25 p.m. Fireside Chat: The Future of Financial Regulation
Thomas Vartanian
Jelena McWilliams
President, Corporate and External Affairs, Plaid; former Chairman FDIC
Randal Quarles
Chairman, Cynosure Group; former Vice Chair for Supervision, Federal Reserve Board1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
PANEL 4 – How Stablecoins, Cryptocurrency, Tokenized Deposits Will Change Markets and Banking
Coy Garrison
Deputy General Counsel, Crypto, Robinhood
Rick Geloff
Chief Innovation Officer, Bank of North Dakota
Sarah Jane Hughes
University Scholar and Fellow in Commercial Law
Maurer School of Law, Indiana University
Amy Ledig
Vice President, Safety and Soundness Regulatory Counsel
Independent Community Bankers of America
Peter Wayner
Technology Consultant, Journalist, Author, Disappearing Crypotography2:45 – 3:00 p.m. In Person Exclusive: Faculty/Audience Donut Networking Break
3:00 – 4:05 p.m.
PANEL 5 – FinTechs, Trust Charters, Skinny Master Accounts – Fads or the Future?
Michele Alt
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Klaros Group
Angelena Bradfield
Head of Policy, Financial Technology Association
Caitlin Long
Founder & CEO, Custodia Bank
Ian Moloney
Chief Policy Officer, American Fintech Council4:05 – 5:20 p.m.
PANEL 6 – The Evolving Financial Services Ecosystem: How AI, Quantum Computing & Cybercrime Will Impact How We Regulate
John Carlson
Senior Vice President, Cybersecurity Regulation and Resilience, American Bankers Association
Michael Hsu
Venture Partner, Core Innovation; former Acting Comptroller of the Currency
Margaret Paulsen
Senior Legal Group Manager, Markets, Data & Technology, Citi
Brian Peretti
Advisory Board Member, Billington CyberSecurity; former Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Treasury
Gary Rinkerman
Honorary Professor of US Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary University School of Law, London; Partner, Pierson Ferdinand LLP5:20 – 5:30 p.m. Closing Audience Comments
ABOUT US
George Mason’s Center of Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience (CRC) was founded in November 2023. The Center of Excellence serves as a strategic partner in federal, state and local government cybersecurity and IT modernization efforts. CRC translates state-of-the-art research into practice, provides executive education and convenes workshops and conferences on current government cybersecurity and IT modernization challenges, disseminates best practices, and fosters cybersecurity and IT modernization organizational capacity within federal, state and local governments. For more information, please visit crc.gmu.edu
The College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University hosts the Center for Assurance Research & Engineering (CARE). CARE’s multidisciplinary approach to cybersecurity encompasses the fields of technology, policy, business and leadership. Through partnerships with government and private industry, innovative research is translated into practices and policies used in real-world settings. Research includes security for distributed systems, mobile apps/devices, industrial control systems, and new technologies such as networked medical devices, as well as policies development for securing critical infrastructure and guidance for cybersecurity leadership/governance. For more information, please visit care.gmu.edu
The Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University is one of the largest business schools in Virginia, and is located near Washington, D.C., in Arlington and Fairfax, and at George Mason’s global campus in Incheon, South Korea. The college’s AACSB-accredited business and accounting curricula prepare undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe for career success in business and government. Its research-based faculty and focus on multi-disciplinary academic programs, inclusive entrepreneurship, modular education, experiential learning, and corporate partner engagement are transforming the landscape of business education and workforce development. Learn more at business.gmu.edu
The Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center® is a non-profit organization that brings together financial services professionals, regulators, trade association representatives, consumer group representatives, counsel and advisors to discuss, debate, and advocate in regard to financial technology and cybersecurity issues and their regulation. It is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information about the Center and to sign up to hear about future events and projects visit fintsc.org
Women in Housing & Finance: For over 40 years, WHF has been a premier, non-partisan association of women and men in Washington, D.C. which actively promotes its members in the fields of housing and financial services while retaining a focus on its women members. WHF presents topical and timely programs, offering opportunities for members to engage with a wide range of public policymakers and private sector leaders, as well as professional development and leadership enrichment opportunities. Learn more at whfdc.org
5 attendees
Past events
73
