AI & Cybersecurity Forum

Douglas is a senior technology leader with more than four decades of experience in Information Technology, spanning digital solution delivery, enterprise platforms, and architecture across the healthcare and manufacturing sectors.

For the past 18 years, he has worked in Technology Operations within the Alaska 8(a) and financial services industries, leading large‑scale initiatives in reliability, scalability, and operational excellence. His work focuses on supporting complex, mission‑critical environments while strengthening the digital customer experience through improved system performance, availability, and responsiveness.

Since 2020, Douglas has led the development of an AIOps platform that leverages artificial intelligence to proactively detect and remediate issues, reduce operational risk, and deliver resilient, self‑healing digital services. Alongside this effort, he developed metrics that clearly connect AIOps capabilities to measurable business and operational outcomes, helping demonstrate the tangible value of self‑healing technologies. Douglas frequently shares these insights with industry groups and technology leaders, drawing on real‑world experience gained from deploying and operating AI‑driven IT operations.

His work has been recognized by Gartner, where he was named an AI Innovator, and by the Riverbed Technology AI Innovation Awards for advancing IT Operations through the practical adoption of AI.

Zach Rossmiller is the Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Information Technology at the University of Montana, where he also holds an appointment as Affiliate Associate Professor. He leads IT strategy and operations across UM’s affiliated campuses and is actively engaged in AI strategy, governance, and infrastructure at both the institutional and Montana University System level.

In 2024-2025, Rossmiller co-led the UM Future Project, which organizes the university’s AI strategy around four interconnected pillars: How We Teach, What We Teach, How Students Learn, and How We Work. His current work focuses on agentic AI governance, building practical frameworks for institutional AI adoption, and expanding AI literacy across rural and tribal communities in Montana. He is the founder of TRAIL (Technology, Real-world AI, and Learning), a free community AI workshop series, and is leading planning for the Montana AI Summit, a statewide conference designed to make AI accessible to everyday Montanans.

Jeremy Pierson, Director of Cybersecurity at CompuNet, brings over 25 years of experience across consulting, education, and enterprise security. He leads the development of cybersecurity services and partner strategy, helping organizations strengthen their security posture in an evolving threat landscape.

Jeremy’s background spans leadership roles in financial and education sectors, where he oversaw large-scale security, networking, and operations teams. A former SANS instructor and BlackHat network engineer, he combines deep technical expertise with a practical, business-driven approach.

Beyond his professional work, Jeremy is a cofounder of 801labs and creator of HackerCamp, reflecting his passion for community, innovation, and advancing cybersecurity knowledge.

John Costello is a technology leader with extensive experience helping organizations modernize and optimize their technology environments. With a background spanning enterprise architecture, cloud strategy, data solutions, and business applications, he specializes in aligning technology initiatives with business outcomes. John is passionate about solving complex business challenges and guiding organizations through digital transformation and innovation.

Sam McLane is the lead evangelist for all technical endeavors at Arctic Wolf, bringing over 25 years of security and product management experience to the team. Prior to joining Arctic Wolf, Sam led product management and other sales functions for Blue Coat Systems’ Cloud Security Services business. Before Blue Coat, Sam was a sales leader at Lucent Technologies, managing the system engineering team for the eastern US. Prior to Lucent, Sam was a networking consultant at KPMG and network manager at Temple University. Sam holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from Temple University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Washington and Lee University.

Alex Hostetter is the North America Prisma AIRS GTM Partnership Leader at Palo Alto Networks, specializing in securing artificial intelligence for the modern enterprise. He has over a decade of experience in cybersecurity, systems engineering, and business development for federal and commercial clients. Alex’s expertise also extends to his previous work with FedRAMP, where he served as a program manager and then later as a certified Third-Party Assessor for an international technology consulting firm. He holds a Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity Strategy & Information Management from The George Washington University, a Graduate Certificate in AI-Driven Leadership from Stanford University, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).