GWDC Board of Directors
Chapter Board Positions
The ISACA® Greater Washington D.C. (GWDC) Chapter Board of Directors is comprised of Officers and Directors and supported by Associate Directors and volunteers. The Chapter Board positions and responsibilities are outlined in the Chapter Bylaws.
- Officers: Officer positions are established by the Chapter Bylaws and are elected every two years by the Chapter Membership. Officers provide strategic direction of oversight of chapter operations and finances. Officers are voting members of the Chapter Board.
- Directors: Directors oversee the operation and strategic direction of their committee. Article VIII of the Chapter Bylaws describes Chapter Committees and Director Responsibilities. Directors are appointed by the Chapter Board. Directors are voting members of the Chapter Board.
- Associate Directors: Associate Directors oversee and manage specific areas of operation within a Committee. Associate Directors are appointed by their Committee Director.
- Volunteers: Volunteers assist the Chapter Board and its Committees. Volunteers are assigned to a specific committee for specific tasks based on their interests and availability. Assignments are overseen by the Membership Director and the Volunteer Associate Director. Members that would like to volunteer should visit the Volunteer page for additional information.
Board of Directors Term and Elections
The Chapter Officers are elected by the GWDC Membership and serve a two-year term. Elections are held prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Officers are installed at the AGM. Directors are appointed by the President and approved by the Board. Elections occur in even numbered years.
Current Officers
Jermaine is the current Chapter President. He previously served as Vice President and Outreach Director.
Jermaine is a Cybersecurity, Information Technology (IT), and Risk Advisory leader with more than 25 years of experience working with Financial Services, Technology, Insurance, Non-Profit, and Government organizations. He is a thought leader in the industry, having advised clients on complex IT Audit and Cybersecurity matters.
Jermaine is also a Board member for ISACA Global’s One in Tech Foundation who’s vision is to provide opportunity for under-represented individuals to enter security professions and support the advancement of untapped talent into leadership positions.
Sushila Nair
Vice President
CISSP, GIAC GSTRT, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CDPSE, CCSK, CCAK
Sushila is the current Chapter Vice President. She previously served as Marketing Director for the GWDC. Sushila has also taught several review courses for the chapter, including the CET and CCAK review courses.
Sushila Nair is Capgemini’s Vice President, North American Cybersecurity practice. Capgemini is a global leader in providing secure digital transformation for our clients. Sushila has most recently served as the Vice President for cybersecurity offers at NTT Data Services and has held the role of a CISO for 10 years. Sushila has over 30 years of experience in computing infrastructure, business and security risk analysis, preventing credit card fraud, and served as a legal expert witness. Sushila has been featured in global technical events including RSA, Segurinfo and ISACA’s global conferences, co-authored books and is regularly quoted in the press. She plays an active role in supporting best practices and skills development within the cybersecurity community through her work with ISACA and CSA.
Sushila is part of the ISACA global emerging trends working group. Sushila Nair was named by IT Security Guru as one of the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber 2022!
Having been an ISACA GWDC member since 2007, Katherine Scott began her work with the Board as scribe in 2014. Katherine has served as chapter Secretary since July 2020 and records Board meeting minutes and maintains chapter compliance and records. Katherine participated in ten chapter strategy sessions.
Katherine served as Director of Membership from July 2016 to June 2000. She focused on the retention and growth of chapter membership, coordinated social events and organized volunteers for the chapter.
Katherine supports the Board and other directorates. She co-hosted the Women in Technology conference for two years, helped at Academics events, supported CPE issuance, and wrote newsletter articles. She wrote a chapter roles and responsibilities document, reviewed Board SOPs, and led the chapter bylaw review. She has attended ISACA’s Global Leadership Conference three times, served on a task force with ISACA Global to define the role that ISACA plays in helping students get into IT, and participated in ISACA’s Day on the Hill in 2023.
Mickey is the current Chapter Treasuer. Mickey is a longtime member of the GWDC and has served two terms as Treasuer. As Treasurer, Mickey has been instrumental in improving chapter financial operations, including improvements to processes for budgeting and payment processing
Alok Kakker
Immediate Past President
Alok has served the GWDC for many years and in many positions. Prior to Past President, Alok served as Chapter President and Vice President. He also served as Programs Director, where he managed and hosted numerous chapter’s conferences.
Committee Directors and Associate Directors
Academics
Ruchi Shewaramani, Director
Nicole Flanagan, Associate Director for University Outreach
Kavian Soufi, Associate Director for University Student Group (GMU)
Audit
Anthony Avens, Director
Linda Rookard, Associate Director for Audit
Certifications
Clifton Persaud, Director
Ahmed Ahmed, Associate Director for Certifications (CISA, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT)
Communications
Samantha Lee, Director
Juan Congote, Associate Director for Publications
Conferences and Panels
Avneet Sabharwal, Director
Information Technology
Troy McNeil, Director
Mike Howard, Associate Director for Web Development
Jason Yakencheck, Associate Director for Cvent Administration
Marketing
Nirali Chawla, Director
MBA, CISA, CISSP, CRISC, CAP, IAM, ITIL v3 Foundations, HBSS, Six Sigma Green Belt
Nirali Shah Chawla is a Managing Director and the Federal Technology Risk leader in KPMG’s Federal Advisory practice. She has more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale modernization and transformation projects to private and public sector clients including financial and information technology audit readiness services, information assurance and Cyber security services, Identity, Credential and Access Management (ICAM) services, Governance, Risk & Compliance implementations and programs, Risk Management Framework/Financial Management Overlay services, Cloud Computing and transformation consulting services. Ms. Chawla currently leads some of the largest federal agencies at the brink of transformational change and growth, leveraging her knowledge of existing and emerging technologies to uncover IT opportunities for business process and internal controls improvements. Ms. Chawla is the co-author of NIST Special Publication 800-137, Information Security Continuous Monitoring (ISCM) for Federal Information Systems and Organizations.
Ms. Chawla sits on the ISACA GWDC Board of Directors, AFCEA Scholarships Education Committee Chair, Member of Cyber Council for INSA and is a member of the following organizations: ASMC, NAASA and Women in Technology (WIT). She was a finalist for the 2023 WIT Leadership Award within the Washington, DC Corporate Large-Market Sector.
Membership
Steffany Hurtarte, Director
Magali Velazquez, Associate Director for CPE Management
Camilo Deza, Associate Director for Registration
Outreach and Professional Development
Adnan Sijercic, Director
Manisha Gosh, Associate Director for Business Outreacch
Yea Jin Cho, Associate Director for Young Professionals
Public Relations and Media
Simon Merchant-Dest, Director
Special Events
Marvin Muhumuza, Director
Yehuda Schmidt, Associate Director for Annual General Meeting
Sarah Abedin, Associate Director for SheLeadsTech