SheLeadsTech – Celebrating Women in Technology

March 20

The conference will be held on March 20, 2025 from
8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Add this event to your calendar using the Add to Calendar link at the bottom of the page.

Virtual Event

The conference will be held using Zoom.

Prior to the event, participants must install the Zoom app on their respective devices. Participants using the web-based Zoom or calling via the phone may not be entitled to CPE credits.

GWDC Member Fee – $10

The fee for GWDC Members is $10 for the conference.
The fee for all other registrants is $30 for the conference.

To become a member and take advantage of the member rate for our events, among other benefits, join ISACA and select the Greater Washington D.C. Chapter as your local chapter.

Earn up to 4 CPEs

Attendees can earn up to 4 CPEs for this event.

Participants must respond to all the poll questions via the Zoom polling feature or chat log in order to receive NASBA CPE credits. The GWDC will not be responsible for the participant’s inability to respond to the polls.

Accelerate Your Tech Mastery: Leveraging Generative AI to Empower Women in STEM

Presenter: Sujatha Dantuluri (AWS)

In the rapidly evolving technology industry, the pace of change and the emergence of transformative innovations, such as generative AI, have created a pressing need for continuous upskilling and reskilling. This is especially true for women in STEM fields, who often face unique challenges in accessing the resources and support necessary to keep their skills sharp and stay ahead of the curve.

This session will explore how women in tech can leverage the capabilities of Amazon Bedrock, a comprehensive generative AI platform, to accelerate their technical upskilling and drive innovation. Through interactive demonstrations and real-world case studies, attendees will learn how to leverage Bedrock’s advanced language models, multimodal capabilities, and customization features to tackle complex challenges, automate repetitive tasks, and unlock new levels of creativity and problem-solving.

The Power of Partnerships

Presenter: Marcelle Lee (Equinix)

In my role as lead for cyber threat research at Equinix, I am responsible for intelligence sharing partnerships. In this talk, I will discuss how to establish, maintain, and grow these crucial relationships. I will also share practical tips on starting an intelligence sharing program and highlight some success stories that demonstrate the value of collaboration in enhancing cybersecurity.

Fireside Chat – Leadership & Talent Development: Breaking Barriers and Building Future-Ready Skills

Presenters: Emily Lewis Pinnell (Tential Solutions) and Sushila Nair (Cybernetic) and Avneet Sabharwal (GWDC Programs Director)

Join us for an engaging fireside chat as part of the ISACA Greater Washington DC SheLeadsTech initiative, where we will explore the evolving landscape of leadership and talent development. In an era of rapid technological advancements, organizations are seeking professionals who can blend technical expertise with strategic leadership, risk management, and business acumen.

This conversation will delve into the most in-demand skills in cybersecurity and IT governance, from cloud security and AI risk management to regulatory compliance and zero-trust architectures. We’ll discuss practical strategies for upskilling, career progression, and overcoming the ‘pink ceiling’—the invisible barriers that often hinder women from reaching leadership roles.

Through real-world insights and success stories, our speakers will address mentorship, executive presence, and building influence. Whether you are an emerging leader or an experienced professional looking to advance, this session will provide actionable strategies to help you future-proof your career, navigate workplace challenges, and step into leadership with confidence.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain industry insights, and be part of the conversation shaping the future of leadership in IT audit and cybersecurity.

Pioneering Change Through Bold Innovation

Presenter: Gurmeet Kaur (Agilious)

The United Nations finds that in 2022, only 17% of inventors holding international patents were women, while 83% were men. To achieve innovation and progress, it’s necessary to challenge the status quo, think outside the box, and break established rules.

Join our speaker, Gurmeet Kaur, as she walks us through how to navigate barriers, believe in your idea even when facing challenges, and persevere against the bias that holds us back.

Sujatha Dantuluri
Senior Solutions Architect on the US Federal Civilian team @ AWS

Sujatha Dantuluri is a Senior Solutions Architect on the US Federal Civilian team at AWS. With over 20 years of experience supporting both commercial and government customers, she is a trusted advisor in building and architecting mission-critical solutions. An active public speaker, Sujatha also contributes to IEEE standards. Additionally, she serves as a mentor for women in within and outside the AWS. Sujatha is an active participant in initiatives that enable and empower women in the industry.

Marcelle Lee
Principal Information Security Engineer | Team Lead, Cyber Threat Research @ Equinix

Marcelle is a principal information security engineer at Equinix, the world’s largest digital infrastructure company, where she oversees the cyber threat research team. She has more than ten years of experience in cybersecurity, specializing in cyber threat analysis, research, and reporting, identification of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), campaign tracking, threat hunting, network traffic analysis, intrusion analysis, digital forensics, malware analysis, and technical writing. Before embarking on her cyber career, Marcelle had years of experience leading operations and projects for a variety of organizations.

Marcelle is also a passionate educator and a published author, teaching digital forensics and cybersecurity courses at University of Maryland. She is a recognized community leader, presenting technical talks and training, providing mentoring, and volunteering on numerous boards and committees. She is driven by the mission of advancing and empowering people in the field of cybersecurity.

If you are looking for a key for a CTF challenge it is “diversity.”

Emily Lewis Pinnell
Senior Vice President, Professional Services @ Tential Solutions

I have worked with hundreds of customers in managing Data, Cloud and AI initiatives. In building innovative professional services teams, I focus on the pairing technical expertise with a focus on the impact to people and process.

I love building and making a tangible impact. With a focus on strategic growth, I’ve achieved significant success in delivering compelling and tangible results. I am demonstrably committed to optimizing organizational systems, performance—and the bottom line.

I effectively lead and empower top-performing global teams. With excellent communication and interpersonal skills, I easily build productive relationships with diverse groups of key stakeholders, shareholders, clients, and colleagues at all levels.

Sushila Nair
CEO of Cybernetic LLC
CISSP, GIAC GSTRT, GSNA GDSA, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CDPSE, CCSK, CCAK

Sushila Nair is the CEO of Cybernetic LLC and former Vice President of Capgemini’s North American Cybersecurity practice, where she played a crucial role in driving secure digital transformation on a global scale. With over 30 years of experience in computing infrastructure, business, and security risk analysis, Sushila has established herself as a leading authority in the cybersecurity domain. Her career highlights include serving as Vice President responsible for global security offers at NTT DATA Services, a decade of leading her own IT and cybersecurity company across major UK cities, and serving as a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and trusted advisor to boards, where she honed her expertise in protecting organizations from evolving digital threats. Recognized through the top cybersecurity leader award by Security Magazine, Sushila’s influence in the industry is undeniable.

An esteemed thought leader, Sushila has shared her insights on prestigious platforms such as RSA Conference and ISACA’s global events. Her active participation in ISACA’s global emerging trends working group and her leadership as President of ISACA’s Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter underscore her dedication to advancing the field of cybersecurity. In 2024, her commitment to nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and promoting diversity in the industry was honored with the prestigious ISACA Technology for Humanity Award.

Avneet Sabharwal
IT Audit Manager and GWDC Programs Director
CISA, CMMC-AB Registered Practioner

Avneet Sabharwal is an experienced IT Auditor with nearly a decade of expertise across various industries, including consulting, finance, and telecommunications. She has worked extensively on SOX, SOC 1, and FSA audits. In her current role, Avneet is an Internal Audit Manager at a financial planning firm, focusing on information systems and data analytics.

Avneet holds a Master’s degree in Information Systems and Technology and an MBA from the George Washington School of Business. She is also certified as a CISA and a CMMC-AB Registered Practitioner.

In addition to her professional role, Avneet serves as the Director of Virtual Conferences on the ISACA GWDC chapter Board, where she is responsible for planning, organizing, and hosting monthly conferences.

In her free time, Avneet enjoys traveling and exploring new places with her family, reading thriller novels, and, recently, delving into the art of prompting.

Gurmeet Kaur
Chief Product & Experience Officer @ Agilious

Gurmeet is a product and design leader with passion for designing and delivering extraordinary user experiences. Gurmeet’s expertise is in driving user engagement by planning, designing and delivering digital products that meet end user needs. She brings 25+ years of experience leading successful transformations across the private and non-profit sectors. Gurmeet is building Agilous’s strategy and design practices to ensure all applications and products we build are based on customer data and deliver clear value to the enterprise (private or public sector) and their end users.

Gurmeet joined Agilious from Capital One, where she built a Developer Experience team from the ground up and delivered the long term vision for Capital One Developer Experience. Gurmeet has led the product transformation at AARP’s for-profit sector and doubled member engagement on the benefits’ app. In her tenure at Marriott she served as the digital lead for all acquisitions, successfully integrating multiple brands into the digital Marriott platforms, including The Ritz-Carlton, Starwood, Gaylord, MOXY, Atlantis, Protea, and AC hotels.

Gurmeet is a Gallup certified coach with deep expertise in building high-performing teams by leveraging collective skills, diverse perspectives, and complementary expertise. She is also the published author of Empathy & Arrogance: The Paradox of Digital Products, a compilation of lessons learned over two decades of building digital products.