While the 11th Annual Cyber Security Summit (Oct 25-27) is still months away, we’ve already kicked off 2021 with big plans. Co-Chairs Jennifer Czaplewski (Target) and Wade Van Guilder (World Wide Technology) share a passion and a unique vision for this year’s Summit. Read on to learn how their predictions for the new year are shaping the 2021 Summit experience.

2020 taught us many things. One of the most important reminders I’ve had this past year is how much I value personal connection and the ability to have meaningful discussions with friends and colleagues. Connection can come in many forms, and in 2020 we learned how to make meaningful connections, even when being physically present wasn’t possible. For the 2021 Cyber Security Summit, I’m looking forward to partnering with Wade Van Guilder, Eileen Manning and the planning committee to create relevant learning opportunities that continue to build connections with security professionals in the Twin Cities and beyond. As quickly as the security landscape changes, meaningful connections with other security professionals through learning forums like the Cyber Security Summit are a great way to keep up.

There is no question that a new year brings new challenges for Cyber Security Professionals. The cyber market is growing at an incredible pace and our adversaries are becoming more advanced every day. As Co-Hosts of the 2021 Summit, Jennifer and I will pay close attention to developing challenges and will use them to inspire programming that highlights new trends and concepts while continuing to build upon old ones. Stepping away from typical daily activities and having the opportunity to share stories with so many great professionals is my favorite part of the Summit. We will do our best to ensure this year’s event provides the opportunity to learn new things and meet new people. We look forward to seeing everyone in the fall.


Jennifer Czaplewski is the Director of the Product Security team at Target and leads the security ninja program, the product intelligence team and application security testing. She has been a featured speaker at several security conferences including RSA, Cyber Security Summit, Evanta CISO Summit and All Day DevOps. Full bio

Wade Van Guilder is a seasoned technical leader with over 25 years of experience in the industry. As a Principal Advisor at World Wide Technology (WWT) for State & Local Government and Education (SLED), he is responsible for WWT’s Cyber Security strategy for SLED.  In this role he spends much of his time consulting with Sr. Technical and Business Leaders in the SLED Market. Full bio