Cast - Midnight in the War Room

Documentary Cast

Heath AdamsCyber Influencer, Founder, TCM

Dr. Mary Aiken, World-Renowned Professor and Cyberpsychologist

Dr. Mary AikenWorld-Renowned Professor and Cyberpsychologist

Marene AllisonFormer CISO, Johnson and Johnson

Krista ArndtCISO, St Luke’s University Health Network

Don BahamCISO, Rubicon Founders

Janette BarettoHead of Cybersecurity, global automotive parts company

Alan BerryCISO, Centene

Bill BowmanOperating Partner, CISO, WCAS

Roger BrotzCISO, Acadia Healthcare

Grace CassyCo-Founder, CyLon

Heather Costa, Director of Technology Resilience, Mayo Clinic

Heather CostaDirector of Technology Resilience, Mayo Clinic

Anne CoulombeFormer CISO, Werfen

Chase CunninghamThought Leader, Author, Cyber Warfare Expert

Mike CypertFormer City Manager, Hale Center, TX

Chaunda Dallas, Former RN, now Security Advisor

Chaunda DallasSecurity Advisor, Former RN

James DoggettCISO, Semperis

Juman Doleh-AlomaryCISO, American automotive and e-mobility supplier

Jen Easterly, Former CISA Director

Jen EasterlyFormer Director, CISA

Todd FlorenceCIO/CISO, Estes Express

Elliott FranklinCISO, Fortitude RE

Sarah GoslerHead of Cyber Human Defense

Ron GreenFormer CISO, Mastercard

Parrish GunnelsCISO, MVB Financial

John Hammond, Researcher, Cyber Influencer

John HammondResearcher, Cyber Influencer

Steve HillFormer Group CISO, one of the leading banks in the world

Simon Hodgkinson, Former CISO, BP

Simon HodgkinsonFormer CISO, BP

Bryan HurdFormer Dir of Intel for Microsoft’s Cybercrime Unit

Marcus Hutchins, WannaCry Hero

Marcus HutchinsWannaCry Hero

Greg HydroCISO, Pilot Flying

Chris Inglis, First National Cyber Director

Chris InglisFormer National Cyber Director

Clara KaluderovicFounder, Mental Help Global

Philip KeiblerCISO and VP, major Midwestern grocery chain

Jesse McGrawFormer Hacker

Valmiki MukherjeeFounder, Cyber Future Foundation

David Petraeus, Former CIA Director

General (Ret.) David PetraeusFormer Director, CIA

Buster Poling, City Manager, Lockney, TX

Buster PolingFormer City Manager, Lockney, TX

Dwayne ReachySherriff, Hale Center, TX

Jason RebholzFormer CISO, Corvus Insurance

Richard RushingCISO, Motorola Mobility

Caitlin Sarian, Cyber Influencer

Caitlin SarianCybersecurity Girl

David SchwedFormer CISO, Brokerage & Money for Robinhood

Rob Shapland, Director and Ethical Hacker at Cyonic

Rob ShaplandDirector and Ethical Hacker, Cyonic

Richard StiennonAnalyst, Writer, Cyber Expert

Eric Taylor, Former Hacker

Eric TaylorFormer Hacker

Joe TidyCybersecurity Correspondent, BBC

Dr. David VenableCISO, Group Founder

Alex WeinertFormer VP of Identity Security, Microsoft

Action Partners

World Premiere of Midnight in the War Room to be Hosted at Black Hat Vegas

August 5, 2026

Press Release

Elliott Franklin

CISO, Fortitude RE

Elliott Franklin is a seasoned cybersecurity and IT leader currently serving as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Fortitude Re, where he oversees cybersecurity strategy, compliance, risk management, and business continuity while aligning security initiatives with organizational objectives. With over 20 years of experience, he has previously held senior leadership positions including Director of IT Security and Infrastructure (CISO) at ServiceMaster, Vice President of IT Governance & Security at Loews Hotels, CISO at OmniCommander, and CISO-level roles at Omni Hotels, Essilor of America, Whataburger, Methodist Healthcare, and Texas State University. Elliott holds a BBA in Business Administration and Management from Angelo State University and earned a Master’s in IT Management from Western Governors University in 2020. He is highly certified, including CISSP, CISM, ISSA Fellow, ITIL, PCIP, and APMG-accredited trainer certifications. Known for building and maturing information security programs, he specializes in risk oversight, control design, security awareness, and compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001. Elliott is also active in the cybersecurity community—serving on the Middle Tennessee ISSA board, contributing to RSA Conference programming, and earning recognition as “CISO of the Year” at the Greater Nashville Technology Council awards.

John Hammond, Researcher, Cyber Influencer

John Hammond

Researcher, Cyber Influencer

A principal security researcher, educator, and content creator, John Hammond is part of the adversary tactics team at Huntress, where he spends his days analyzing malware, digging into living off the land techniques, and making attackers earn their access. Before joining Huntress he served as an instructor with the US Department of Defense Cyber Training Academy, teaching Cyber Threat Emulation to military and civilian students and developing hands on material for capture the flag events like picoCTF and DEF CON competitions. He is also widely known for his YouTube channel, where he shares free cybersecurity education, CTF walkthroughs, and practical offensive and defensive tradecraft with millions of viewers around the world.

Caitlin Sarian, Cyber Influencer

Caitlin Sarian

Cybersecurity Girl

Known online as “Cybersecurity Girl,” Caitlin Sarian is a leading cybersecurity influencer, educator, and advocate for women in STEM who has built an audience of more than a million followers by making online safety feel simple and doable for everyday people. After nearly a decade in cyber consulting and data protection roles at firms like EY, DLA Piper, Protiviti, and later as the head of TikTok’s Global Cybersecurity Advocacy and Culture team, she launched Cybersecurity Girl LLC to focus full time on public education, career mentoring, and practical security guidance. Her work demystifying topics like passwords, privacy, and scams has earned global recognition, including awards such as Cybersecurity Woman of the Year and SANS Cyber Community of the Year, and she now speaks at major conferences worldwide while working on her upcoming book Secure and Protect Everything: Cybersecurity Girl’s Handbook for Online Safety.