ASU to host cybersecurity panel with AEI fellow Klon Kitchen, Arizona Director of Homeland Security Tim Roemer

The Arizona Junior Fellows and the Arizona State University School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership are collaborating with the American Enterprise Institute to host a panel on cybersecurity.

The panel will examine how Arizona has adapted to new cybersecurity threats, how those efforts compare to other states and jurisdictions, and how the public and private sector can work together to prevent cyberattacks and better protect consumer privacy.

National cybersecurity expert Klon Kitchen will join policymakers, business leaders, and university students and faculty for the event. Kitchen is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who has previously worked at the National Counterterrorism Center and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Joining Klon is Tim Roemer, the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. Director Roemer recently led the effort to create the Cyber Command Center, which serves as the state’s headquarters for cybersecurity operations.

The event will be moderated by Eileen Klein, former Treasurer of the State of Arizona and President Emerita of the Arizona Board of Regents; former Fortune 25 healthcare executive.

Data is the new gold

Cybercrime cost the world a collective $3 trillion in 2015 and is expected to cost $10.5 trillion by 2025. Arizona has been no stranger to the danger presented by cyber-attacks, as researchers estimate that data breaches from 2005 to 2020 cost the state $1.6 billion. In that time frame, Arizona had 181 data breaches, putting over 10 million records at risk. 

Despite these attacks, Arizona is applauded for a community-based and cross-sectoral approach to cybersecurity that emphasizes trust and collaboration between government agencies and private companies. 

This includes the recent establishment of the cyber command center, which will serve as Arizona’s headquarters for coordinating cybersecurity operations. 

As more personal data like banking information and medical records are transferred into the digital world, there is an increased risk of cyber-attacks that undermine public and private enterprise. People, companies, and governments are looking for new solutions to rising cybercrime as it becomes a more prominent issue.

About the event

The Future of Arizona Democracy: Cybersecurity and the Future will be hosted from 5:00-6:15pm at ASU’s Old Main (400 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281) on Monday, March 21st, 2022.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is available here.

This event is a part of the series, “The Future of Arizona Democracy,” which is produced by the Arizona Junior Fellows in partnership with the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. The Arizona Junior Fellows are a project of the Arizona Chamber Foundation and conduct research in a variety of fields in order to communicate important issues to policymakers and business leaders.

Joe Pitts

Joe Pitts is a born and bred Arizonan who formerly served as the program director at the Arizona Chamber Foundation. He graduated Arizona State University's Barrett, the Honors College in 2023 with a B.S. in Management and concurrent B.S. in Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership.

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