Seeing the Shadows: Securing What You Don’t Control (Keynote)
Drawing on her experience safeguarding every aspect of the U.S. Senate’s operations and a career spanning military intelligence and cyber operations, Karen Gibson explores a fundamental challenge for cyber defenders: protecting what you cannot always see or control. From legacy systems and forgotten technology to workforce practices and third-party dependencies, she examines how hidden vulnerabilities accumulate — and what leaders can do to better understand risk, strengthen resilience, and protect the mission.
About the speaker
U.S. Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen H. Gibson
Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence for National Security Partnerships
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen Gibson served as the 42nd Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate from 2021 to 2025. Appointed in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, she was the Senate’s chief law enforcement, protocol and security officer, and led the overhaul of its physical security, continuity of government and cybersecurity programs, including the protection of 450 Senate offices across the United States. Before that, she spent 33 years in the U.S. Army as a military intelligence officer, serving as Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Cyber Command, Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command and for the joint task force in the war against the Islamic State, and as Deputy Director of National Intelligence for National Security Partnerships. She also led intelligence fusion centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and East Africa.
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