Cybersecurity Governance: Addressing Top Risks and Strategies

Melissa Musser, CPA, CIA, CITP, CISA

Biography

Ms. Musser is a recognized authority in the field of risk advisory services. She leads GRF’s dynamic risk advisory department, ensuring clients receive strategic guidance and tailored solutions to effectively identifying opportunities and manage risks. Her expertise encompasses establishing and maintaining Internal Audit Departments, optimizing internal controls, strategic planning, compliance, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), and cybersecurity programs.

Ms. Musser is a highly sought-after public speaker, sharing her insights and knowledge on enterprise risk management, internal audit, cybersecurity, and governance at various industry conferences and events. Her engaging presentations and ability to simplify complex concepts have made her a trusted resource for professionals seeking guidance on risk-related matters.

She is a distinguished recipient of the 2018 AICPA Information Management and Technology Assurance (IMTA) Standing Ovation award. She was also recognized as an Excellence in Innovation award honoree in Consulting® Magazine’s 2022 Women Leaders in Technology awards. She recently served as the president of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors. Additionally, Melissa is the founding partner of the NC State ERM Initiative’s Annual Events focused on Enterprise Risk Management for Nonprofit Organizations.

Ms. Musser brings a diverse range of experience, including public accounting and internal audit management roles for global SEC companies and academia. Throughout her career, Ms. Musser has successfully guided numerous organizations in strengthening their organizational posture. Her commitment to staying ahead of emerging trends and technologies ensures that clients receive cutting-edge solutions tailored to their needs.

Ms. Musser is a proud CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and has a passion for being of service to the Deaf and Nonprofit community at large. Ms. Musser has sat on numerous nonprofit boards throughout her career and actively volunteers.

Education and Certifications

• B.S. in Professional Accounting, University of Akron
• B.S. in  Accounting Information Systems, University of Akron
• Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Certificate, University of Akron
• Fundamentals of ESG Certificate, AICPA
• Licensed CPA in Maryland
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
• Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP)
• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Professional Affiliations

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), CITP Task Force
• Greater Washington Society of CPAs (GWSCPA)
• Information System Audit and Control Association (ISACA)
• Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Washington, DC Chapter, Board of Directors, Immediate Past President, and Past Vice President of Programming

Darren Hulem, CISA, CEH, Security +

Executive Summary

Darren Hulem has 10 years experience working in the Information Technology space. He has been with GRF’s Risk and Advisory services department for the last 5 years helping clients better understand the cybersecurity risks to their organizations. Mr. Hulem has used his expertise to assist clients with executing detailed Cybersecurity based engagements in the following areas: cybersecurity risk assessments, vulnerability assessment analysis, IT Audits, co-sourced internal IT audits, ISO 27001:2013 compliance internal audits, IT policy and procedure benchmarks against leading frameworks such as (ISO 27001, NIST, PCI, HIPAA, CIS, SOC 2), penetration testing, IT training, and Third-Party Risk Assessments. He also enjoys providing presentations to clients senior leadership and board members in a digestible way. Mr. Hulem is a seasoned speaker on cybersecurity topics. He has presented at the IIA International Conference, various IIA Chapters, AICPA, MACPA, GWSCPA, Humentum, UST Education, NYCON and ISACA + IIA’s GRC conference. He enjoys sharing his experiences from client triage and cleanup with organizations as to the importance of IT controls.

Prior to joining GRF, Mr. Hulem worked with his clients as a managed service provider which has allowed him to experience a wide variety of technologies, budgets and clients. There he would recommend and implement system improvements as well as troubleshoot client networks to ensure their daily IT operations functioned. He takes pride in being to translate technical topics so

that all decision makers can make informed decisions.

Education

• M.S. in Information Systems,

University of Maryland, Baltimore

County

• B.S. in Business Administration,

Carson – Newman College

Certifications

• Certified Information Systems

Auditor (CISA)

• Certified Ethical Hacker

• Comptia Security +

• Certificate of Competency: ISO

27001:2022 Lead Auditor and

Internal Auditor (TPECS)

Professional Affiliations

• Information System Audit and

Control Association (ISACA)

• Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)

• CompTIA

• EC-Council

• ASAE