BGIC REFRESH SUMMIT 23

NOVEMBER 10 - 11 | ATLANTA, GA

We were so excited to have participated in the Black Girls in Cyber (BGIC) REFRESH Summit that we want to share about the event and encourage others to attend in the future! It was a fantastic experience and we invite you to read on to learn more!

The Black Girls in Cyber (BGiC) REFRESH Summit was an intentionally curated event for women who are interested in getting into cybersecurity by women who are leaders in cybersecurity & privacy. This was such a unique event and beautifully executed by all who had a hand in the process.

The BGiC REFRESH Summit was founded by Talya C. Parker, a lead engineer in Privacy and Security at Google. The summit focuses on wellness, technical discussions, panels with astounding experience, and a safe space to share the stories that have left us feeling challenged in our careers. From the moment we walked into the venue, we were greeted with huge smiles and open arms by the organizers. The summit was held at the Gathering Spot ATL, a Black-owned co-working space. We got checked in and received some gifts and swag. For VIPs, we got hydrating gloves and sock masks, some sensory de-stress items, a seasonal candle, and t-shirts. In the main event room, there were affirmation cards on your seat, again showing the intention that was put behind this summit. The room was adorned with floral arrangements on stage, neon signs, balloon arrangements, and fun areas to duck off for photos and 360 video booths! The vibe was fun and energetic. There were chiropractic sessions with Dr. Dwayne Parker who had compression therapy and other types of wellness sessions. The morning sessions were kicked off with Yoga, by Kacy Zurkus. I could hear attendees mentioning how good they felt after yoga. Pam Lindemoen, CISO at CISCO delivered the morning keynote address. I missed Louis L. Barrett’s talk on AI but I continued to hear buzzing comments of excitement throughout the rest of the summit.

My first session was with Jasmine Suarez, where she described her journey from flight attendant into cybersecurity on the Hill. I immediately resonated with her journey and with some of the challenges working in incident response in those high-stress environments. Her session also touched on wellness and how to handle the stress of a high-responsibility role. I appreciated her insights and transparency during the session.

We were also lucky enough to attend a keynote lunch with Minda Hartz, who shared her journey and experiences with microaggressions in the workplace, along with how she chose to address situations of discomfort at work to best set herself up for success. The session was followed by a fireside chat with Talya Parker, the founder of BGiC. Attendees were given copies of Minda’s book, the Memo. This book is highly recommended for Black women in tech. Ain’t that right, Dr. Fatou?!

The first day continued with a panel by the Black Women in Cyber Collective, composed of 16 women who are leaders in the CyberSecurity and Privacy space. These women came together to write a chapter of a book on their experience as it related to cyber. We were lucky enough to have 12 of the authors to discuss their contributions to the book, including: Talya Parker, Tashya Denose, Carla Plummer, Jarell Oshodi, Tanneasha Gordon, Deidra Phyall, Dr. Diana Allen, Courtney Jackson, Mari Galloway, Shinesa Cambric, Tennisha Martin, and Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney. It was Talya’s idea to bring these women together and they all had a very unique perspective to add to the narrative. What was enjoyable was seeing their genuine and sisterly candor. These women all seemed like they had been the best of friends for years. All having some connection back to Talya through their professional and personal lives. See the power in connecting? Your network is your __________________ (I know you know the rest).

We were amazed by Dr. Fatou Sokare’s presentation on privacy & AI. We were able to clearly understand the concerns around our data, how facial recognition is used for detection, and how to best protect ourselves in our online interactions. Her delivery was dope. It was amazing hearing her perspectives. 

Our closing sessions were panels that touched on Security and Privacy and how to achieve success with both. The panel members included Dr. Fatou, Nikole Davenport Principal in Privacy at FTI, Antoinette Stevens at Ramp, Professor Roger Whyte, Hackim Farrell of SentinelOne. Feeling great after the day of sessions, we came back to enjoy the awards ceremony and networking dinner. The awards were given to the cohort members who were part of BGiC as women transitioning into Cyber. It was touching to see the women being honored for their efforts in leaping into this field. The entire weekend we vibed to the sounds of DJ Flowjo, who shared she was on a journey to becoming a full-stack developer. 

Getting back to day two, we heard from some powerful women, one who stood out to me was Confidence Staveley, Africa’s Most Celebrated Woman in CyberSecurity. She took to the stage with an amazing presence and showcased her knowledge of red teaming. She discussed pen testing and web application security, OWASP Top 10 and found a way to relate it all to cooking and recipes. I’ve never seen anything so relatable in this field. Her API kitchen was really easy to follow and honestly, made me super hungry right before taking the stage immediately after.

Our session was fun, it was the first time Dominique delivered to a crowd in this format. The session was titled “Mobile Forensics Methodology and 3rd Party App Analysis”. We focused on learning the methodologies in retrieving and interpreting data that we’re encountering for the first time in a new or unpopular mobile app. Dominique has given this talk in a virtual classroom workshop format but never as a presentation. It was fun discussing Digital Forensics and how to parse third-party applications on mobile devices. Dominique was able to discuss the intricacies of the acquisition and analysis process when it comes to mobile phones and what specialties come along with obtaining and interpreting that information. Attendees were engaged the entire time and asked some very thoughtful questions during the Q&A session! The session was presented on behalf of Hexordia, a proud sponsor of Black Girls in Cyber Refresh Summit 23. 

Following my presentation was a cool layout of how to create a virtual lab by Professor Roger White discussing hypervisors, Kali Linux, and offering students a collaborative environment for doing so as they build their skills in this field. His talk was technical, giving students an expectation of what to expect when setting up a lab and getting the resources you need as a growing professional. 

One last panel wrapped up our day in the main room before our closing session keynote. We were lucky enough to have Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney, the interim VP Nike. She charged us to write down our dreams and remember the 5 Be’s as we forged our paths there: 

"Be relentless. Be fearless. Be connected. Be global. Be authentic." -Dr.  Mona-Lisa Pinkney

I saw young women inspired by the leaders who graced the stage for this inaugural event. I’m confident this will be the next group of technical and cyber leaders and it was an honor to meet women who stand at every part of my cyber journey, past, present, and future. To the women who shared the microphone and stage with me, thank you for embracing me with love and open arms. I used to be a young girl who sat in the audience hoping to find both representation to model and a seat at the table. My career path is far from traditional. This summit was the first time I saw myself on the other side – no longer just as a participant, but as a leader. I had to follow up on one of the dopest talks from Africa’s Most Celebrated Woman in Cybersecurity and keep the stage warm for a VP at Nike. I still can’t believe it myself. Pinch me, please.

I was able to enjoy this summit and was also lucky enough to gain a new little sister Zari in this whole process. Someone who is just as dedicated and already making contributions to this field <3 

From the desk of A’zariya Daniels:

As a student still in college and learning about cybersecurity every day, being able to go to the Black Girls in Cyber Refresh Summit was an amazing, eye-opening experience. Throughout this conference, I was in a room with multiple black women in cybersecurity from various backgrounds and all walks of life. While the differences between us were definitely celebrated, being able to relate to our experiences as minorities in STEM was a wonderful moment. Additionally, I was able to connect with so many amazing women and learn so much about cybersecurity from people who looked exactly like me. I could go on and on about this wonderful experience, but to keep it short this is definitely something I wish to come back to. Thank you so much to the Black Girls in Cyber board and to everyone else who made this experience possible.

Dominique Calder 

Senior Technologist, Hexordia

A’zariya Daniels

Intern, Hexordia