Please join us for our monthly luncheon on Friday, June 13th, 2025, Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
To learn more about NCER membership, please contact the Membership Committee Chair who will guide you through the nomination and selection process.
Members: $35.00
Guests: $45.00
Maria Thompson, AWS State and Local Government’s Executive Advisor for Cybersecurity.
Presentation: "Using AI to enhance and transform customer experience"
This presentation will explore the practical applications of AI in optimizing various business processes in public sector and commercial organizations. As businesses continue to navigate an increasingly complex and competitive landscape, the need for efficient and streamlined operations has become more crucial than ever. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool that can help organizations optimize their business processes, driving enhanced productivity, cost savings, and improved decision-making. The audience will understand the value of integrating AI into their company’s strategic plans to drive organizational success.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the fundamentals of AI and potential impact on business operations
- Identify the business processes that are most suitable for AI optimization, enabling them to prioritize their AI initiatives and maximize the return on investment.
- Understand strategies for successful implementation of AI solutions, including best practices for data management, model development, and human-AI collaboration.
MARIA'S BIO:
Maria brings over 20 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity. She served 20 years in the United States Marine Corps and retired as the cybersecurity chief/information assurance chief for the Marine Corps. Since then, she has served in numerous security roles such as certification and accreditation (C&A) lead for the Multi-National Forces – Iraq and senior security engineer in a joint military organization and federal agency. Maria joined the North Carolina Department of Information Technology in 2015 as the state’s first Chief Risk and Security Officer. There she was instrumental in establishing the Whole of State Approach to Cyber. This included the development and implementation of the state’s first Cyber Disruption Plan, and the Joint Cyber Task Force (JCTF). The JCTF is a partnership between private, public, academic and federal partners to support statewide operational impacts to critical infrastructure and mission critical services.
Maria has been a featured speaker and presenter at various events to include RSA and Israel HLS & Cyber Conference. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in information systems management and also holds a master’s degree in information technology. Maria’s personal honors include receiving the 2007 National Security Agency’s prestigious Rowlett Award for individual achievement in information assurance. Additionally, she received the 2008 Office of Secretary of Defense Certificate of Excellence for the implementation of an IA strategy for the Information Assurance Workforce. More recently, Maria was selected as a winner of the 2018 Triangle Business Journal Women in Business Tech Star award, 2018 and 2021 State Scoop’s 50 Award - State Cybersecurity Leader, 2020 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, and was a recipient of the 2019 NASCIO Thomas Jarrett Cybersecurity Scholarship. Maria currently holds the following industry certifications: ISC2 CISSP, ISACA CRISC, National Security Agency IAM/IEM and AWS Cloud Certified Practitioner.