• Event date: April 15, 2026
• Event time: 6–8 p.m. EDT
• Location: Northeastern University Arlington Campus, Arlington, Virginia

About the panel

Elizabeth “Beth” Hawthorne (moderator) is a professor and a cybersecurity graduate program director in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University, based in Arlington.

Hawthorne joined Khoury College in 2024 to collaborate with top-notch computer science and cybersecurity colleagues in the Align network and to impact the career trajectories of students. She teaches graduate courses in cybersecurity and digital forensics, and is particularly passionate about the exciting, dynamic field of cybersecurity education.

Previously, Hawthorne was an online lecturer at Rider University, where she served as founding director and curriculum developer for the university’s cybersecurity graduate program. As director, she taught online cybersecurity courses, advised students, supervised graduate assistants, and hired faculty. Hawthorne strives to broaden participation in computing and is a former chair of the ACM Education Board, which promotes computing education at all collegiate levels.

Awalin Sopan (expert panelist) is an AI and cybersecurity specialist, currently a principal AI engineer at Workday’s Cyber Defense organization, leading the development of security products and services using generative and agentic AI workflows. Sopan served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, helping the government build a better analytics platform. She earned her master’s in computer science with a focus on data science and visual analytics from the University of Maryland, College Park. Sopan brings people from different teams together and works closely with product users. She has been published in IEEE VIS, SocialComp, KDD and SIGCHI. She is a board member of Women in Cyber Security and the founder and lead of Bangladeshi Women in Computing under Anita Borg Institute.

Dan VanBelleghem, is currently a cybersecurity architect the Intelligence and Homeland Security sector at General Dynamics Information Technology. In this role Mr. VanBelleghem has oversight for technology strategy, vendor relations, solution development, practice leadership for cybersecurity solutions, and provides customer support in solving cybersecurity related problems across the system development life cycle.  Areas of technical expertise include cyber defense operations, security architecture, cyber threat intelligence, incident response, forensics, penetration testing, governance, and risk management.  He has supported clients across the Federal Government and Fortune 100.

VanBelleghem is a recognized leader in network security engineering, analysis, integration, and design.  He has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences, meetings, and media events, including the RSA Security Conference, SANS Institute Conference, and the Black Hat Briefings. Mr. VanBelleghem is an adjunct faculty member at the George Mason University and Northeastern University where he is an instructor for cybersecurity courses.  Before joining GDIT, Dan was Chief Security Officer at NCI Information Systems, and in the security consulting business with SRA, Deloitte, and Booz Allen & Hamilton.

VanBelleghem is a certified information systems security professional (CISSP). In addition he also holds the Information Assurance Methodology (IAM) and Information Evaluation Methodology (IEM) certifications from the National Security Agency (NSA).  He earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University and his MS in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Daria Bahrami is the head of policy at Dreadnode, where she shapes strategic initiatives at the intersection of offensive AI and cybersecurity. Bahrami’s writing and analysis have been featured in Fortune, War on the Rocks, and on the Safe Mode podcast by CyberScoop. A recognized voice in the industry, she also authors the weekly newsletter Machine Speed, which provides intelligence on AI cyber policy.

Previously, Bahrami served as a technical advisor to DARPA’s AI Cyber Challenge, leading engagement strategy for a global competition dedicated to automated vulnerability detection. Her background bridges the gap between technical operations and high-level strategy, drawing on experience as a Lead Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at Deloitte Global and earlier work in critical infrastructure resilience at the R Street Institute. She began her career facilitating strategic partnerships and multimillion-dollar agreements at the National Geographic Society. Bahrami holds a degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and maintains a fellowship with the Military Cyber Professionals Association.

Alex APP is a security AI leader with over 15 years of experience spanning analysis, engineering, and research. Having driven security innovation at leading organizations like Cisco Talos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Workday, he currently focuses on security engineering and architecture. An accomplished researcher with several CVEs to his name and a track record of award-winning hackathon concepts, Alex frequently delivers impactful training and presentations to corporate and academic audiences.

He is deeply passionate about securing AI technologies and promoting their adoption by replacing fear with informed strategy. Alex leverages his extensive understanding of adversary tradecraft, threat landscapes, and red team operations to build robust defenses in the AI era. Known for bridging communities and fostering collaboration, he excels at advancing security programs, advising forward-thinking companies, and investing in the next generation of tech as an angel investor and co-author. In his free time, Alex enjoys mentoring, meditating, working out, and spending time with family and friends.