ISACA Sector Day - Local Government
Join us for a another edition of our Local Government Sector Day where we’ll explore the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing municipalities today. Our expert speakers will share practical strategies for protecting vital local government systems, offer insights into using free or low-cost tools, and demonstrate how to foster a resilient cybersecurity culture. From federal policing partnerships to hands-on guidance in building your cybersecurity plan, each session is designed to equip leaders, administrators, and IT professionals with the knowledge and confidence to safeguard their communities in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
9am-10am: Risk Management Fundamentals
Speaker: Anthony Green - President, Greenhat Security
Cybersecurity risk management does not need to be overly technical or complicated to be useful.
This session will introduce the fundamentals of cyber risk for local government, including what cybersecurity risk is, how to identify and assess it, and how to understand the potential impact on municipal services, operations, budgets, and public trust.
We will also focus on how to communicate cybersecurity risk in the language of business, helping IT and security leaders explain priorities clearly to council, executives, and department leaders so they can make informed decisions and support practical risk reduction across the organization.
10am-11am: City Security Managers Panel
Moderator: Patricia Sagert - CIO, Maple Ridge
Panelists:
Peter Tai - Manager, IT Cybersecurity & Compliance, City of Richmond
Josiah Ewing - Manager Infrastructure and Security Services, City of Maple Ridge
Eric Good, IT Manager, City of Fort St. John
This peer-driven panel will bring together municipal security leaders to discuss how local governments are managing cybersecurity in an increasingly complex threat environment.
The conversation will explore how cities are modernizing their cybersecurity programs, balancing limited resources with operational needs, and strengthening resilience across critical systems and community services. Panelists will share practical lessons on governance, risk, compliance, ransomware preparedness, third-party risk, AI-related threats, and the realities of building security programs within local government environments.
Moderated by the CIO of the City of Maple Ridge, this session is designed for municipal IT, security, and leadership teams looking for practical insight from peers who are actively managing, reviewing, and advancing cybersecurity programs in their communities.
11am-12pm: Ransomware Attacks: A Year Later
Speaker: Eric Good, IT Manager, City of Fort St. John
One year after a major municipal cyber incident, this session will look back at the realities of ransomware response, recovery, and long-term resilience.
The discussion will walk through what it takes to get critical systems back online, maintain operational integrity, and support community services during a cyber disruption. It will also explore the lessons learned after the immediate crisis is over, including what changes, what gaps become clearer, and how local governments can better prepare for the next incident.
This session is designed for municipal IT, security, and leadership teams looking for practical insight into ransomware recovery from a local government perspective.
Sponsor:
About the Municipal Finance Authority of BC
Through our collective structure, the Municipal Finance Authority of BC (MFABC), pools the borrowing and investment needs of BC’s communities and public institutions to achieve scale and provide a range of low cost and flexible financial services. MFABC is independent from the Province of BC and has been enhancing the stability and resilience of the local government sector and enabling the equitable and affordable delivery of essential services across BC since 1970. After lending and investments, we consider support for financial education to be the ‘third pillar’ of our mission. We have been sponsoring the Vancouver ISACA Chapter “Local Government Sector Day” for several years as we see the potential financial risk impact of cybersecurity to our local government clients, as well as in our own technology operations.
Speakers:
Renata Hale, Director of Technology & Strategy
Renata is the Director, Technology & Strategy with the Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia (MFA) and is responsible for technology, software development, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement.
Renata is a CPA, CGA with a bachelor’s degree in accounting science. She is an advocate for continuing education and has completed certificates in Risk Management, Performance Management, Strategy, Cybersecurity Frameworks, and Leadership.
Eric Good, IT Manager, City of Fort St. John
Eric is a seasoned IT professional, with over 15 years of IT and Telecommunications experience spanning across the civil construction, oil and gas, municipal government, and banking sectors. Shortly after Eric accepted the role of Acting IT Manager (one day later), the City experienced the cyber incident that is the topic of today’s presentation.
Eric will share firsthand the steps that were taken to get systems back up and running while protecting the integrity of our operations, and our community.
Anthony Green, President & CEO of Greenhat Security
Anthony Green is a Vancouver-based cybersecurity leader, educator, and entrepreneur with deep experience across security operations, compliance, audit, and community building. Anthony founded Green Hat Security and Green Hat Assurance, where he helps organizations strengthen their cybersecurity programs and achieve practical compliance outcomes. He has worked with more than 100 companies, built award-winning security operations at CPABC, developed cybersecurity curriculum for UBC and Vancouver Community College, and serves as Western Canada Ambassador for the Canadian Cybersecurity Cluster.
Patricia Sagert - CIO, Maple Ridge
Josiah - Manager of Infrastructure and Cybersecurity, Maple Ridge
Josiah has 15 years of experience across a variety of industry verticals, including managed services, manufacturing, e-commerce, utilities, and most recently, municipal government. He bridges the gap between technical security realities and business decisions that actually matter through risk management, incident readiness, and security program development. Josiah maintains his CISSP and CISM certifications as well as a degree in American literature — which is why he can write short sonnets and prose about firewalls and servers. Outside of his home lab where he tries to break things he enjoys kicking it old school with hand tool woodworking, a copious amount of sci-fi and fantasy books, and hikes and camping with his spouse and kids.
Peter Tai - Manager, IT Cybersecurity & Compliance, City of Richmond