The CSA West Michigan hosts a variety of events including workshops, training, and networking meetups. These events are designed to educate and engage participants in the latest trends and best practices in cybersecurity and cloud security.
Check our events page for upcoming activities!
Founder and President
Matt Nelson is a Cybersecurity Specialist for People Driven Technology and has been an active part of the West Michigan security community for many years.
Matt loves the outdoors, and when he is not behind a computer or in front of an audience, you can find Matt taking his kids to their various sports activities, fishi
Founder and President
Matt Nelson is a Cybersecurity Specialist for People Driven Technology and has been an active part of the West Michigan security community for many years.
Matt loves the outdoors, and when he is not behind a computer or in front of an audience, you can find Matt taking his kids to their various sports activities, fishing or boating in his hometown of Grand Haven.
Vice President
Anthony Coggins, CISM, CDPSE, CRTP, CEH, is the Security Operations Leader at Acrisure, a fast-growing fintech that operates the 6th largest insurance broker in the world.
At Acrisure, Anthony leads the security operations team while assisting the Chief Information Security Officer with overall department strategy. He also o
Vice President
Anthony Coggins, CISM, CDPSE, CRTP, CEH, is the Security Operations Leader at Acrisure, a fast-growing fintech that operates the 6th largest insurance broker in the world.
At Acrisure, Anthony leads the security operations team while assisting the Chief Information Security Officer with overall department strategy. He also oversees technical pre-sales and security operations for Acrisure’s newest vertical, “Acrisure Cyber Services,” which saves millions in reduced risk and exposure for Acrisure’s customers.
He is a driven information security leader, speaker, and mentor with over a decade of combined information technology and information security experience.
Secretary
Kevin oversees client partnerships for Beacon Hill Technologies, helping West Michigan companies navigate the IT and security talent market. After growing up in West Michigan, Kevin lived out of state for several years working in television before returning to the area with his family. He loves the relational aspect of West Michi
Secretary
Kevin oversees client partnerships for Beacon Hill Technologies, helping West Michigan companies navigate the IT and security talent market. After growing up in West Michigan, Kevin lived out of state for several years working in television before returning to the area with his family. He loves the relational aspect of West Michigan and our CSA Chapter, and he brings diverse experience in media production, communications, project management, and talent & recruiting to the board.
In his spare time, Kevin can be found in a tent or the woods with his family or out on the golf course trying to figure out why he enjoys golf.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director
Joanna Udo works as an end-user technology manager for a local healthcare organization and is also the founder of Bridges in Tech, an organization dedicated to helping women of color start and excel in technology.
She believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are required to successfully secure
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director
Joanna Udo works as an end-user technology manager for a local healthcare organization and is also the founder of Bridges in Tech, an organization dedicated to helping women of color start and excel in technology.
She believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are required to successfully secure any system and has dedicated a significant portion of her time to educate, advocate, and build inclusive communities.
When she’s not talking about DEI/infosec/careers in tech, volunteering in the community, or working at her day job, she loves to travel, eat, and connect with people.
Membership Director
Molly is a security analyst with a bachelor of science in cyber defense and a specialty in information assurance. She is ambitious, goal-oriented, and loves connecting with other tech professionals.
Molly spends her free time exploring new hobbies and loves to express herself creatively. She is curious by nature and enjoys learning.
Events Director
Ryan Dammar is an account executive for GuidePoint Security and has a focus on helping secure his clients’s complex business environments.
He joined the CSA because he believes the more opportunities we have to network and share information on cybersecurity, the more secure our community will be.
In addition to cybersecurity
Events Director
Ryan Dammar is an account executive for GuidePoint Security and has a focus on helping secure his clients’s complex business environments.
He joined the CSA because he believes the more opportunities we have to network and share information on cybersecurity, the more secure our community will be.
In addition to cybersecurity, he shares passion for spending time with his wife and dog outdoors and spending countless hours in the kitchen trying out new recipes.
Community Outreach Director
Kenny Purcell is a Senior Sales Executive at Sentinel Technologies. He loves working with people in organizations of all shapes and sizes to help them discover the tools and resources that are best suited to enabling their success, specifically in the security and technology space.
He enjoys thinking outside of
Community Outreach Director
Kenny Purcell is a Senior Sales Executive at Sentinel Technologies. He loves working with people in organizations of all shapes and sizes to help them discover the tools and resources that are best suited to enabling their success, specifically in the security and technology space.
He enjoys thinking outside of the box and has successfully launched and later sold his own technology business, which centered around enabling effective collaboration within organizations.
Kenny is an avid camper and enjoys the Michigan outdoors as much as possible with his wife and boys.
He can also be found sipping on a peaty whiskey or trying to squeeze in a game of golf.
Sponsorship Director
Ryan Dengate is a Grand Rapids lifer, Lego® builder, rollercoaster slayer, car nerd, and technology geek.
Cloud technology inspires me to use some of my favorite skills every day. I get to learn about every changing and growing set of tools and processes.
Security helps us all avoid surprises so we can focus on growth an
Sponsorship Director
Ryan Dengate is a Grand Rapids lifer, Lego® builder, rollercoaster slayer, car nerd, and technology geek.
Cloud technology inspires me to use some of my favorite skills every day. I get to learn about every changing and growing set of tools and processes.
Security helps us all avoid surprises so we can focus on growth and stability in our lives in many ways. I am passionate about using technology.
Alliances succeed with strategy, collaboration, and cooperation. I believe my perspective, skills, and passions can help us grow and thrive.
Social Media Director
Zach is a security incident response engineer at a large financial company and has been in IT and security for the last five years. He loves meeting and networking with his peers outside of work and volunteers with First Robotics in his free time.
Zach enjoys many hobbies, including rock climbing, volleyball, and compe
Social Media Director
Zach is a security incident response engineer at a large financial company and has been in IT and security for the last five years. He loves meeting and networking with his peers outside of work and volunteers with First Robotics in his free time.
Zach enjoys many hobbies, including rock climbing, volleyball, and competing in triathlons. He is always looking for new hobbies to expand his interests and expertise.
Founder and Advisor
Aaron is one of the founding members of the Cloud Security Alliance of West Michigan. Aaron is currently one of the lead information security analysts for Corewell Health. Aaron has been in healthcare IT for over a decade and has been in healthcare security for the last 7 years.
In his spare time, he hosts a podcast #Re
Founder and Advisor
Aaron is one of the founding members of the Cloud Security Alliance of West Michigan. Aaron is currently one of the lead information security analysts for Corewell Health. Aaron has been in healthcare IT for over a decade and has been in healthcare security for the last 7 years.
In his spare time, he hosts a podcast #RealTalk with Aaron Bregg that gears itself toward helping small and medium businesses be more secure.
We believe that West Michigan CSA events are the most fun, educational and valuable events anywhere. Sponsoring one of our many events gives you a ton of exposure to the West Michigan security community and beyond.
For more information please fill out our form.