Fortifying the Front Lines: Public-Private Readiness for an OT Crisis
About This Session
In a true critical infrastructure crisis, familiar communications, remote access, vendor support, and internet-based tools may be unavailable. Preparing for that moment requires more than an individual organization’s incident response plan. It demands coordinated action across government, infrastructure operators, security providers, equipment manufacturers, and local communities.
In this featured session, representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will explore how CI Fortify brings public- and private-sector partners together to strengthen the resilience of operational technology and critical infrastructure. The discussion will examine the distinct but interconnected roles each community must play: owners and operators conducting isolation exercises and building regional resilience; cybersecurity vendors providing “watch and warn” capabilities; and OEMs helping customers prepare to operate, recover, and obtain support during a severe communications outage.
Attendees will learn how these groups can establish relationships before a crisis, exercise realistic worst-case scenarios, clarify responsibilities, and create resilient communities capable of sustaining essential operations when normal systems and assumptions no longer apply.
(Learn more about CI Fortify: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/industrial-control-systems/ci-fortify)
In this featured session, representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will explore how CI Fortify brings public- and private-sector partners together to strengthen the resilience of operational technology and critical infrastructure. The discussion will examine the distinct but interconnected roles each community must play: owners and operators conducting isolation exercises and building regional resilience; cybersecurity vendors providing “watch and warn” capabilities; and OEMs helping customers prepare to operate, recover, and obtain support during a severe communications outage.
Attendees will learn how these groups can establish relationships before a crisis, exercise realistic worst-case scenarios, clarify responsibilities, and create resilient communities capable of sustaining essential operations when normal systems and assumptions no longer apply.
(Learn more about CI Fortify: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/industrial-control-systems/ci-fortify)
Speakers
Joel Pixley
Cybersecurity Specialist - CISA
Joel Pixley is a senior cybersecurity leader with more than 11 years of experience protecting critical infrastructure and high-value federal systems. He currently serves as a Cybersecurity Specialist at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where he leads the Validated Architecture Design Review (VADR) and High Value Asset (HVA) assessment programs. In this role, he guides the full lifecycle of 80–100 national-scale cybersecurity assessments annually across all 16 critical infrastructure sectors.
Before joining CISA, Pixley spent nearly nine years protecting operational grid systems at Omaha Public Power District, advancing from intern to Senior Grid Operations Technology Engineer. He helped engineer and secure the industrial control networks supporting energy delivery to more than 855,000 customers while maintaining 99.8% uptime and full NERC CIP compliance with zero violations.
A CISSP-certified professional, Pixley brings deep expertise in ICS/OT cybersecurity, NIST frameworks, Zero Trust architecture, incident response, and cyber resilience. He has led federal and cross-functional teams, overseen multimillion-dollar cybersecurity operations, and advised executive leaders across civilian agencies, energy providers, and national laboratories. He is also passionate about mentoring future cybersecurity professionals and strengthening the next generation of cyber leaders.
Before joining CISA, Pixley spent nearly nine years protecting operational grid systems at Omaha Public Power District, advancing from intern to Senior Grid Operations Technology Engineer. He helped engineer and secure the industrial control networks supporting energy delivery to more than 855,000 customers while maintaining 99.8% uptime and full NERC CIP compliance with zero violations.
A CISSP-certified professional, Pixley brings deep expertise in ICS/OT cybersecurity, NIST frameworks, Zero Trust architecture, incident response, and cyber resilience. He has led federal and cross-functional teams, overseen multimillion-dollar cybersecurity operations, and advised executive leaders across civilian agencies, energy providers, and national laboratories. He is also passionate about mentoring future cybersecurity professionals and strengthening the next generation of cyber leaders.
CISA Speaker
CISA - U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
As the National Coordinator for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, CISA works with partners at every level to identify and manage risk to the cyber and physical infrastructure that Americans rely on every hour of every day. CISA works with partners to defend against today’s threats and collaborate to build a more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future.