Press Release
GCA Announces Four New Appointments for its Board of Directors
21 December 2023.– (*Updated: January, 2024) The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), an international nonprofit that builds communities to deploy tools, services, and programs that provide cybersecurity at global scale, announced the appointment of four (*) new Board Members: Michael Lashlee, Executive Vice President, Deputy Chief Security Officer at Mastercard, who has been a long term strategic advisor to GCA with Mastercard being a valued Premium Partner and sponsor of our Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business; Kiersten Todt, former Chief of Staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); Greg Kapfer, formerly Board Member of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), (*) and Prof. H Sama Nwana.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael, Kiersten, Greg and Prof. H to our board of directors. Their expertise and experience will be invaluable as we continue to expand GCA’s reach in the global cybersecurity community. We are determined to further increase our impact in helping underserved communities gain access to the cybersecurity resources they need to protect themselves online,” said Ambassador Heli Tiirma-Klaar, GCA’s Board Chair.
“GCA’s goal is to have a board of directors with deep expertise from broad and varied backgrounds. We have added three great professionals to continue that tradition. The knowledge and skills of our board members enable us to move the needle and maintain a rich and continuous flow of projects and initiatives,” added Philip Reitinger, GCA’s President & CEO.
GCA expressed its appreciation for the contributions of past members: Scott Charney, Vice President for Security Policy at Microsoft, and past President of the GCA board; Nastashia Press, an experienced financial and international business professional and GCA’s Board past Treasurer, and Yurie Ito, Executive Director of CyberGreen Institute; for their service and outstanding support.
New Board Members Bios
Kiersten E. Todt is the former Chief of Staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where she was responsible for the planning, allocation of resources, and development of long-range objectives in support of the department’s goals and milestones; she provided strategic vision, guidance, and direction to ensure CISA’s Director was prepared to interdict or respond to threats to the homeland. She oversaw the management and execution of an almost $3B budget and over 3,000 employees and contractors. She currently serves in an advisory role to CISA’s Director.
She is also a strategic advisor to venture capital firms, tech innovation startups, including companies focused on neurodiversity and memory safe language, and to the Data and Trust Alliance, which is a senior executive industry effort to create standards for data provenance and high risk use of artificial intelligence. Prior to her role at CISA, Kiersten served as the Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI), a non- profit initiative that convenes senior executives of global companies to develop free cybersecurity tools and resources for small businesses worldwide. She co-founded CRI in 2017 with the CEOs of Mastercard, Microsoft, PSP Partners, and the retired CEO of IBM. She was also the non-resident scholar at the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security. Prior to her CRI role, Ms. Todt was the CEO of Liberty Group Ventures, LLC (LGV).
Michael Lashlee is Executive Vice President, Deputy Chief Security Officer for Mastercard. In this role, he is responsible for Physical Security and Executive Protection, Vulnerability and Security Event Management, Enterprise Security Architecture & Innovation, Threat Intelligence, Enterprise Resilience, Investigations and Cyber Forensics. He represents Mastercard to the Analysis and Research Center for Systemic Risk (ARC), sits on the Advisory Board of the European Cyber Crime and Fraud Investigators (ECCFI) and is past Chair of the American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC) Cyber Council.
Mr. Lashlee joined Mastercard in 2016 after a 25-year career with the United States Secret Service (USSS). He was a Special Agent and supervisor on the protective details for Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama; and was the supervisor for the Counter Assault Team (CAT), providing dynamic tactical support for the President. His last two postings were as Special Agent in Charge of the Forensic Services Division and the Technical Security Division, with responsibility for all technical protective countermeasures at the White House and other USSS protected facilities.
Gregory M. Kapfer has over 30 years of experience as an Executive focused on Financial, Operational, and Strategic issues for both for-profit and not-for-profit companies. He is an MBA/CPA credentialed Executive with experience in global financial leadership, public accounting and major corporate finance and accounting. Greg has served in corporate capacities, as Board member, incorporator, senior officer, and legal representative for global non-profit subsidiaries to support regional presence and activities. Between 2019 and 2022 he was appointed Board Member of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) by the Board of the Internet Society (ISOC), serving as Chair of the Board’s Compensation Committee and Member of the Finance and Investment Committee.
Prior to that (from 2018 to 2021), he acted as a Mentor for developing businesses through the SCORE program to support small and developing businesses, with a personal focus on non-profit entities. He also served as the Internet Society’s first CFO, managing financial development during a period when the Society quadrupled in both revenues and personnel. He directed ISOC’s legal, human resources, risk management, tax administration, accounting, and fiscal planning functions, and he was incorporated and served as Member and Director for each of the Society’s globally registered entities (Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East).
(*) Prof. H Sama Nwana is an expert telecoms, media, and technology consultant for emerging economies across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and beyond. As Managing Partner of Cenerva Ltd and former Ofcom Group Director, he has shaped policy and advised major companies and organisations, including USAID, Facebook, Microsoft, World Bank, and MTN.
Nwana oversaw major UK policy programs, including 3G liberalisation, UK 4G spectrum auctions, and the UK Digital Switchover Policy implementation. He has held leadership roles at Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, Arqiva, and Quadriga Worldwide and was a senior manager at BT plc. Alongside consulting, Nwana serves as Full Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde. He has authored two acclaimed books on TMT and the digital economy in developing countries.
