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Theresa Payton

  • First Female White House Chief Information Officer
  • AI Strategist
  • Business and Personal Security Expert
  • Privacy Visionary

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Theresa Payton is a trailblazer in technology and cybersecurity, making history as the first female White House Chief Information Officer, under President George W. Bush.  She’s recognized as one of the world’s top advisors on secured digital transformation, AI and privacy, consulting Fortune 500 boards, CEOs, and technology executives to safeguard critical assets and navigate complex digital challenges. Because she’s the go-to expert among network television news programs and other major media outlets for her broad cybercrime-fighting knowledge, relatable persona and ability to make complex technology understandable, she starred as Deputy Commander of Intelligence on the CBS TV reality hide-and-seek show, Hunted.  She’s also CEO and chief advisor of a leading digital security firm, Fortalice.

 

Theresa Payton headshot
Theresa Payton photo 3
Theresa Payton photo 2
Past Hosts Include:
  • Eli Lilly
  • Humana
  • Security Industry Association
  • Raymond James Financial
  • HP
  • Intel
  • NBA
  • CISCO
  • Microsoft
  • IBM
Rave Reviews About Theresa Payton
“
Thank you so SO much for joining us this week for the Banking Summit. Your presentation was a crowd favorite (currently ranked #1 in our feedback survey) and the perfect addition to our event.

”
More rave reviews

"Your speech and panel in Geneva were one of the Congress highlights and it was so directly applicable!"

-Pictet Group, Geneva Switzerland

"I loved her session at the Governor’s Cyber Security Summit. I especially enjoyed hearing about the ‘5 F’s’ and how to protect our privacy in the uprise of AI"

-Dell

"Thank you for your fantastic presentation at Executive Summit and for being part of our (standing room only) Zero Trust session. I’ve heard nothing but great feedback from attendees on both fronts."

-Hewlett Packard Enterprise

"OMG!! I cannot begin to tell you how much we LOVE Theresa! She’s the best! The session was amazing and she is so warm and giving. I will certainly be recommending her to any of my colleagues after an engaging, informative, knowledgeable and warm speaker. In the meantime, I’m going to let all my colleagues in the events business know that they should just erase any other cybercrime speakers they have OFF their lists right now!"

-Thomson Reuters

"Absolutely loved your session and the 2026 predictions!!!"

-Cisco

"Theresa, I'm CTO at Four Points Technology. I loved your keynote especially the happy meals, smart phone bags and your advice on coming up with a deep fake pass phrase personally as well as at work. It made so much sense, but we don't think to set these up until it is too late."

-Four Points Technology

"Thank you for your brilliant presentation this morning at Great Audit Minds (GAM). Very informative, eye-opening, and dare I say, alarming. I ordered the last (!!) hardcover copy of your book from Amazon and am excited to read it."

-Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)

"Theresa’s talk, ‘Unmasking Cybercriminals and the Triple Threat Facing Business and You’ was a wake-up call on how cybercriminals leverage AI and emerging technologies. Her expertise in risk mitigation, digital security, and real world cyber threats made this session incredibly insightful."

-Links 2025

"Theresa is very engaging and has so many amazing and relevant stories from her career. It's nice to hear all the real world situations she has dealt with. I wished her presentation was longer. Theresa made a lot of good points that are important to our industry. Consider having her back next year please!"

-Magnet Forensics
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Theresa Payton on Deepfakes: Hiring Employees Who Don't Exist - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Theresa Payton
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AI and the Future of Us: Navigating the Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence

Few technological developments of the last century have fueled as much curiosity, misinformation and fear as AI. In this highly-engaging, jargon-free presentation, Theresa unpacks AI's transformative power while exposing its looming risks, then demonstrates how our businesses, security and individua ...

Few technological developments of the last century have fueled as much curiosity, misinformation and fear as AI. In this highly-engaging, jargon-free presentation, Theresa unpacks AI's transformative power while exposing its looming risks, then demonstrates how our businesses, security and individual daily lives are being impacted by them. With anonymized stories from law enforcement's front lines and stunning live demonstrations that reveal the tradecraft of modern cybercriminals, Theresa will equip you with practical actions to harness AI's vast potential while protecting yourself, your clients and your organization.

Secured Digital Transformation: Innovating Without Compromising Trust

Balancing innovation and security in a rapidly evolving digital world requires know-how, sensitivity and constant vigilance. From streamlining operations to enhancing customer experiences, Theresa shares strategies for driving transformation while safeguarding your organization's critical assets. Wi ...

Balancing innovation and security in a rapidly evolving digital world requires know-how, sensitivity and constant vigilance. From streamlining operations to enhancing customer experiences, Theresa shares strategies for driving transformation while safeguarding your organization's critical assets. With compelling case studies and easily-understood, actionable takeaways, Theresa will show you how to future-proof your organization and lead confidently in the age of relentless cyber threats.

From the White House to Your House: Leadership & Life Lessons

Theresa shares her amazing journey of resilience and determination as a business professional, wife and mom of three that led her to the most visible position in the tech world, White House CIO. And that's before she became a CEO, one of the world’s leading media voices on technology and cybersecuri ...

Theresa shares her amazing journey of resilience and determination as a business professional, wife and mom of three that led her to the most visible position in the tech world, White House CIO. And that's before she became a CEO, one of the world’s leading media voices on technology and cybersecurity and star of the hit CBS TV series, Hunted. Drawing from her experiences leading in high-stakes environments, she reveals how family and purpose have been her guiding lights in balancing home life, career, and service. Theresa’s uplifting message will inspire you to lead boldly, embrace challenges with grace, and thrive in every role you’re called to fulfill.

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Books by Theresa Payton
Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth

Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth

Privacy in the Age of Big Data: Recognizing Threats, Defending Your Rights, and Protecting Your Family

Privacy in the Age of Big Data: Recognizing Threats, Defending Your Rights, and Protecting Your Family

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Press & Media
The Best Ways To Protect Your Data When Using Airport Wi-Fi - Islands.com
The Power of Simplicity in Cybersecurity: Why Less is More - The CTO Club
9 Strategies for Safe Online Shopping This Holiday Season - IT Business Net
We don’t know who could buy 23andMe data and how it could be used against us, says Theresa Payton [video] - CNBC
AI generated deepfake scam is ‘phishing with a twist’, says Fortalice Solutions CEO Theresa Payton [video] - CNBC
The future of cybersecurity: Insights from Theresa Payton, former White House CIO - SC World
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Biography

As a visionary in the digital world, who famously made history as the first female to serve as White House Chief Information Officer and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most respected authorities on cybersecurity, Theresa Payton is a highly sought-after keynote speaker. She captivates audiences by drawing from her experience as a veteran cybercrime fighter and entrepreneur, masterfully blending memorable anecdotes with cutting-edge insights. 

A celebrated, patented inventor of new security designs, Payton identifies emerging trends and techniques to help businesses – and audiences –  combat cyber threats, from the impact of the Internet of Things to securing Big Data. She’s the cybersecurity expert organizations in both the public and private sectors turn to protect their most valuable resources, improve their IT systems and strategies and to discreetly guide them through data breaches.

Managing cybersecurity risk is what Payton knows and does best. Before overseeing IT operations as CIO for President George W. Bush and his administration, she held executive roles in banking technology for two of the country’s top financial institutions. After serving in the White House, she went on to co-found Dark3, a cybersecurity product company, and Fortalice Solutions, a world-class cybersecurity consulting firm ranked a “Top 5 Most Innovative Cybersecurity Company” in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC.  

Because of her ability to explain complex security issues and help non-tech-savvy people understand how to protect their privacy, Payton has been a frequent guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox Business, and Fox News and has been featured on CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and MSNBC, as well as Canadian and Irish news outlets. She also starred on the reality TV series Hunted, where highly trained investigators (including Payton) “hunted” to catch people attempting to hide throughout the world.

She is the author of multiple industry-leading books on IT strategy and cyber security, including Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth, which The Guardian included on their list of the “Top 10 Books About Cybercrime.”



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