This event was curated by and for the Atlanta Leadership Board, a group of local leaders committed to the idea that national security and critical infrastructure resiliency is strengthened through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, diversity, and leadership development.
Their collective insights and recommendations influence every aspect of this program including speakers, topics, and technology partner participation.
As organizations face competing priorities, structural change, and mounting performance pressure, leaders are sometimes forced to deliver results while navigating ambiguity, misalignment, and limited top-down air cover. At the Atlanta CISO Dinner, Dr. Ed Harris and Stacy Hughes will lead a discussion on what it means to carry responsibility without consistent executive backing.
Drawing on practical leadership experience, the conversation will examine how to diagnose whether executive disengagement is situational or systemic, how to manage up using risk and ROI language, and how to build influence laterally when support from above is inconsistent. The discussion will also address how leaders can set boundaries, define their limits, and protect themselves from burnout while maintaining credibility and performance.
Participants will explore:
How to identify whether a lack of executive support is temporary turbulence or a long-term cultural signal
Strategies for managing up with data, building cross-functional alliances, and crafting executive-readable narratives
How to protect and strengthen your team’s performance and morale, even when clarity and sponsorship are limited
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Ed Harris Global Director Information Security Mauser Packaging Solutions
