Board of Directors
Naeem Babri
Chapter Advisor
Naeem Babri is a Cyber Risk Manager at T-Mobile with a day-to-day focus on risk assessments, information security, and security controls. Naeem has been a member of the T-Mobile Security team since 2011. His strong knowledge base of security, project management, and IT operations and support has led to various roles at Sprint/T-Mobile.
He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Naeem is an avid marathon runner and patron of the arts. Naeem Babri has served as ISSA-KC Chapter President since 2014.
Nichole Windholz
President
Nichole Windholz has spent over twenty years in Information Technology and Security. In her current role as a CISO, she focuses on Risk Management, Business Resiliency, and Incident Response.Nichole spent her early security career leading multiple areas of security, including Security Architecture, App Sec, Operations, and Incident Response. During this time, she led and built out a Cyber Security Incident Response Center for a global fortune 500 company.
In addition to her wide range of professional achievements, Nichole is a Founding Member and President of Women in Security-Kansas City (WISKC) and the President for the ISSA Greater Kansas City Chapter. During her tenure with ISSA and Women in Security, Nichole has focused her considerable talents on outreach and mentoring those interested in a career in security and is passionate about sharing her Cybersecurity knowledge, along with connecting others in the industry with up and coming talent.
Nichole also holds multiple certifications: CISSP, CISM, PMP, ITIL
Cybersecurity and security leader with extensive experience across information systems, cyber operations, and physical security. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he previously served as a Security Forces Supervisor and Security Controller, and brings additional background in civilian law enforcement.
He currently serves as Cybersecurity Program Director supporting the USDA’s Information Security Center, leading multiple divisions including the Security Operations Center (SOC), Infrastructure, Program Management, and Security Management, as well as privacy and executive support functions. His experience includes serving as a Virtual CISO for healthcare organizations, conducting security risk assessments nationwide, and advising on frameworks such as HIPAA/HITECH, NIST, and CIS.
He is an active member of the cybersecurity community, serving on the Board of Directors for ISSA Kansas City and participating in several professional organizations. Known for strong leadership and communication, he effectively engages both executive and technical audiences while leading high-performing teams.
Wai Sheng Cheng
Director of Membership
WS Cheng has been a member of the ISSA KC Chapter since 2012 and has served the ISSA KC Chapter as Director of Membership since 2017. He is currently an Information Security & Risk Manager at a law firm headquartered in Kansas City. Mr. Cheng is a regular at DefCon and BSides.
He holds a master’s degree in Information Systems Engineering and is certified as a CISSP, CISA, and CISM.
Kristin Russell has been in the cybersecurity and governance, risk, and compliance space for 12 years, helping organizations find technology solutions that solve their biggest challenges. She is well-versed in third-party risk management, regulatory compliance, and software business justification. Outside of working hours, Kristin enjoys volunteering with Women in Security - Kansas City, the Kansas City Jazz Women's Rugby Club, and KCUR's Generation Listen.
Chris Bentley
Director of Certification
Chris Bentley is the Sr Security Engineer at Onspring Technologies in Overland Park, KS where he has been a member of the overall IT staff since April of 2020. Prior to that Chris worked in the MSP space building the Support and Network Administration departments at Network Technologies where he ultimately served as consultative vCIO for roughly 30 different companies.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Cybersecurity along with multiple industry-relevant certifications including the CISSP, CCSP, and SSCP.
ISSA Kansas City chapter brought Chris onboard in October of 2024 as the Directory of Certification.
