Griffin: ‘[T]his summit will have national and international appeal’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin announced today that he will host a Cybersecurity Summit October 7-8, 2024, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock at no cost to attendees. The summit will feature the Director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Jen Easterly, as the keynote speaker. The summit will be held in cooperation with the fifth annual Forge Institute Cyber Summit, also taking place at the Statehouse Convention Center. Griffin released the following statement about the summit:

“Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as online technology advances. My office regularly deals with cybersecurity issues related to scams, data breaches, sexual exploitation, and other aspects of online criminal activity, so we are on the front lines of this fight every single day. I’m a big believer in the power of collaboration, so I am convening experts, stakeholders, policymakers, business owners, and the general public for two days in October. Some of the presentations will be held with the Forge Institute.

“While there will be plenty of Arkansas-specific concerns addressed, this much-needed summit will have national and international appeal as we bring in top experts in the field of cybersecurity. I am particularly thrilled that Jen Easterly, Director of CISA, will serve as our keynote speaker. I’ve known Jen for a long time, and there is no one in government more knowledgeable than her on the topic of cybersecurity.

“I am also proud to work with our private sector partners at the Forge Institute. Their cybersecurity expertise and capabilities are invaluable resources to our country, and working alongside such a strong, Arkansas-based organization like Forge makes sense for our event.”

The Cybersecurity Summit is free and open to the public, but attendees must register in advance and can do so by clicking here. More information about the summit will be made available in the coming months. All inquiries about the summit should be directed to the Office of the Attorney General at (501) 682-2007 or oag@arkansasag.gov.

To download a PDF of this release, click here.

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having
previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 27 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

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