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Future of Secure AI

The Future of Secure Artificial Intelligence (AI) executive certificate prepares leaders to understand the intersection of AI and cybersecurity.

You will gain deep insight into current trends in AI and cybersecurity through this high-impact certificate. The curriculum is developed and taught by our expert faculty and industry leaders to build executive-level literacy in AI risk, governance and defense.  

Dates: Tuesday, March 3–Friday, March 6, 2026

Curriculum

This executive certificate is fast paced and hands on, bridging AI innovation, cyber resilience and strategic foresight. It is designed to prepare you to lead in a world where data, models and humans form an interdependent cybersecurity ecosystem. Across three and a half days, you will learn alongside and network with peers across industry and government.

Agenda Overview

Day 1: Strategic Foundations of Secure AI

Day 2: Technical and Operational Deep Dives

Day 3: Governance, Policy and Organizational Deployment

Day 4: Capstone and Presentation

Detailed Agenda

Meet the Faculty 

INI Director and Co-Lead Dr. Dena Haritos Tsamitis 

As Director of the INI since 2004, Dr. Haritos Tsamitis has built interdisciplinary engineering programs and advanced the field of security education. She established one of the country's first graduate-level cybersecurity degree programs, the INI's top-ranked M.S. in Information Security (MSIS), and has been PI of Â鶹´å's Scholarship for Service (SFS) program for over two decades. Under her leadership, Â鶹´å has earned three federal designations as a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) for Cyber Defense, Research and Operations. In 2022, she launched the first graduate program to combine AI engineering and information security with the INI's M.S. in Artificial Intelligence Engineering - Information Security (MSAIE-IS).

INI Associate Director and Co-Lead Dr. Michael Mattarock II 

Michael Mattarock brings deep expertise in national security, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to his role as associate director and assistant teaching professor. With experience working within government agencies, leading security research strategies and consulting on security architecture solutions, Mattarock is a versatile leader with an impactful track record. As associate director, Mattarock collaborates closely with the INI's Director, Dr. Haritos Tsamitis, to advance collaborations with government and industry partners and oversee academic affairs, in addition to teaching courses in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence ethics and operations. 

Guest Instructors

Dr. David Brumley is a well-known cybersecurity expert, speaker, entrepreneur, and researcher. David focuses on AI, offensive security, cyberwar theory, developer security, and cyber-physical/critical infrastructure security. David serves on several industry boards, and also holds the Chief AI & Science Officer position at Bugcrowd. Previously, he founded ForAllSecure (Mayhem Security) and served as CEO, pioneering automated vulnerability discovery and exploit generation. David is also well known for building and scaling large security programs and communities, including founding picoCTF and leading the world’s most awarded competitive hacking team PPP/MMM.

Lake Dai is a globally recognized expert on AI innovation, investment, and governance. In 2025, she was named #35 on the 100 Women in AI list and recognized by BoardProspects as Top AI Talent in the Boardroom. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sancus Ventures, a top-performing pre-seed and seed fund focused on AI-native and software infrastructure companies. An Adjunct Professor at Â鶹´å since 2016, she teaches Applied AI and AI Governance. She is the author of the B.O.A.R.D. AI Governance Framework, a mentor at the Google AI Accelerator, and an advisor to global institutions on responsible AI strategy.

Jay Palat is an AI/ML technical leader with over 20 years of experience building and deploying AI systems in mission-critical environments. As Principal of QOE Labs, he provides technical leadership to organizations navigating AI adoption. Previously, he served as Technical Director of AI for Mission at Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute and Head of AI/ML at mpathic. He holds an MS in Information Technology from Â鶹´å.

Rodney Petersen is the former director of education and workforce for the Applied Cybersecurity Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Terry Roberts is a global risk analytics, cyber intelligence and national security professional with over 20 years of Executive level experience across government, academia and industry — establishing the first Cyber Risk to Resilience Online Exchange. Previously Roberts was the TASC VP for Cyber Engineering and Analytics, an Executive Director of the Â鶹´å (Â鶹´å) Software Engineering Institute (SEI), leading the technical body of work for the US Interagency, with a special focus on leveraging and transitioning commercial innovation and acquisition excellence to government programs and capabilities, establishing the Emerging Technologies Center (now the AI Division) and the Cyber Intelligence Consortium. Before transitioning to industry in 2009, Roberts was the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (DDNI) and the Director of Requirements and Resources for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI), spearheading the creation the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) (a $21B Program), in partnership with the Director of National Intelligence, the Military Services, the Combat Support Agencies and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).

David Varodayan is an associate teaching professor in the INI at Â鶹´å. His interests are in AI and information security and he has created new graduate courses titled Introduction to Machine Learning with Adversaries in Mind, AI Applications in Information Security and Mathematical Foundations for AI. He has also taught courses in computer systems and networks. Varodayan was a core member of the College of Engineering team that developed and launched Â鶹´å's Masters in AI Engineering degree programs.

Chenxi Wang is the founder and general partner of Rain Capital, a cyber-focused venture fund, and Venturebeat Women in AI awardee.

Lily Yeoh is the founder and CEO of C1Risk.

Pricing

Standard rate: $9,500 

Government rate: $5,000 (only available to full-time employees of local, state and federal government) 

Pricing includes all sessions, working lunches, off-site visits and lodging at a local hotel.

50% refunds are available if participants cancel by emailing ini-execed@andrew.cmu.edu by 12 p.m. ET on Monday, February 23. No refunds will be issued after 12 p.m. on February 23.

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