Book Heather Case-Hall to Speak
Data and AI risk in plain language: what’s exposed, why it matters, and what to fix first.
Keynote Speaker
Speaking with Heather Case-Hall
Heather helps audiences find out what their data is telling the world before AI tells it for them. She talks about data and AI risk in plain language: what's exposed, why it matters, and what to fix first. Her talks are built on real stories, from the Army to the boardroom to the family phone call that might not be your kid. People laugh, and then they go check their settings.
After nearly three decades in IT, starting in the U.S. Army, Heather kept hearing security leaders say some version of "this is our third DSPM tool and I don't know what to do next," so she poured her policies, procedures, and field notes into a book. Data in Plain Sight, and every talk on this page, comes back to one idea: AI rarely creates an organization's data problems; it inherits them, which is why the work starts with your data.
Formats: in-person keynotes, virtual sessions, workshops, executive briefings, panels, and moderated fireside chats.
Talks
AI Didn't Break In. We Let It In.
Why most AI data risk starts with access you already approved.
Most AI data risk doesn't start with a hacker. It starts with a yes: an approved user, an approved tool, an approved connection to data nobody remembered was there. Heather walks audiences through the closets organizations stopped opening, starting with an Army data spill she was told to stop looking into. It's a story about what happens when data outlives anyone's memory of it. You'll laugh, and you'll leave with five questions to answer before AI answers them for you.
Best for: conferences, industry associations, universities, company all-hands, security and IT leadership events. Formats: keynote, fireside, virtual keynote.
You leave with: Five questions to answer before AI answers them for you.
Nobody Hacked Notepad. It Got an Update.
Where AI is showing up in the everyday software you already use.
Heather's favorite little tool for quick notes and config snippets recently picked up AI. Nobody hacked it. It got an update. AI is quietly showing up inside the software you already trust, and most people find out by accident. This talk is a friendly tour of where AI is hiding in plain sight, why "authorized" doesn't automatically mean "appropriate," and the habit of checking what changed before you paste. Her rule of thumb: if it was updated in the last six months, there's probably AI in it.
Best for: employee all-hands, security awareness programs, small business groups, chambers of commerce, IT and help desk teams. Formats: keynote, lunch-and-learn, virtual session, panel.
You leave with: A quick habit for spotting new AI in tools you already trust.
Don't Trust the Voice. Trust the Callback.
A simple rule for families and workplaces facing AI voice scams.
Your phone rings. It's your daughter, she's crying, and she needs help right now. Every instinct says act. Heather's rule says: "I love you. I'm hanging up. I'll call you back." Then you call back on a number you already know. In this practical, very human talk, Heather explains how AI voice scams use love and urgency against us, and why a callback beats a good ear every time. No tech background required, just a phone and people you'd do anything for.
Best for: community and civic groups, families, senior and caregiver organizations, finance and front-office teams, small businesses. Formats: community talk, lunch-and-learn, virtual session, TV or radio segment.
You leave with: A family callback rule anyone can use the same day.
We Are Data Hoarders.
Why keeping everything is a risk, and what to ask before anything goes into AI.
Think about every photo since your first baby was born, every W-2, every tax return, sitting on a drive somewhere. Now picture your company's version of that. Heather's point is simple: we keep data because deleting it feels like a decision, and nobody wants to make it. Before anything gets uploaded into AI, she asks four questions. Who owns it? What's in it? When will you delete it? Why is it being uploaded into AI? Forgotten data is still data.
Best for: business and general audiences, records and privacy teams, legal and compliance, IT leaders. Formats: keynote, workshop, panel.
You leave with: Four questions to ask before any data goes into AI.
The Lights Are On. Now Who Cleans the Closet?
How leaders turn data security findings into owners and real risk reduction.
Plenty of organizations have bought a tool that finds their sensitive data. Fewer know what to do the morning after the first scan. Heather has heard "this is our third DSPM tool and I don't know what to do next" more than once, and the problem is rarely the tool. Discovery shows you the mess. Owners and decisions clean it up. This session helps leaders turn findings into owners and measure what actually got safer, because outputs are not outcomes.
Best for: CISOs, CIOs, boards, executive teams, data and privacy leaders, organizations preparing an AI rollout. Formats: executive briefing, workshop, fireside, panel.
You leave with: A plan to turn scan findings into owners and real outcomes.
Never Underestimate the Person Who Wasn't Supposed to Be in the Room
A veteran's path from the enlisted ranks to cybersecurity leadership.
Heather didn't take the traditional road into cybersecurity. She served 22 years in the U.S. Army and rose through the enlisted ranks to become a warrant officer. Along the way she was often the person nobody expected in the room, and she learned to speak up anyway. This is a candid, funny talk about learning fast and leading before anyone hands you permission. Built for anyone who's been told to wait their turn.
Best for: veterans' organizations, transitioning service members, women in tech groups, employee resource groups, students and career changers. Formats: keynote, fireside, panel, mentoring session.
You leave with: Permission to lead anyway, and how to learn fast.
Fireside Chat: Ask Heather Anything
An open Q&A on AI, your data, and how she wrote a book with AI's help.
Heather wrote a book about protecting data from AI, with help from AI, and she'll gladly tell you how. A host and the audience steer this one: how years of client policies and field notes became Data in Plain Sight, how to secure AI and how to use AI to help secure us, and what she checks first before connecting a new tool. It was self-published and self-edited. She wouldn't recommend that part.
Best for: conferences, book events, podcasts, association meetings, leadership offsites. Formats: moderated fireside, virtual fireside, podcast.
You leave with: Straight answers on writing with AI and securing it.
Formats
In-person keynote
Opening, closing or featured session.
Virtual session
Live online talk with Q&A.
Workshop
Hands-on, for teams ready to act.
Executive briefing
For boards and leadership teams.
Panel
Panelist or moderator.
Fireside chat
Moderated conversation, in person or virtual.
Who it's for
Conferences & associations · Security & IT leadership · Boards & executives · Company all-hands · Community & civic groups · Veterans' organizations · Women in tech · Universities & students
Fees and travel
Heather accepts paid, English-language engagements, in person or virtual, and local events she can attend in person. Fees on request.
Copies for Your Attendees
Pair a talk with Data in Plain Sight, Heather's practical field guide to finding, classifying and protecting sensitive data before AI exposes it. Bulk orders are available for events, teams and book clubs.
What People Are Saying
"Heather provides clarity on the priorities that matter most to modern businesses in the age of AI. Where so many security practitioners are focused on the latest buzz words, Heather emphasizes the importance of understanding data as the foundation of cyber governance and control strategies." Micah T.
"Heather has that rare combination of deep knowledge and the ability to genuinely connect with her audience. She takes complex topics like AI and data security and makes them relatable, engaging, and thought-provoking. What stood out to me wasn't just her expertise, but the authenticity and energy she brought to the room. I left with a deeper appreciation for the subject and a genuine respect for her ability to educate, engage, and inspire." Charlene S.
"Heather's example of an AI robot dog as a school fundraiser prize really stuck with me. It's a good reminder to ask what these devices collect, where that data goes, and who has access before we bring them home." Doug Y.
Check a date - have your audience check their settings.
Tell Heather about your event below: your organization, date, location, audience size, and format. She'll reply by email.