Shawnee Delaney Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerShawnee Delaney

Decorated Intelligence Officer, Investigator, and Insider Threat Subject Matter Expert

Shawnee Delaney is the founder and CEO of Vaillance Group. Shawnee spent nearly a decade with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) as a decorated Clandestine Services Officer conducting Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations all over the world. She served four combat zone tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Case Officer... Read More

Biography

Shawnee Delaney is the founder and CEO of Vaillance Group. Shawnee spent nearly a decade with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) as a decorated Clandestine Services Officer conducting Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations all over the world. She served four combat zone tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Case Officer and Detachment Chief and served as a Supervisory Branch Chief in Europe.

After leaving DIA, Shawnee supported the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the protection of U.S. critical infrastructure and industrial control systems for the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). Shawnee has built Insider Threat programs for major Fortune 500 companies.

Shawnee Delaney holds an M.A. in International Policy Studies with a Specialization in Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Proliferation, a M.S. in Cyber Security and is currently in process of getting her third Masters in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. She has written articles or been cited on Insider Threat in publications such as the Cipher Brief, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, the Hill, and the Financial Times, among other international periodicals.

"Shawnee Delaney is that unique, once-in-a-lifetime gifted speaker with an amazing ability to blend the art of intelligence with the art of storytelling with her audiences. She is a clandestine warrior who excelled in recruitment operations directed against human intelligence (HUMINT) sources. Shawnee is the perfect storyteller. Her stories are timeless and authentic. She delivers her material flawlessly and the sources Shawnee recruited over the years were captivated by her magnetic personality and hypnotized by stories of her experiences in the world of espionage, both government and corporate. Your audiences will be equally enamored." Darrell M. Blocker AKA “The Spy Whisperer”, Former CIA Station Chief, Retired CIA senior operative
Shawnee was fantastic and our attendees LOVED her so much! We all did, such a wonderful speaker to work with. Chelsey Byrd, Speaker Management Specialist, ISACA
"I've had the pleasure of working with Shawnee Delaney as a panelist on a webinar we hosted about insider threat. Her contribution was integral to the success of the event. She had compelling stories to tell and had a great flow throughout. Her answers to the questions posted by the host and the audience were on point and she kept the audience engaged. All in all Shawnee is a talented and respected speaker and I would jump at the opportunity to collaborate with her not just on training events but on overall Insider Threat expertise." Gabriel Friedlander, Founder & CEO, Wizer, Inc & Co-Founder, ObserveIT
"Our firm has provided superior training to major law enforcement, government and private sector organizations for many years. Shawnee Delaney was brought in for a recent collaboration to provide half-day Insider Threat training to high level law enforcement and private sector personnel. Shawnee’s ability to include exactly the right amount of information, paced perfectly throughout the half day, in a way that was incredibly engaging has resulted in the highest rated training delivered in this arena. Not only did we receive considerable feedback on the value of the materials being provided, we have been asked to provide additional training with Shawnee as soon as possible. Shawnee is a true professional who knows the ins and outs of the threat that insiders pose. If you or your organization are part of US critical infrastructure and do not have a comprehensive insider threat program - Vaillance Group is where you can’t go wrong." Roque Wicker, President and CEO, Counter-Terrorism Watch, Inc.
"My first interaction with Shawnee Delaney was through participating in an Insider Threat training through the Infragard program in 2020. Shawnee mastered a four hour virtual journey that was superbly laid out for flow of content and peppered with engaging real-life stories. Her ability to bring the threat of insider risks to life, in a way that gives the audience a digestible path to initiate an appropriate plan of their own, thrilled me. I have personally trained thousands of cybersecurity providers and my own techniques were improved by watching Shawnee in action. I have since become a loyal follower of her training programs and have recommended her as the go-to expert in everything Insider Threat." Joy Beland, CISM, SSAP, Senior Cybersecurity Consultant, Edwards Performance Solutions

Popular Talks by Shawnee Delaney

  • Human Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity: Strategies for Mitigating Social Engineering and Insider Threats
    This presentation will provide an overview on what the term “insider threat” actually encompasses, from unintentional acts to malicious acts, and everything in between. It will provide details and case studies on malicious insider acts, psychological motivations of a malicious actor, and the Critical Pathway. The Critical Pathway, as identified...
  • The Art of Espionage: Understanding the Fundamentals of Spycraft
    Espionage is real and is all around us. Think you would never be recruited as a spy? Think again. In this presentation you will learn from a former Case Officer – a Spy – how she used to target and recruit people just like you. From elicitation at airport gates...
  • Inside the Shadows: A Spy's Guide to Understanding Espionage and Protecting Your Organization
    Espionage isn’t just a plot in thrillers; it’s a real and present danger. Doubtful you could be enticed into the world of spying? Think again. Our speaker, a former Case Officer (spy) , will unveil her methods for identifying and recruiting individuals across various industries—revealing tactics from casual conversations at...
  • Stealing Innovation: Understanding the Threat of Corporate Espionage and Intellectual Property Theft
    Given by a former spy, this talk provides details on the different types of espionage and how they can affect your organization. It will cover industrial espionage, corporate espionage, and foreign espionage in detail, offering examples of motivations to conduct espionage, costs, how spies are recruited, and case studies on...
  • Guarding Your Ideas: Strategies for Protecting Intellectual Property Against Espionage and Theft
    There are a variety of motivations for conducting theft of intellectual property and/or trade secrets. This talk will cover the various types of Intellectual property theft, differences between intellectual property, trade secrets, and protected information. It will include suggestions for how to better protect this information and what threats are...
  • Beyond Hiring and Firing: Maximizing Organizational Performance through Effective Employment Lifecycle Management
    An employee’s lifecycle encompasses several stages throughout their career. This begins with recruitment and concludes with resignation, retirement, or termination. This talk addresses how organizations can establish an employment lifecycle program in order to give employees consistency throughout their careers and teaches you how to prevent insider threats as a...
  • The Invisible Threat: Safeguarding Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets against Malicious Actors
    There are a variety of motivations for conducting theft of intellectual property and/or trade secrets. This talk will cover the various types of Intellectual property theft, differences between intellectual property, trade secrets, and protected information. It will include suggestions for how to better protect this information and what threats are...
  • From Espionage to Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned as a Spy Turned Business Owner
    In this talk Shawnee will cover the challenges of being an entrepreneur and how she overcame them while starting two new businesses. Drawing from her expertise in the cybersecurity and human intelligence worlds she will share techniques she uses daily in her business to mitigate risks, manage the employment lifecycle,...
  • Dark Corners: Exploring the Hidden Dangers of Insider Threat and Extremism
    This talk provides an in-depth analysis of extremism and insider threat, exploring the causes, characteristics, and consequences of these phenomena. The course will cover different types of extremism, such as religious, political, and ideological extremism, and examine their commonalities and differences. Shawnee will share case studies of extremist groups and...
  • Ransomware: Understanding, Prevention, and Response
    This course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of ransomware, a type of malware that encrypts victim’s files and demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key. Ransomware has become one of the most pervasive and damaging forms of cybercrime, with attacks on individuals, businesses, and governments...
  • The Stress Connection: How Stress Can Create Insider Threats
    Stress is a common factor in our daily lives, and it can have significant impacts on our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. However, stress can also have unintended consequences in the workplace, including creating an environment that fosters insider threats. This talk will explore the relationship between stress and insider...
  • Unseen Perils: Navigating the Insider Threat Landscape in a Wireless World
    In this insightful talk, we delve into the intriguing intersection of RF technology and the insider threat landscape. Radio Frequencies, while invisible, wield immense power and are the backbone of wireless communication systems. However, their pervasive presence also brings about vulnerabilities that can be exploited by insiders, posing significant security...
  • Unveiling the Intersection of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Insider Threat
    Have you heard of a deep fake? Would you or your family fall for one? Dive into the dynamic world of artificial intelligence and its intricate relationship with the insider threat landscape. As AI continues to reshape industries, it simultaneously introduces new dimensions of vulnerabilities within organizations that insiders can...
  • Digital Wellness: The Art of Maintaining Your Cyber Health
    In our increasingly digital world, the lines between the health of our bodies and the security of our online lives blur more each day. “Digital Wellness: The Art of Maintaining Your Cyber Health” is not just a talk; it’s a journey through the fascinating parallels between personal health care and...