Keynote SpeakerShawnee Delaney

Popular Talks by Shawnee Delaney

• The Human Factor: What Working in Espionage Taught Me About Behavior, Trust, and the People Around You

  Before someone will betray their country, they must trust you completely. Shawnee Delaney spent nearly a decade as a clandestine case officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency recruiting and running spies in denied areas, hostile environments, and combat zones. Her job wasn’t just gathering intelligence. It was engineering trust under… Read more

  Before someone will betray their country, they must trust you completely.

  Shawnee Delaney spent nearly a decade as a clandestine case officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency recruiting and running spies in denied areas, hostile environments, and combat zones. Her job wasn’t just gathering intelligence. It was engineering trust under the most adversarial conditions imaginable, with people who had every reason not to trust anyone.

  What she learned is that trust isn’t a feeling. It’s a system. And the same psychological principles that drive an asset to hand over classified information shape every high-stakes relationship in business – with your team, your clients, your board, and your adversaries.

  In this session, Shawnee decodes the operational science behind human connection: how intelligence professionals identify what drives a person, establish influence without manipulation, and build relationships that hold under pressure. You’ll walk away understanding how trust is actually constructed, where it breaks down, and what it costs you when it does.

  This isn’t soft skills. This is tradecraft.

• The Human Factor: A Spy’s Guide to Social Engineering and Insider Threats

  Before Shawnee Delaney protected secrets, she stole them. As a former clandestine case officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency, Shawnee’s job was to identify vulnerable insiders, exploit their motivations, and turn them into sources. She was, by definition, an insider threat — and she was very good at it. Now… Read more

  Before Shawnee Delaney protected secrets, she stole them.

  As a former clandestine case officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency, Shawnee’s job was to identify vulnerable insiders, exploit their motivations, and turn them into sources. She was, by definition, an insider threat — and she was very good at it.

  Now she’s on your side. And she’s here to tell you the threat you’re most worried about isn’t coming through the firewall. It’s already sitting at a desk down the hall.

  In this high-stakes, story-driven keynote, Shawnee brings the case files to life — the kinds of incidents that sound impossible until they land on your desk. A nun embezzling $835,000 to fund a gambling habit. An airline technician who weaponized his own security badge. Drawing on her investigations and the real-world cases she’s tracked throughout her career, Shawnee shows you what insider betrayal actually looks like — and why it almost never looks the way you’d expect.

  Insider threats are not just a cybersecurity problem. They’re a human problem. And with the average data breach now costing organizations $4.45 million, and IP theft draining the U.S. economy of up to $600 billion a year, the cost of getting it wrong has never been higher.

  Drawing on her intelligence career, her deep expertise in behavioral science, and the Critical Pathway model used to predict insider risk, Shawnee maps the journey from frustrated employee to full-blown threat — and shows you what to look for before it’s too late.

• Inside the Shadows: A Spy’s Guide to Understanding Espionage and Protecting Your Organization

  Espionage is not just the stuff of thrillers—it’s a very real and growing risk for organizations of all sizes. Think you’re too wary to be recruited into the world of spies? Think again. Shawnee Delaney, a former Case Officer, pulls back the curtain on the sophisticated methods spies use to… Read more

  Espionage is not just the stuff of thrillers—it’s a very real and growing risk for organizations of all sizes. Think you’re too wary to be recruited into the world of spies? Think again. Shawnee Delaney, a former Case Officer, pulls back the curtain on the sophisticated methods spies use to identify, target, and recruit insiders across industries—from casual chats in airport lounges to high-stakes surveillance operations.

  In this eye-opening keynote, you’ll delve deep into the secrets of espionage tradecraft and discover how these tactics threaten your organization every day.

  This keynote will illuminate the shadowy tactics used by hackers, nation-states, and organized crime groups—revealing how espionage remains alive and evolving. Arm yourself with clear, actionable takeaways to detect, deter, and defend against both human operatives and cyber threats targeting your organization.

• SPY vs. AI: Defending Against AI's Threats to Your Life, Loved Ones & Livelihood

  What happens when the tradecraft of a spy meets the speed of artificial intelligence? In this riveting keynote, former Defense Intelligence Agency case officer Shawnee Delaney reveals how the same manipulation techniques she once used to steal secrets in war zones are now being automated by AI — at a… Read more

  What happens when the tradecraft of a spy meets the speed of artificial intelligence? In this riveting keynote, former Defense Intelligence Agency case officer Shawnee Delaney reveals how the same manipulation techniques she once used to steal secrets in war zones are now being automated by AI — at a speed, scale, and precision that no human operative could ever match. Drawing from real-world cases — a cloned voice that fooled a grandmother at 2 a.m., North Korean operatives hired through LinkedIn, a deepfake that nearly duped a Ferrari executive, and AI-powered romance scams running 200 victims simultaneously, Shawnee exposes how attackers weaponize trust to socially engineer and target individuals, families, and businesses alike.

   

• Watched, Tracked, and Hacked: How Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance Controls Your Life (and What You Can Do About It)

  Surveillance isn’t coming. It’s already here. From smartphones and smart homes to vehicles, workplace badges, and children’s devices, data is constantly collected, analyzed, and monetized. What feels like convenience is often continuous exposure. In this keynote, Shawnee Delaney pulls back the curtain on Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance (UTS) and explains how… Read more

  Surveillance isn’t coming. It’s already here.

  From smartphones and smart homes to vehicles, workplace badges, and children’s devices, data is constantly collected, analyzed, and monetized. What feels like convenience is often continuous exposure.

  In this keynote, Shawnee Delaney pulls back the curtain on Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance (UTS) and explains how everyday technologies quietly influence privacy, security, and decision-making.

  Drawing from intelligence tradecraft and real-world targeting tactics, she translates complex surveillance ecosystems into practical, understandable insights for leaders, parents, and professionals alike.

  Attendees will learn:

  • How common technologies double as intelligence collection platforms
  • How metadata is leveraged by criminals, corporations, and foreign adversaries
  • Why convenience has become one of the greatest modern vulnerabilities
  • How surveillance subtly reshapes behavior and increases risk

  Participants leave with clear, practical steps to reduce exposure, regain control, and make informed decisions in a world where data has become currency.

• Under Pressure: The Hidden Link Between Stress and Insider Threats

  No one wakes up and decides to become an insider threat. But pressure changes people. In this keynote, Shawnee unpacks what most organizations miss: stress is not just a wellness issue. It’s a risk multiplier. Burnout. Financial strain. Job dissatisfaction. Lack of support. These are not just HR concerns. They… Read more

  No one wakes up and decides to become an insider threat. But pressure changes people.

  In this keynote, Shawnee unpacks what most organizations miss: stress is not just a wellness issue. It’s a risk multiplier.

  Burnout. Financial strain. Job dissatisfaction. Lack of support. These are not just HR concerns. They are precursors to mistakes, policy violations, data leakage, and in some cases, malicious action.

  Drawing from real insider cases, behavioral science, and her experience recruiting vulnerable insiders as a former intelligence officer, Shawnee shows how pressure quietly erodes judgment and increases susceptibility to manipulation, coercion, and poor decision-making.

  This session will help leaders:

  • Recognize behavioral shifts before they become incidents
  • Understand how stress increases vulnerability to recruitment and compromise
  • Identify early warning indicators across teams
  • Build cultures that reduce risk without creating paranoia

  Because insider threats rarely begin with espionage. They begin with pressure. If you want to prevent the breach, start by understanding the human behind it.

• Raising Digital Natives: Protecting Kids in a Hyper-Connected World

  Every tap, swipe, and click is shaping your child’s world—are you ready to protect them? Today’s kids aren’t just using technology—they’re growing up in it. From YouTube rabbit holes to online gaming and social media, the digital world is their playground, their classroom, and sometimes, their greatest risk. In this… Read more

  Every tap, swipe, and click is shaping your child’s world—are you ready to protect them?

  Today’s kids aren’t just using technology—they’re growing up in it. From YouTube rabbit holes to online gaming and social media, the digital world is their playground, their classroom, and sometimes, their greatest risk. In this engaging, eye-opening keynote, we’ll uncover:

  • The real risks of online gaming (Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, Dune)—who’s really talking to your child?
  • How social media and YouTube affect developing brains (spoiler: it’s not all bad, but it’s not all good either)
  • Online predators, cyberbullying, and digital addiction—what every parent needs to know
  • Smart strategies to keep kids safe without extreme restrictions (yes, it’s possible!)

  This talk is not about fear—it’s about empowerment. You’ll walk away with practical tools, real-world examples, and expert insights to help your child thrive safely in a world where screens are unavoidable. Because in today’s digital age, parenting isn’t just about teaching kids to look both ways before crossing the street—it’s about teaching them to navigate the online world without getting lost in it.

• 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… Read more

  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 result.  It also provides a framework to understand important interdependencies, touchpoints, interactions, and gaps in insider protection strategies.

  It will cover:

  • What is an insider threat?
  • What is employment lifecycle management?
  • How the human factor impacts organizations
  • Best practices for mitigating insider threat by managing the employment lifecycle

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