MADISON, S.D., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Organizations are rolling out AI faster than they can govern it, and some of the sharpest minds in financial security are about to gather in one room to do something about it. SBS CyberSecurity has named the featured speakers for its inaugural Converge Cyber + AI Conference, headlined by KnowBe4 CISO advisor Erich Kron and social-engineering expert Brian Brushwood. Set for October 6–7, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska, the two-day event will feature 23 planned sessions across governance, technical, and AI tracks. It’s designed for the security teams, executives, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) leaders ready to move from AI experimentation to secure implementation.

Built for financial institutions, fintechs, and other regulated organizations, Converge trades lecture-first programming for workshops, panels, and interactive formats. Attendees can join AI labs, a live capture-the-flag (CTF) tournament, and a lockpick village where they explore physical security. It’s open to any organization working to build a secure, AI-enabled business.

“The lineup tells you what Converge is really about,” said SBS CyberSecurity President and Co-Founder Jon Waldman. “We brought in some of the best security practitioners, from a national leader in human risk to a former FDIC executive to the engineers writing the code, because they are living in this space right alongside us. But Converge isn’t just about listening to great talks. It’s about the experience. We’ve built it to be interactive, whether that’s engaging directly with speakers, collaborating with peers, working through hands-on sessions, or spending time in our AI labs and CTF challenges. The goal is for people to leave with real connections and a clearer sense of how to apply what they’ve learned when they get back to work.”

Among the featured speakers, two will anchor the program with keynotes. Kron, a CISSP-ISSAP and former security manager for the U.S. Army’s 2nd Regional Cyber Center, opens the conference with a human-centered look at why security’s hardest problem is the people using the technology. Brushwood, host of the YouTube channel Scam Nation and a longtime translator of cons and social engineering for mainstream audiences, closes it.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be speaking at Converge,” Brushwood said. “From the moment I heard about it, I was excited both by the focus on cutting-edge, boots-on-the-ground topics and by the commitment to usable takeaways. This is a must-not-miss event!”

Additional featured speakers bring firsthand experience setting policy and responding to incidents:

Michael Benardo, a 35-year FDIC veteran and former head of its Anti-Money Laundering and Cyber Fraud Branch, on cyber governance and where boards still fall shortTim Leonard, CIO of Commercial Bank of Texas, on wiring a personal AI command center from off-the-shelf partsChad Knutson, SBS CEO and co-founder, on executive decision-making during live incidents, deepfake and voice-cloning fraud, and AI governance that doesn’t stall innovation

The conference arrives at a useful moment for banks and credit unions. Examiners are starting to build AI into their expectations, yet many institutions still lack a clear picture of where AI is already in use across their environments and how to govern it. Previewed sessions, such as “From FFIEC to AI: What Examiners Will Expect Next,” are designed to close that gap with guidance leaders can defend.

Additional speakers and the full session schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. Registration is open at converge.sbscyber.com, where attendees can view the agenda and reserve a seat. Passes are $599, and a discounted room block is available at the DoubleTree by Hilton Omaha Downtown.

About SBS CyberSecurity: SBS CyberSecurity is focused on empowering your cybersecurity decisions. We provide robust risk management programs, IT audit services, and cybersecurity testing solutions, enabling you to protect your organization. For more information, visit sbscyber.com.

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SOURCE SBS CyberSecurity

Tenth stop of CIEE’s nationwide tour celebrated exceptional host employers and other community leaders of BridgeUSA in Michigan

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) was in historic Mackinac Island this week for the tenth stop on its nationwide BridgeUSA Celebration Tour that spotlights how international exchange programs powered by the U.S. Department of State are making America safer through diplomacy, stronger through global collaboration, and more prosperous through innovation and shared opportunity.

In picturesque Mackinac Island, CIEE honored supporters of the BridgeUSA Intern-Trainee program, which gives U.S. host organizations access to diverse, globally minded talent. CIEE also celebrated champions of the BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel program, which brings international college students to live and work in America during their university summer break, helping seasonal employers expand and extend the tourism season by an average of 50 days, contributing billions of dollars to the American economy each year.

BridgeUSA Makes America Safer and Stronger

BridgeUSA is one of America’s most powerful public diplomacy tools. By connecting future global leaders with American communities, it fosters mutual understanding, strengthens international relationships, and creates lifelong advocates for the United States around the world.

BridgeUSA Makes America More Prosperous

BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants enable thousands of local businesses to extend the duration of their peak-season sales surge, which, in turn, allows local businesses to employ more Americans for a longer seasonal period.

About the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour

In 2025, the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration tour visited: family-favorite Kentucky Kingdom, stunning Yellowstone National Park, majestic Big Sky, Montana, beloved Myrtle Beach, and historic San Antonio. The 2026 leg of the tour kicked off with a March visit to premier ski destination Park City. Future stops include fun-filled Wisconsin Dells in August and vibrant Ocean City, Maryland, in September.

If you are interested in participating in a future CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration event, please reach out to Carye Duffin, CIEE Senior Vice President of External Affairs, at CDuffin@ciee.org.

About CIEE:

CIEE builds bridges between different people, different countries, and different cultures. For nearly 80 years, we have helped young people participate in high-quality international exchange and study abroad programs that bring the world together. Since 1947, CIEE has supported more than 1.5 million student exchanges for participants from more than 140 countries. We change lives, our alumni change the world. Learn more at ciee.org. 

Media Contact: Leslie Taylor, ltaylor@ciee.org, (207) 553-4274

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SOURCE Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings and consumer advice, today announced a new partnership with ScoreSmart, a leading digital platform for high-quality SAT and ACT practice tests.

While the two companies serve the same audience of college-bound students and their families, they provide distinct pieces of the admissions puzzle. Together, the partnership connects practice test performance with the admissions data needed to understand what those scores actually mean — giving students a clearer, more complete picture earlier in their college search.

“Students and their families come to U.S. News to understand specific details about the schools they are considering,” said Eric Gertler, executive chairman & CEO, U.S. News & World Report. “Combining what we do with ScoreSmart’s trusted practice testing gives students and families a more robust ability to make informed decisions about the college process and identify which institutions would be the right fit for them.”

“This partnership reflects how U.S. News continues to expand the ways we deliver value to students and families,” said Neil Maheshwari, CFO & COO, U.S. News & World Report. “By integrating with a platform as trusted as ScoreSmart, we’re meeting students at an earlier, more critical point in their journey — while they’re still building the scores and profile that will shape their college options.”

“Practice tests give you a score, but that score is meaningless without context,” said Neil Seltzer, co-founder of ScoreSmart. “U.S. News is that context. This partnership puts that comparison right at students’ fingertips, so a practice score isn’t just an abstract number — it becomes a goal, a means to an end that helps justify the effort it takes to improve.”

“Students often know their practice test score, but not what that score means for the schools they’re actually targeting,” said Sonya Muthalia, co-founder of ScoreSmart. “By connecting our practice testing data with U.S. News’ admissions insights, we’re helping students set realistic, motivating goals from day one — instead of guessing.”

ScoreSmart is recognized as one of the most trusted practice testing platforms in the test-prep industry, while U.S. News has long been a highly respected, go-to resource for unbiased college research and rankings. The partnership reflects a shared goal between the two companies: making the college admissions process more transparent and data-driven for students and families.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, insurance, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services. 

About ScoreSmart
ScoreSmart is a digital platform offering high-quality, realistic practice tests for the SAT, ACT, ISEE, and SHSAT. Built to help students understand exactly where they stand and how to improve, ScoreSmart is used by over two hundred of the top test prep tutors and tutoring companies in the world.

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.