Securing human identity is the foundation of national security, global commerce, and technological trust. Identity Week America 2026 will draw over 3,000 professionals, 250 exhibitors, and a powerful line-up of speakers, serving as the convergence point for the entire identity ecosystem.
Across two days, technologists, leaders, and policymakers will anchor the main stage. It’s time to meet the keynotes driving the conversation!
National security & the professionalised workforce
With deepfakes and sophisticated cyber warfare defining the moment, the event will focus on the formalisation of identity security as a recognised discipline.
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Diane Sabatino (Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Managing the CBP’s $6.5 billion budget, Sabatino will deliver a vital keynote titled, “The Unseen Shield: Professionalizing America’s Identity Workforce for National Security.” She will argue that while identity is the foundation for countering modern threats, the thousands of government professionals performing this work lack unified standards and formal career tracks. Her proposed solution? Establishing a professionalised corps of identity experts modelled after cyber and intelligence fields.
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Warren Harris (Chief, Identity Intelligence Division [I2D], Department of War)
Harris is responsible for establishing and providing policy, guidance, and direction for Identity Intelligence (I2) and Biometrics (BX) across the Department of War. His presence underscores the critical, high-stakes intersection of identity data and defence strategy.
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Janice Kephart (CEO, Identity Strategy Partners)
Kephart famously served as Counsel to the 9/11 Commission. Her authorship in the Final Report calling for systems to “assure a person is who they say they are” fundamentally reshaped modern travel and border infrastructure.
Proactive architecture
Industry leaders are challenging legacy technology belief systems.
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Jay Meier (Chief Identity Technology Strategist, FaceTec, Inc.)
In his presentation, “Reactive or Proactive? Why the Architecture Matters,” Meier will address the fundamental flaws in traditional systems that only catch breaches after the fact. He will dive into why binding identity and biometric data strictly to devices, rather than to each other, leaves ecosystems vulnerable, offering a blueprint for a proactive architecture that binds verified identities directly to the human and their explicit entitlements.
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Ryan Loftus (Chief of Trust & Safety, JPMorgan Chase)
A 26-year veteran in the banking sector, Loftus oversees Consumer and Community Banking efforts to combat fraud. His keynote will address how major financial institutions can deploy proactive authentication and identity orchestration to stay steps ahead of global fraud syndicates.
Keynote panel: Seamless travel pathways
How does high-level identity security translate to the traveller on the ground? This keynote panel will explicitly break down the operational data behind modern travel infrastructure.
“Seamless travel – Pilots, passenger pathways, and progress”
This panel brings together international aviation innovators and border strategists to evaluate how digital travel credentials (DTC) and biometric frameworks are reshaping transit. The discussion will feature:
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Ha Nguyen McNeill (Senior Official Performing the Duties of Administrator, TSA) – Leading strategic change and innovation at the agency since her appointment as Deputy Administrator in April 2025.
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Maurice Jenkins (Chief Innovation Officer, Miami International Airport)
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Albert van Veen (VP Innovation & Chief Information Officer, Vancouver Airport Authority)
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Phillip Washington (Chief Executive Officer, Denver International Airport)
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Michelle Wilson (Owner & CEO, Blue Cavalry Solutions Inc.)
The panelists are set to analyse real performance data from recent biometric boarding pilots, tackle the hurdles of cross-border interoperability (including ICAO frameworks), and discuss the delicate balance between public sector data privacy mandates and commercial traveller convenience.
Identity Week America 2026 kicks off September 2–3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C.
