The people responsible for protecting everyone else deserve a community of their own.
That belief is the starting point for CISO Ascent. We are building a nationwide community where Chief Information Security Officers can form real friendships, spend time in extraordinary places, and support the communities that welcome us.
A Simple Question Became a Mission
The idea began with a conversation about what security leaders need beyond their work. What would it look like to give CISOs a place to step away, get outside, and build relationships with people who understand the responsibility they carry?
A place where you could arrive as yourself. Where a conversation had time to become a friendship. Where the people mattered as much as the destination.
We decided to build it. CISO Ascent brings that idea into focus through a community shaped by security leaders, for security leaders.
Relationships Worth Making Time For
The CISO role can be demanding and isolating. You spend your days making decisions, supporting teams, and carrying responsibilities that do not always end when the workday does.
Our vision is a circle of peers you can get to know beyond a title or a brief introduction. People you can learn from, share perspective with, and stay connected to after everyone returns home.
That takes time together. Our retreats are designed to create it, through shared trails, meals, and conversations with room to continue.
Connect. Collaborate. Recharge. Three words. A community we intend to build around them.
Why the Outdoors Belongs at the Center
National parks and the landscapes around them offer something difficult to find in a meeting room: room to slow down and pay attention.
A walk changes the pace of a conversation. A new landscape gives people a shared experience before they ever discuss work. Time outside creates an opportunity to recharge together.
These places are central to our vision. We want the experience to leave members with lasting memories and an appreciation for the landscapes that make those memories possible.
Giving Back Is Part of the Vision
We also want our presence to mean something to the places we visit. Giving back starts with an intention to be thoughtful guests, support local communities, and look for ways our gatherings can contribute.
Our first retreat is planned for Asheville, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains this October. As the region continues its recovery, we want to show up with care for the people and businesses that call it home.
The goal is to build a community whose value extends to its members and to the places that bring them together.
Help Shape the First Chapter
This is the beginning. We are bringing together cybersecurity leaders who believe that trust, generosity, and shared experience are worth making time for.
If that sounds like the kind of community you have been looking for, we would love to welcome you.
Membership is completely free. If you lead cybersecurity for your organization, apply to become a member. Once your application is approved, we will send you a retreat invitation.
Connect. Collaborate. Recharge.
Photography & credits
Landscape photograph from the CISO Ascent website collection.