CMMC Agenda for DIBCON26
DIBCON 2026 is one of the best places to connect with the right people to get your CMMC compliance squared away.
This year, we’ll have exhibitors and speakers including ISI, A3 Vallum, and Auditwerx, among others, to help your company navigate the evolving CMMC landscape.
If CMMC is on your roadmap, DIBCON is where those conversations happen.
“The number of people I was able to connect and collaborate with was extraordinary. In fact, we met our CMMC C3PAO provider at last year’s conference.”
Panel - AI and CMMC: Managing Data Risk in the Age of Automation
As defense contractors rapidly adopt AI tools across their workflows, questions are emerging about how those tools interact with CMMC and NIST 800-171 requirements. This panel explores the compliance risks, data governance challenges, and practical safeguards organizations must consider as AI enters the defense supply chain.
Panelists:
Michael Brooks, CMMC Strategy and Engagement Director, A-LIGN
Craig Pfister, VP of Sales Engineering, Kiteworks
Moderator:
Harout Katerjian, CEO, Emgage
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Regency Ballroom D
Workshop - How to Hack CMMC Auditors
In this session, we’ll break down the auditor mindset: how C3PAOs evaluate scope, what triggers deeper scrutiny, how interviews shape outcomes, and why “almost compliant” often means noncompliant. We’ll highlight common mistakes in evidence presentation, SSP alignment, POA&M handling, interview prep, physical security validation, and control inheritance assumptions.
Speakers:
Harout Katerjian, CEO, Emgage
Michael Brooks, CMMC Strategy and Engagement Director, A-LIGN
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Executive Ballroom
Workshop - Preparing for CMMC: Think Like an Assessor
Learn how certified assessors evaluate objectives—not just the 110 controls—and how to align documentation and artifacts to reduce stress, cost, and surprises.
William Price, AAA Vallum Consulting
2:15pm - 3:00pm
Executive Ballroom
Panel - CMMC IS HERE - Enforcement, Readiness, and Risk in 2026
A situational awareness briefing on how primes are enforcing compliance, where contractors are misaligned, and which trends will shape competitiveness in the coming year.
Panelists:
Victor Cich, Manager of Compliance Consulting, RADICL
David Chergosky, public sector cybersecurity leader, Carahsoft
John Nolan, VP of Compliance, ISI
Moderator:
Derek Kernus, CEO, Aethon Security
10:00am - 10:45am
Regency Ballroom D