Don't You Dare Give Up
Every leader in this room is carrying something right now, transformation moving faster than anyone can plan for, job uncertainty, visa anxiety, real questions about whether the career path they built still exists. Jameeka Green Aaron has navigated her own share of high-stakes uncertainty, a career that spans the Navy, Lockheed Martin, Nike, and cybersecurity's highest-pressure seat, the CISO chair. Her message is direct: don't you give up. Whatever you're facing right now, you are not done, and you don't have to face it without the people in this room. This talk closes the day exactly where we began it, community isn't a nice-to-have when things get hard, it's the thing that makes "don't give up" actually possible.
Jameeka Green Aaron
Managing Director
Emerson Collective
Jameeka Green Aaron, CISSP, is the Managing Director of Technology at Emerson Collective, a mission-driven organization that blends philanthropy, advocacy, and venture investing to expand opportunity and address complex societal challenges — including education, economic mobility, immigration, and the environment. Jameeka leads technology, engineering, and information security for the organization.
She is a recognized industry leader and brings over 25 years of experience to the role. Her career has spanned a wide variety of industries, including aerospace and defense, retail, and manufacturing, at both Fortune 100 and privately held companies—including Headspace, Nike, Lockheed Martin, Okta and the U.S. Navy. Jameeka serves as a board member of Digital Brands Group, and an advisor for Astrix Security and Bain Capital Cyber. She is a member of Black Women on Boards and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Jameeka lives in Irvine, CA, with her husband Amilcar who is SVP of Community Partnerships and President of the Genesis for Good Foundation at Genesis Bank.