Women at Identiverse is a curated, three-hour summit spotlighting women who are shaping the direction of digital identity. Through panels and conversations with senior practitioners and leaders, the summit focuses on how identity decisions are made, from strategy and governance to risk, trust, and long-term stewardship.

This program goes beyond representation to explore real-world leadership challenges in building and governing identity systems. Designed for practitioners, architects, and decision-makers, the event offers thoughtful, experience-driven perspectives on what it takes to lead in today’s evolving identity ecosystem.

2:00–2:10 PM – Opening remarks: Who shapes digital identity and why that matters
Speaker: Heather Flanagan

Abstract
Digital identity systems don’t just emerge from technology choices; they reflect the values, assumptions, and incentives of the people who design and govern them. This brief opening frames the summit around a core question: who is making the decisions that shape identity infrastructure, and what perspectives are still underrepresented at the table?

Rather than focusing on representation alone, this session sets the stage for a deeper conversation about leadership, governance, and long-term accountability in identity systems, and why women’s voices are particularly important as identity becomes more embedded in critical digital infrastructure.

2:10–2:50 PM – Decision-makers, not just implementers: Women leading identity strategy
Moderator: Eve Maler 

Panelists: 

·       Teresa Wu 

·       Pam Dingle 

Abstract
Women are increasingly visible in identity teams, but visibility doesn’t always translate to influence. This panel brings together senior practitioners who have shaped identity strategy across product, policy, standards, and enterprise programs.

Panelists will discuss how major decisions actually get made in identity programs: who sets priorities, how tradeoffs are negotiated, and what it takes to move from implementation roles into strategic leadership. The conversation will focus on real decision points, including budgets, risk tolerance, governance models, and cross-functional alignment, and how experienced leaders navigate them in complex organizations.

Topics may include

• Translating technical constraints into executive decisions
• Governing identity across security, privacy, compliance, and UX
• What it really takes to influence direction in large identity programs

2:50–3:10 PM – Sponsored session: Building for trust at scale
Abstract
Trust is the foundation of any identity system, but trust at scale is hard. This sponsored session explores how organizations are approaching identity architecture, governance, and risk management as their ecosystems grow more complex.

Rather than focusing on product features, the session emphasizes practical lessons about operating identity infrastructure responsibly, balancing security and usability, and supporting teams who are accountable for outcomes over time.

3:10–3:35 PM – Break
Ice breaker question: What identity decision do you wish you’d had more time — or authority — to influence?

3:35–4:05 PM – From responsibility to authority: A fireside chat on leadership
Participants: 

·       Jessica Stone

·       Sue Gordon 

Abstract
Leadership in digital identity carries a different kind of weight. Decisions made by identity teams — whether internal or external — shape access, trust, inclusion, and risk across entire organizations and user populations. Yet many leaders step into identity-related roles with broad responsibility and limited formal authority, often inheriting systems, assumptions, and constraints they did not design.

In this fireside chat, a senior leader reflects on the transition from hands-on practitioner to decision-maker in roles that touch identity directly. The conversation explores why leadership is especially critical in identity work: how small technical or policy choices can have outsized consequences, how accountability extends beyond organizational boundaries, and how leaders navigate ambiguity when the “right” answer is rarely clear. The discussion focuses on judgment, governance, and the leadership skills that only emerge through experience.

Focus areas

• Why identity decisions carry disproportionate risk and long-term impact
•  Leading across internal teams, partners, and external ecosystems
• Making risk-based decisions with incomplete information
• Saying “no” — and standing behind those decisions
• Lessons about authority, accountability, and trust that only come with experience

4:05–4:25 PM – Sponsored session II: Operating identity under real-world constraints
Abstract

Identity systems rarely fail because the standards are unclear or the architectures are wrong. More often, they struggle under real-world constraints: legacy infrastructure, regulatory pressure, budget limits, uneven adoption, and organizational silos.

In this session, the speaker will explore what it takes to operate identity programs in environments where ideal architectures collide with practical realities. Drawing on hands-on experience, the discussion will examine how teams make tradeoffs between security, usability, compliance, and cost — and how leadership decisions shape outcomes over time. The focus is on operational judgment, governance, and resilience, offering lessons relevant to anyone responsible for keeping identity systems working in complex, high-stakes settings.

4:25–5:00 PM – Stewardship over heroics: Governing identity for the long term
Moderator: Elizabeth Garber 

Panelists: 

·       Kay Chopard 

Abstract
Identity programs often reward speed, innovation, and visible wins — but identity systems are judged over years, not quarters. Once deployed, they become embedded in business processes, user journeys, regulatory obligations, and trust relationships that are difficult to unwind.

This closing panel examines what long-term stewardship looks like in digital identity work. Drawing on experience across enterprise environments, standards bodies, and regulatory contexts, panelists will explore how governance decisions made today shape security, usability, and trust far into the future. The discussion focuses on leadership beyond individual initiatives: how organizations preserve institutional knowledge, manage change responsibly, and design identity systems that endure shifts in technology, regulation, and organizational ownership.

Key themes

• Governance models that scale — and those that create fragility
• The role of standards, policy, and community in sustaining trust
• Managing institutional memory as teams, vendors, and platforms change
• Designing identity systems that survive leadership transitions and technology cycles

This session closes the summit by reframing identity leadership as stewardship — a long-term commitment to trust, accountability, and resilience.