March 2026 Members Appreciation Night One of our goals this year is simple: make it easier (and more fun) for members to connect with each other. That is why we are excited to host a Members Appreciation Night on April 16 at Stars & Strikes in Irmo. This is not a formal chapter meeting or training session. Think of it as a casual night out with people who share your profession, your challenges, and your interests. Whether you are new to the chapter or have been involved for years, this is a great chance to meet fellow members in a relaxed setting, share a few laughs, and build real connections. We will have tacos, bowling lanes, and arcade games available throughout the evening. A small registration fee secures your spot and helps us plan for the event, and attendees will receive a thank-you gift as a token of our appreciation. We hope you will join us for a night of good food, friendly competition, and community. Check your email for registration details, and we look forward to seeing you there. My name is Kurt Hazel, and I am writing to introduce myself as your interim Vice President. I bring a strong background in leadership and building collaborative teams, and I’m passionate about fostering connection and growth within our ISACA community. My experience in supporting and building teams has given me a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities for our ISACA SC Midlands group. In this role, I’m dedicated to strengthening our chapter by increasing member engagement and expanding our network. I envision a vibrant community where we can connect, share knowledge, and collectively work towards enhancing professional development and increasing local cybersecurity awareness. I’m eager to hear from you and explore new ideas for group activities and initiatives. I believe that by working together, we can make a real difference. We’re pleased to announce the formation of our 2026 Nominating Election Committee. This committee is responsible for identifying and vetting qualified candidates for chapter leadership positions and presenting a slate of nominees to the membership for vote in accordance with our chapter bylaws. Committee members: Kurt Hazel, Kareem Briggs, Bob Holland. We are actively searching for members who are interested in serving on this committee. If you are interested in serving, we encourage you to let us know (email link below). Open Officer Positions We are currently seeking nominees for the following officer roles: Vice President Secretary Treasurer Officers are nominated for a specific role and elected by the membership into that role. Available Director Positions Membership CSX Liaison Academic Advocate Young Professionals We also elect directors who serve on the board. After election, directors will be assigned duties and responsibilities by the board based on chapter needs and individual strengths. What Service Involves Board service includes: Attending and preparing for board meetings Actively supporting chapter initiatives, including training and member engagement efforts Collaborating with fellow board members and volunteers to advance the chapter’s mission To be considered, members must be in good standing and willing to actively serve. If you are interested in being considered for nomination, please submit your name to the committee by emailing vicepresident@scisaca.org. We look forward to engaging more members in leadership and continuing to strengthen our chapter together. As a complement to the upcoming CISA training, the chapter is exploring the launch of a CISA study group to support members preparing for the exam. The goal is to provide a collaborative space for discussion, practice questions, and accountability as participants work through the material. At this stage, the study group is envisioned as a lightweight, member-driven forum that may include periodic virtual sessions, shared resources, and guided topic reviews aligned to the CISA domains. Final format, timing, and platform will be shaped based on member interest and availability. Members who plan to attend the CISA training, are preparing for the CISA exam, or are interested in helping facilitate sessions are encouraged to indicate their interest. Feedback will help the chapter determine the most effective structure and schedule. Additional details and next steps will be shared in the member blog. Read. React. Respond. Last month we asked about CISA interest, now what? See what’s next for the CISA study group and share one quick insight to help shape it. What's Next? Save the date for the ISACA 2026 North America Conference, happening May 6-8 in Las Vegas! Join IS/IT professionals and thought leaders for three impactful days of sessions, workshops, networking, and social events designed to expand your knowledge in audit, risk, security, governance, and digital trust. Whether you attend in person or virtually, you will gain fresh insights and earn valuable CPE credits to advance your career. Learn more and register now! Upcoming Events April 13-16 (30 CPE) CISA Certification Training Registration April 16  Member Social - Registration May 12-13 (14 CPE Info) IT Risk Fundamentals (Save the Date) Certificate Details June 25 Privacy and Governance & Annual Membership Meeting/ Elections (Save the Date) Digital transformation 2026: What’s in, what’s out | CIO A recent industry perspective reminds us, “You will always be transforming.”  While that insight comes from an article focused on enterprise IT trends, the core idea resonates with professionals at every stage of the journey, including our own chapter. Continuous transformation isn’t about chasing the newest tool (such as AI); it’s about deepening understanding, strengthening governance, and cultivating connections across the professional lifecycle. That’s why our chapter continues to emphasize both community-centered events and opportunities for shared learning. Whether you are seasoned or emerging, growth happens through engagement, dialogue, and practice. In that spirit, this month’s IT Risk Fundamentals course isn’t just a training offering — it’s a chance to reinforce the foundational principles that help us navigate change thoughtfully and confidently. Stay tuned for details on how you can participate and help shape the conversation. Are We Spending Audit and Risk Effort on the Right Things? ISACA Now Blog 2026 Five Questions That Audit Professionals Will Need to Answer in 2026 In a recent ISACA Now blog article, “Five Questions That Audit Professionals Will Need to Answer in 2026,” Ibrahim poses a deceptively simple challenge: Are we spending audit and risk effort on the right things? As he observes, this sounds like a planning question, but it is really about courage. Now, let me explain. Budgets tighten while tools multiply. Dashboards are getting more sophisticated. Frameworks get thicker. Yet the most damaging risk events still tend to begin the same way: a forgotten administrator account, a vendor with overly broad access, a basic server that missed several patch cycles. These are rarely failures of advanced technology. More often, they are failures of focus. When boards ask whether effort is being spent in the right places, they are not asking whether this year’s audit plan resembles last year’s template. They are asking whether the plan reflects how the organization could realistically be hit where it hurts in areas of finance, operation, or reputation. Answering that honestly takes courage: the courage to move away from comfortable, repeatable audits and toward risks that are cross-functional, emerging, or politically inconvenient. In 2026, that courage is expressed through a living assurance map. You know who already provides coverage over cyber, AI, privacy, conduct, and resilience. You can explain where coverage overlaps, and where it does not. And you can clearly articulate the gaps that often surface most clearly through audit and risk work: identity sprawl, third-party concentration, and fragile controls around payments and critical services. This is where fundamentals matter. The IT Risk Fundamentals Certificate is not about adding another credential. It is about building a shared language for identifying risk, prioritizing effort, and explaining why certain risks deserve attention now. For audit, risk, and governance practitioners, it is often the most logical next step, especially when expectations from leadership continue to rise. We encourage readers to review Ibrahim’s full article on the ISACA website for additional context. Those interested in strengthening their foundational risk perspective can also explore the IT Risk Fundamentals Certificate on ISACA.org, along with information on our chapter’s upcoming course offering. To read full article from ISACA: https://www.isaca.org/resources/news-and-trends/isaca-now-blog/2026/five-questions-that-audit-professionals-will-need-to-answer-in-2026 This message was sent through the SC Midlands ISACA CVENT system. Selecting "Opt-Out" will unsubscribe you from all SC Midlands ISACA emails sent via CVENT, including event communications and notifications related to earned CPE credits.