NRF PROTECT 2025

At the forefront of J. Crew’s Loss Prevention department, Nicole plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the company's assets. With a strong foundation in criminal justice and certifications in advanced interviewing and interrogation techniques, she combines meticulous analysis with decisive leadership to ensure secure and profitable operations.

Under Nicole’s leadership, J. Crew’s loss prevention strategies have strengthened domestic operations and elevated international programs. By developing and implementing innovative safety, shortage, and process improvement initiatives, she has enhanced J. Crew Group’s bottom line, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to excellence in risk management and loss prevention.

At the forefront of J. Crew’s Loss Prevention department, Nicole plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the company's assets. With a strong foundation in criminal justice and certifications in advanced interviewing and interrogation techniques, she combines meticulous analysis with decisive leadership to ensure secure and profitable operations.

Under Nicole’s leadership, J. Crew’s loss prevention strategies have strengthened domestic operations and elevated international programs. By developing and implementing innovative safety, shortage, and process improvement initiatives, she has enhanced J. Crew Group’s bottom line, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to excellence in risk management and loss prevention.

Preston Ackerman began his career as a Special Agent with the FBI in 2003 with his first office assignment in the Chicago Division. Ackerman’s career has focused on cyber crime investigations and IT project deployments. He is currently assigned to the FBI’s Oklahoma City Division Cyber Squad and has served as the program coordinator for computer intrusion matters covering the state of Oklahoma. In recent years, Ackerman's investigations have focused on cyber-enabled fraud targeting large retailers. Prior to joining the FBI, he worked as a computer networking consultant, primarily servicing small businesses. Special Agent Ackerman completed the Master of Science in Information Security Engineering degree from SANS Technology Institute in 2018.

Oscar D. Arango, a distinguished security expert with over 30 years in retail loss prevention, is celebrated for his strategic leadership and transformative impact. At the heart of his success is a commitment to building diverse, high-achieving teams, propelling exceptional results. Oscar's strategic acumen has fueled groundbreaking initiatives, navigating the complexities of the evolving security landscape with forward-thinking precision. His legacy emphasizes diversity, innovation, and leadership that reshapes the future of retail loss prevention. Oscar D. Arango's profound influence stands as a testament to the power of strategic vision and the cultivation of dynamic, diverse teams in the security domain. 

David is responsible for driving IoT GTM efforts at Palo Alto Networks. He has been serving enterprise and public sector partners and customers for 3+ years in this role. Previous to Palo Alto Networks, David spent over a decade at Verizon, spanning roles in sales, business development and product. David is based in Dallas, Texas and is passionate about driving business outcomes that leverage emerging technologies focused on IoT, OT, and 5G.

Erin Becker is the Senior Director of Cybersecurity for Cyber Defense at Target. In this capacity, she leads the Cyber Fraud & Abuse program, dedicated to the prevention, detection, and mitigation of theft, fraud, and abuse across both physical and digital channels. Leveraging cyber defense capabilities, her teams include investigations, transaction risk, payment fraud strategy, solutions engineering, and product management.

With over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, Erin has held numerous leadership and analyst positions within information security, including roles in vendor security, incident management, security consulting, insider threat, data loss prevention and cyber operations. She is actively engaged within the industry, bringing together her peers and other stakeholders to collaborate and co-create solutions to combat these complex threats.

Erin is a founding member of the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance, now under the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). She also serves on the Steering Committee for the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s National Task Force on Fraud and Scam Prevention. Erin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Cloud State University.

Abigail Bishop is the Head of External Relations at Amazon where she leads the company’s global outreach to ensure the integrity of Amazon’s customer experience. Since joining Amazon in 2021, her work has centered on partnering with leading organizations around the world to educate and protect consumers. Most notably, she has spearheaded Amazon’s external engagement around scams and authentic reviews world-wide. She joined Amazon after spending nearly 20 years in the media and education sectors at the intersection of public affairs, business strategy, and operational transformation, including a decade at global publisher, Pearson, where she was on the executive team as Chief of Staff. She enjoys connecting stakeholders across the ecosystem to address gnarly challenges and make meaningful impact. She holds a Master's degree from Harvard University and Bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California.

Kelly Bissell is Microsoft's Deputy CISO and leads fraud prevention to protect Microsoft and our customers. He has been working with hundreds of companies & governments over 30+ years to secure the world. At Microsoft, our mission is to help customers achieve more while being secure so they can thrive.

Melinda Black is an accomplished retail executive with over 25 years of leadership experience, including 15 years at ULTA Beauty. As Vice President of Loss Prevention Field, she leads strategy and risk mitigation for more than 1,500 stores, with a strong emphasis on employee safety and operational efficiency. Recognized for driving innovation and leading transformative change, Melinda previously served as a Regional Vice President and is an Executive Sponsor of ULTA Beauty’s Women’s Business Resource Group. Deeply committed to community impact, she also serves as President of the Board for Dress for Success Pittsburgh.

Jeff Blunk is the director of investigations for Nordstrom, where he is responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategy to address organized retail crime. Blunk has more than 15 years of experience in various asset protection roles within the retail industry, working across stores, supply chain, investigations, and corporate centers for retailers including Nordstrom and Target. Prior to his career in the retail industry, Jeff served 6 years in the Marines. Jeff holds bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice, and currently sits on the NRF Fraud steering committee.