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Event Details
When:
October 20, 2026 8 AM - 10:30 AM EDT
Where:
Location Name
Galloping Hill
Event Secondary Body
Success in a high-stakes environment begins long before the moment of action.
Cynthia Hetherington, Founder & CEO of Hetherington Group, will take ACG New Jersey inside Operation Garden Watch, the intelligence initiative helping New Jersey prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Developed in collaboration with the New Jersey State Police and the Urban Area Security Initiative, the effort brings together intelligence, technology, due diligence, and trusted public-private partnerships around one extraordinary mission.
The conversation will feature Cynthia Hetherington in conversation with Laura Crothers, Founder & CEO of Crothers Consulting. As a longtime colleague and friend of Cynthia’s, Laura will help take the discussion behind the scenes—exploring how Operation Garden Watch came together, what it takes to prepare for a high-stakes event like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and what business leaders can learn from the intelligence, partnerships, preparation, and decision-making behind the effort.
The lessons extend well beyond World Cup security.
Cynthia will show business leaders how the same intelligence-driven approach can help organizations identify risks and opportunities sooner, make better decisions with incomplete information, build stronger partnerships, and prepare for disruption before it happens.
These capabilities are no longer reserved for government agencies or Fortune 500 companies. Attendees will learn how organizations of all sizes can access better intelligence—and put it to work to create a competitive advantage.
Featured Speaker, Cynthia Hetherington, Founder & CEO, Hetherington Group
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Back in the 1990s, Cynthia Hetherington launched her firm based on a single powerful insight: the Internet was hanging the meaning of “public record.” There was a wealth of information out there about anyone, if you just knew where to look.
For 30 years, Cynthia has helped Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and military leaders uncover the truth about people and situations and avoid potentially disastrous decisions.
Cynthia pioneered investigative due diligence methodologies that combine traditional corporate intelligence with advanced cyber intelligence. She advises Fortune 500 executives and boards on corporate intelligence, risk management, and data privacy. Law enforcement and defense agencies hire Cynthia because she’s the one who trains their agents, and she’s got the credentials to show for it.
In Conversation with Laura Crothers, Founder & CEO, Crothers Consulting
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Laura Crothers is a highly regarded speaker, author, and expert in leadership and HR. As Founder and CEO of Crothers Consulting, she has grown the firm over the past 16 years into a team of 24.
Her leadership was shaped in senior roles at Standard & Poor’s, CIT, Merrill Lynch, ADP, and EverBank, where she guided employee and company growth through numerous mergers and acquisitions. Known for pragmatic, innovative solutions, Laura builds genuine connections through a straightforward, approachable style.
At Standard & Poor’s, she led HR Mergers and Acquisitions, specializing in complex HR diligence and integration strategy. As Chief People Officer at USXL, she scaled the HR function for the startup as it grew to $1 billion in assets and from 8 to 250 employees within five years.
Laura was recently named a Woman of Influence by ROI-NJ and a Leading Woman in Business by NJBIZ, recognized among the Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs, and honored in both 2024 and 2025 as the Most Innovative Leadership Training & HR Solutions Company in the Northeast USA.
She serves on the board of directors of ACG-NJ and is active in numerous community organizations. Laura also chairs the New Jersey chapter of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), a roundtable for CEOs of multimillion-dollar businesses.
Outside of work, Laura enjoys traveling, entertaining, and skiing with her two sons and friends.
| Who should attend: This event is open to all ACG members and non-members. |
Hosted by: ACG
Chapter
New Jersey
Event Materials
Event Materials
Registration Fees:
Early Bird Rates Expire September 22, 2026
Regular Rates Expire October 6, 2026
Late / Onsite Rates begin October 7, 2026
| Early Bird | Regular Rate | Late Rate |
ACG Member | $65 | $75 | $85 |
ACG Member - Other Chapter | $75 | $85 | $95 |
Non Member | $115 | $125 | $135 |
Cancellation policy: Cancellations must be received in writing more than 72 hours in advance for a refund to be issued for most events. An admin fee may apply.
A 3% payment processing fee will be added to credit and debit card transactions. This fee covers non-refundable costs charged by our payment processor and does not represent surplus for ACG.
