Cyber Security Expert Interviews

Hitish Nathani

Founder and CEO, The Learning Company

Ep. 60

As the Chief Innovator, Hitish develops programs and events focused on creating practical skill sets for under- served students with the overall goal of providing innovation and entrepreneurial training to the masses. He also served as a tenured faculty member at St. Philip’s College (SPC) , serving as lead instructor for introductory chemistry where he created curriculum content and methods of instruction aligning with district, state, and American Chemical Society standards. While working at SPC, Hitish served as a key member of an Obama-Singh proposal to foster collaboration between the city of San Antonio, the city of Chennai, Stella Maris College, San Antonio College, and SPC. Locally, Hitish is engaged in providing growth opportunities for students as VIP Coordinator of the President’s Lecture Series. He facilitates in bringing high-profile speakers such as LeVar Burton and Julian Bond to inspire students. He also founded and served as sponsor for the Eureka Science Club, a student-run science group focused on promoting science education and enrichment experiences. Hitish was the Principal investigator for a successfully funded grant proposal made to the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement for the East Side Community Garden Renovation. He was also the Co-investigator for Project GeNex, which was granted the Implementation Award by the National Science Foundation. He also has served on various grant panels for the National Institutes of Health, the USDA NIFA Program, and the National Science Foundation. Hitish also values his local community. He volunteers generously with St. Vincent De Paul, the Food Bank, and the Make a Wish Foundation. He has also held formal advisory/leadership positions with Eva’s Heroes, the Shirdi Sai Temple of San Antonio, and the Trinity Farmer’s Market, as well as serving as a local mentor for Launch SA and the Fulbright Program. Living up to his reputation of determination, Hitish followed his childhood dream of being a chef and opened his own food truck, Bombay Salsa Company. From creating and executing a brand to marketing, operations, and growth strategies, Hitish’s talent in growing an organization continues to show in his contributions to the community. Hitish graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a BS in Biochemistry and Master’s in Chemical Education. He has also received postgraduate Biotechnology training from the NIH. He enjoys reading and exploring San Antonio with his wife.

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Shauna Goodman

Program Director, SA Works

Ep. 59

Shauna Goodman joined SA Works in 2015 as a Program Director. She is responsible for recruiting new employers to the program, managing employer relations and developing and managing engagement programs. Goodman brings over 20 years of experience in Marketing and Advertising. Prior to joining SA Works, Goodman worked for the marketing firm Guerra DeBerry Coody as a Work/Life Director developing and managing a culture-building campaign, as well as the Director of Creative Production. Goodman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma.

@sa_works

Nikki McNish

Program Director, SA Works

Ep. 59

Nikki McNish joined SA Works in 2016 as a Program Director. She is responsible for connecting school districts, educators and students with local employers to create meaningful relationships that help expand San Antonio’s pipeline and workforce development. McNish brings over 15 years experience in marketing, advertising, promotions, events, campaigns and customer service. McNish is currently a board member and the Communications Officer for Business Advocates of San Antonio. She is also involved with many local organizations such as SAMA, CREW, GSABA, TAPTP and the Northeast Educational Foundation. She holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as two Texas Educator Certificates.

@sa_works

Iris Gonzalez

Technology & Bioscience Writer, The Rivard Report

Ep. 58

Iris Gonzalez is the Technology and bioscience writer for the Rivard Report, a position which puts her on the pulse of all that is going on technologically in San Antonio. Journalism is Iris’ second career and she also brings to the table 28 years of experience at the Department of Defense where she worked as a research analyst, working on bioterrorism, counter narcotics and more.

Michael DeFelice

Principal Data Scientist, Jungle Disk

Ep. 57

Before joining Jungle Disk in 2016, Mike worked for Rackspace as a Principal Architect and a Senior Technology Strategist on both the Corporate Development and Cloud Office teams. Prior to this, he served as the Chief Infrastructure Services Architect - designing & building large-scale storage & backup environments. As huge data-nerd, Mike is always full of fun facts! According to colleagues; he possesses a unique combination of enthusiasm, technical aptitude, business acumen, and foresight.

Jacque Callanen

Bexar County Elections Administrator

Ep. 56

Jacque Callanen is the Bexar County Elections Administrator. She brings to the table 22 years of experience overseeing elections in the county and 13 years experience running the department. In her role she manages all elections and the process of voter registration for all 1.9 million county residents of America’s 17th most populous county.

Shaun Herron

President, Military Cyber Professionals Association of San Antonio

Ep. 55

Shaun Herron is the President has been the President of the Military Cyber Professionals Association of San Antonio since January 2017. He is an 11 year Air Force man and currently serves the United States as a Section Chief Weapons and Tactics with the United States Air Force cyber command.

Jeff Reich

Risk Management Consultant

Ep. 54

Jeff Reich came into cyber security from law enforcement, a background which has prepared him to become an expert in entering situations where there is little to no security or risk management infrastructure. Jeff brings a long resume to the discussion including serving as Chief Security Officer at Rackspace. He now works as a Management and Security Consultant.

@jeffreichcso

Arthur Celestin

Associate Director, SWISD High School Programs

Ep. 53

Born in Haiti, Arthur Celestin moved to San Antonio from Florida in 2006 and began working at Judson Independent School District. Since 2009 Celestin has worked as an IT instructor at San Antonio’s Southwest ISD, where he has built out the CyberPatriot program in the district. Under his leadership Southwest became one of the foremost cyber security training grounds in the country, becoming the first high school to compete in several categories. This was recognized when he was invited to the White House Science Fair in Washington in 2014.

David J. Zammiello

Executive Director, QUEST

Ep. 52

David J. Zammiello began his role as Executive Director of QUEST on June 26, 2017. Zammiello most recently served as Vice President of USAA’s Property and Casualty Staff Operations during a thirty-two year career at USAA which concluded with an early retirement in December of 2016. During his last 20 years at USAA, he served in various senior level executive positions where he was responsible for providing visionary leadership and implementing strategic business plans.

James Brehm

Founder & Technology Evangelist, James Brehm & Associates

Ep. 51

James Brehm is one of the leading voices on the state of the IoT and M2M market. Leveraging experience gained in a decade long career as an industry analyst after holding multiple marketing and customer facing roles with leading technology companies, Brehm launched James Brehm & Associates in early 2014 to serve the very specific needs of his customers – pragmatic, actionable advice and metrics grounded in reality.

Dr. Areej Al-Bataineh

Ep. 50

Dr. Al-Bataineh works on being a distinguished academic, which constitutes being a successful teacher and a thorough researcher. She enjoys teaching with hands-on, fun, and engaging activities. As a researcher, she is very much interested in the field of computer and network security. Now, her focus is on the Botnet phenomenon, one of the greatest threats to the Internet today. Dr. Al-Bataineh's short term goal is to prevent the use of botnets for cybercrime especially data stealing and identity theft. Her long term goal is to develop new network protocols that are immune against abuse by malicious entities.

Greg Hoffer

Vice President of Engineering, Globalscape

Ep. 48

Greg Hoffer serves as the Vice President of Engineering at Globalscape. He is responsible for leading the product development teams who are responsible for the design and engineering of all of Globalscape products. Prior to his role as the Vice President of Engineering, Hoffer was the Senior Director of Engineering where he led the architecture, development, and delivery to market of the Enhanced File Transfer suite of products. Hoffer has also held a variety of roles at Globalscape over his 12 years of service, where he led teams in the creation of award-winning products such as the Enhanced File Transfer suite and Secure FTP Server, and established ground-breaking technology partnerships that helped accomplish Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Hoffer graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with a Master’s degree in Computer Science and from Trinity University with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering.

Maurine & Matt Molak

Founders, David's Legacy Foundation

Ep. 47

Matt and Maurine Molak founded David’s Legacy Foundation in honor of their late son, David, after he took his own life on January 4, 2016 at the age of 16. The foundation’s purpose is to raise awareness of cyberbullying, empower children and parents through education, and aid in the passage of David’s Law to protect Texas’ youth from the dangers of cyber abuse. David Molak was an Eagle Scout, sports enthusiast, hunter, spurs fan, brother, and friend. In October 2015, David became the target of relentless cyber-assisted bullying at his high school. The harassment followed him through various online channels and caused him to feel overwhelmed with hopelessness in the months leading up to his death. The Molak family hopes to prevent this tragedy from happening to another family through the efforts of David’s Legacy Foundation. Through the David’s Legacy Foundation’s online resources, victims of cyberbullying can access educational materials, connect to an online suicide prevention hotline, and reach volunteer attorneys through the foundation’s Don’t Bully Me (DBM) Project. The DBM Project provides pro-bono legal services to victims of serious bullying incidents. To create a pathway to prevent cyberbullying in Texas, David’s Legacy Foundation is pushing for legislation that will make cyberbullying a punishable offense and deter individuals from harassing minors through technology. Supporters are encouraged to advocate for David’s Law through a Legislative Toolkit on the David’s Legacy website, join in the organization’s cause by sharing positivity on social media, and follow the foundation’s Facebook page for news and updates. Matt and Maurine Molak, along with David’s two brothers, Cliff and Chris Molak, continue a concerted effort with David’s Legacy Foundation through speaking engagements, legislative outreach, and sharing the message with young people that “It’s Cool to be Kind.” David’s Legacy Foundation can be found online at or on Facebook at .

Justin Dailey

Security Engineering Manager, WP Engine

Ep. 46

Justin Dailey is a Security Engineering Manager at WP Engine. He leads a team focused on analyzing security threats and developing innovative defense mechanisms to protect their customer base and the company. He previously worked as a Software Engineer creating automation and testing solutions for National Instruments and WP Engine before making security his sole focus. Justin received his Bachelor's and Master's degree from Auburn University specializing in computer engineering and digital electronics. He strives to utilize his background to understand technologies and systems from top to bottom and create effective and scalable security solutions. Outside of work he can typically be found taking part in outdoor activities or watching and playing soccer.

Felix Odigie

CEO, Inspired eLearning

Ep. 45

Felix Odigie, CEO of Inspired eLearning, has over Fifteen years of experience managing and leading teams in financial and technology sectors. A motivated self- starter, Odigie immigrated to America from Nigeria by himself at the age of 20. At Inspired eLearning, he is responsible for the company’s strategic vision as well as its operational and financial management. Under his leadership, Inspired eLearning has aggressively released a series of new products suites to combat cyber security via training solutions, bolstered its workforce, and positioned the company for enhanced growth and market share. Before joining Inspired eLearning as CEO, Odigie was the Founder and Managing Partner at Valde Capital, LLC, which wholly owns Inspired elearning, where he was responsible for the venture firm’s investment development thesis, deal-flow, and portfolio management decisions. Prior to that, he served as the Vice President of Fixed Income Strategy at Janney Montgomery Scott, along with senior positions at UBS Investment Bank (FIG Group) and Citizens Bank (RBS North America). He is also currently a board member of Carpe Diem – a Charter School Odigie’s technology experience was drawn from his years as a Sr. Technology Integration PM at Citizens Bank, a managing consultant at TeKSystems, and at TUFTS, where he managed the engineering team in the Technology Systems Group. There, he was responsible for developing and implanting strategies that consolidated operations and positively impacted ROI. Odigie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science from Northeastern University, along with a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He is fluent in two Nigerian languages and self-taught Mandarin, and he enjoys snowboarding, Taekwondo, soccer and football.

Brad Morrison

CEO, Innove

Ep. 44

Brad Morrison is the CEO of Innové LLC, a management consulting and technology services provider to both government and commercial clients founded in 2003. Under his leadership the company operates a group of Innové IT service companies that drive revenue, reduce cost and manage information risk for clients. Innové was honored in Cyber Security 500 list in 2016, INC. Magazine in 2008 and 2009 as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., and named among the Top 50 Private Companies by the San Antonio Business Journal in 2010. Prior to Innové, Brad was a Manager in KPMG LLP’s information risk management practice within the internet, communications and entertainment market sectors. He led IT governance, control and security consulting engagements for financial systems integrity, regulatory compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley and optimizing return on IT investment. Based in Dallas, Texas, his clientele included Fortune 500 and multi-national corporations around the world. He also served as a Captain in the United States Air Force supporting secure military communications. Currently, Brad is serving in his second term as a Texas Lyceum Director. The Texas Lyceum, texaslyceum.org, is the State’s preeminent non-partisan leadership organization that creates a dialogue on the most important issues facing Texas. He was selected by his peers to serve as President in 2018. He is very active tech leader in the startup scene in the Austin – San Antonio corridor. One of his most rewarding contributions has been the San Antonio Chamber’s Cyber Security Business Bootcamp – a business building program led by Veteran tech entrepreneurs, for aspiring Veteran tech entrepreneurs. In 2016, the bootcamp evolved into a formal cybersecurity business incubator, BuildSec Foundry, buildsecfoundry.com. Brad also serves as Chairman of the San Antonio Chamber’s Cyber Security Council, Centennial Bank Board Advisory Member, Miltribe Board Member, miltribe.com, Honorary Commander for the U.S. Air Force 67th Network Warfighting Wing and active member of the Texas Business Leadership Council, www.txblc.org. Brad is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in management. He also has a master of science degree in telecommunications from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Southern Methodist University. In 2010, he completed the Entrepreneurs Organization / MIT Enterprise Forum’s Entrepreneurial Masters Program & selected as a “40 under 40” Rising Star by the San Antonio Business Journal. He is married to Ms. Cynthia and they have 5 children – Joshua, Bradley, Mayah, Jeffrey and Lila. Brad is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending time with his family in the Texas Hill Country.

Dr. Ayad Barsoum

Graduate Professor, St. Mary's University

Ep. 43

Ayad Barsoum is the Graduate Program Director of the MSc in Cybersecurity and the Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity at St. Mary’s University. He is also an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at St.Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Barsoum received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo (UW), Ontario, Canada in 2013. He is a member of the Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research at UW. Dr. Barsoum has received the Amazon Web Services in Education Faculty Grant for funding his research and teaching activities. At the University of Waterloo, he has received the Graduate Research Studentship, the International Doctoral Award, and the University of Waterloo Graduate Scholarship. Dr. Barsoum received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Computer Science from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, in 2000 and 2004, respectively. He was awarded the Ain Shams University Scholarship of Excellence four times. His main research interests include: data integrity in cloud computing systems, information and network security, access control and cryptographic protocols, knowledge discovery and data mining.

Dr. Kevin Barton

Associate Professor-Professional Track in Computer Information Systems, Texas A&M University San Antonio

Ep. 42

Kevin Barton is an associate professor-professional track in computer information systems at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Information Science from Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems and Security from Our Lady of the Lake University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Kevin served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Chief Master Sergeant in 2004. He is a Certified Information System Security Professional and has taught university computer information system security courses at Our Lady of the Lake University and Texas A&M University-San Antonio since 2008. Kevin is married to Shirley Gonzales and has five children.

Tyler Moyer

Founder, CooMo Travel

Ep. 41

Tyler grew up in Washington state but attended college on the east coast at James Madison University, where he studied business marketing and joined the army ROTC program. Upon graduation, he commissioned as an active duty army officer. He honorably served 7 years as an army officer, moving 7 times, deploying two separate times, earning the Bronze Star Medal and achieving the rank of Captain before separating the military to pursue my passion of starting my own business. Prior to separating from the military, he became an avid world traveler and quickly realized the painstaking and time consuming process of planning my next great adventure which spawned my business, CooMo Travel. CooMo Travel streamlines the trip planning process by allowing users to PLAN and BOOK their entire trip, from start to finish, while allowing other real users to provide real-time recommendations and suggestions based off their own personal experience. In addition, those users that plan their trip through the CooMo Travel platform will have the ability to connect with other users which will be at the same destinations, creating real connections with like-minded people. CooMo Travel has the ability to help all types of travelers but we are focusing on the veteran community as the beach head market.

Jake Lopez

Executive Director, SASTEMIC

Ep. 40

Jake Lopez, M.Ed. has 20 years of experience in education and has spent the last several years focusing on designing and implementing STEM programs in schools across the US, most notably in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Wyoming.

Dan Gunter

Senior Threat Hunter, Dragos, Inc.

Ep. 39

Dan Gunter is a Senior Threat Hunter at the industrial cyber security company Dragos, Inc. where he discovers, analyzes and neutralizes threats inside of ICS/SCADA networks. In this capacity he performs threat hunting, incident response, and malware analysis mission for the industrial community. Previous to his role at Dragos, Dan served in a variety of Information Security roles as a Cyber Warfare Officer in the United States Air Force with duties ranging from Incident Response at the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team to developing innovative capabilities for multiple Department of Defense partners. Dan has over 12 years' experience and has obtained the CISSP, GIAC GSEC, EC Council CEH and CompTIA Security+ certifications. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Baylor University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Louisville. Dan previously presented at Blackhat and Shmoocon. He can be found on Twitter @dan_gunter.

Johnathan Paul Wojtewicz

Executive Director, Bunker Labs

Ep. 38

US Marine, UT Technology Commercialization & Harvard Business School Alum, Entrepreneur, Investor & Advisor Johnathan Paul Wojtewicz, a native of Austin, joined the Marine Corps after 9/11. Following his service career, he entered the startup world and has become a successful entrepreneur, having led two technology startups from conception to acquisition to a Fortune 200 company. Johnathan completed the University of Texas Technology Commercialization Program, NOV Ventures, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s PLD program, the HBS alternative to Executive MBA. He’s now an advisor leading entrepreneurs and an early investor in market defining startups and additionally, a co-founder of Bunker Labs Austin and throughout Texas, supporting military veterans launch and accelerate businesses.

Sherri L. Hanson

Executive Director, 24th Air Force/Air Force Cyber Command/Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber

Ep. 37

Sherri L. Hanson is the Executive Director, 24th Air Force/Air Force Cyber Command/Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Texas. In this position, Ms. Hanson assists the commander as a recognized authority for the evaluation and analysis of cyberspace concepts, while providing leadership in the further development of cyberspace strategy, policy and doctrine. Her multi- disciplinary expertise of cyber capabilities makes her a focal point for cyberspace as it relates to Air Force strategic initiatives. As the senior civilian for 24th Air Force, Ms. Hanson is the civilian workforce advisor to the Commander. Ms. Hanson began her civil service career in November 1989 as an Operations Research Systems Analyst (ORSA) intern with the Air Force Electronic Warfare Center, Test and Measurement Branch. She worked in several directorates within the AFEWC and the Air Force Information Warfare Center from 1989 to1997. Ms. Hanson has been a lead test and evaluation analyst on GPS-dependent weapon systems and dynamic airborne platforms at the Joint Navigation Warfare Center and the Army Test and Evaluation Command. In 2008 she became the Senior ORSA for the Army Cyber Command and led efforts to define cyber requirements, identify capability gaps and develop technology solutions.

Mike Troy

CEO, FlashScan3D

Ep. 36

Mike Troy is the CEO of FlashScan3D, a startup company that is focused on developing 3D imaging devices. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company has quickly gained a reputation for innovation in the field of 3D imaging and its application to biometrics. He has secured research and development contacts from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and U.S. Army and continues to focus on expanding the team and accelerating the development of product. Mike has considerable experience in technology transfer from Universities and enjoys working as an advisor to a number of startup companies. He started his career as a systems integration consultant at IBM, then co-founded his own firm, which specialized in enterprise solutions for Fortune 500 clients. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Van Lindberg

Attorney, Dykema Cox Smith

Ep. 35

Van Lindberg is a Senior Counsel in Dykema's San Antonio, Texas office who concentrates his practice on intellectual property matters. Van specializes in the intersection of technology and law, and was in 2012 named one of "America's Top 12 Techiest Attorneys" by the American Bar Association Journal. He is a regular speaker on everything from community dynamics to graph theory, and has testified in Congressional proceedings as an expert on both copyright and encryption policy. Van has particular expertise in the area of open source, with extensive work addressing the legal, economic, and social aspects of engaging with open source communities. He is the author of the book “Intellectual Property and Open Source” and helps businesses with everything from open source compliance to business strategy. Outside of open source, Van represents companies in high-stakes IP litigation and inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Van has represented companies on Capitol Hill, before Congress, and in industry associations. He has led teams through successful mergers & acquisitions, restructurings, and has organized employee agreements to create greater employee satisfaction and promote higher compliance with internal policies. Prior to joining Dykema, Van was Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Rackspace, a managed cloud computing company headquartered in San Antonio, where he set the strategy and policy around patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and open source matters.

Michael Pleasant

Founder, Spectrum Information Security

Ep. 34

Michael Pleasant is a former Intelligence Analyst for the United States Marine Corps and a founder of Spectrum Information Security. While in uniform, Michael led intelligence operations such as the largest human terrain mapping endeavors in OEF history, trafficability studies of Helmand Province, cross-agency and multi-service counter IED operations, and securing enemy weapon and narcotic ratlines. Using these experiences, Michael developed new social science based methods of intelligence analysis. This groundbreaking curriculum, focusing on the topics such as counter IED, counter-narcotics, sensitive site exploitation and forensics, and tactical analysis, would later become the standard for which new tactical level intelligence Marines are trained. Within the office of the Director of Intelligence for the USMC, Michael worked to modernized Intelligence doctrine for operations in future warfare environments. During this station, he was again deployed to Afghanistan and worked alongside partner nations to collect tactics, techniques, and procedures spanning the full spectrum of military operations. Following his uniformed service, Michael went on to develop curriculum and teach a wide range of topics such as military tactics and strategy, intelligence practices, sensitive site exploitation, and cybersecurity in both public and private sectors.

Matthew Toussain

Founder, Spectrum Information Security

Ep. 34

Matthew Toussain is an active-duty Air Force officer and a founder of Spectrum Information Security, a firm focused on maximizing the value proposition of information security programs. As an avid information security researcher, Matthew regularly hunts for vulnerabilities in computer systems and releases tools to demonstrate the effectiveness of attacks and countermeasures. He has been a guest speaker at many conference venues, including DEFCON, the largest security conference in the world. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he architected and instructed the summer cyber course that now trains over 400 cadets per year, Matthew served as the Senior Cyber Tactics Development Lead for the U.S. Air Force. He directed the teams responsible for developing innovative tactics, techniques, and procedures for offensive operations as well as for cyber protection teams (CPT). Later, as a member of the 688th Cyber Warfare Wing he managed the Air Force’s transition of all 18 CPTs to fully operational capability. As a founding member of Spectrum, Matthew regularly performs a wide variety of information security services. He earned his master’s degree in information security engineering as one of the first graduates of the SANS Technology Institute and supports many national and international cyber competitions including the CCDC, Netwars, and the National Security Agency’s Cyber Defense Exercise as a red team member and instructor.

Dyamie Baker

U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant

Ep. 33

Coming Soon!

Jacob Stauffer

VP, Operations, Coherent Cyber

Ep. 32

As president, CEO and founder of Coherent Cyber, Nick Hollis brings more than 30 years of experience in business and financial management, repeatedly changing business dynamics to evolve mediocre companies to highly profitable, competitive powerhouses in their industries. Nick also has tremendous fundraising experience, including turning faltering foundations into viable community-cherished organizations.

Nigel LeBlanc

Founder, Cyber Warrior Network

Ep. 31

Nigel is the Founder of Cyber Warrior Network, the first Cyber Recruitment, Talent Management and Cyber Business Solution Platform that connect businesses with the best cleared cyber talent and cyber software solutions to combat evolving cyber threats. He served as the Veteran Outreach Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, with a focus on Cyber and Unmanned Autonomous Systems. Nigel is passionate about Startups, Technology and helping Veteran Entrepreneurship. He is a Techstars Patriot Boot Camp Alum and Victory Spark (Veteran Exclusive Accelerator) graduate. Startup America Veterans Working Group team member. He holds a BSS in Communication and Electronic Engineering. He has proudly served in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member in the US Air Force.

Kelly Isbell

Former Principal, CAST Tech High School

Ep. 30

CAST Tech Principal, Dr. Kelly Isbell, is an educator with more than 20 years of experience in teaching, developing and leading schools, in teacher preparation, and in career development. She has worked in more than 25 school districts and conducted research on a national level. Dr. Isbell’s education consists of a Ph.D. in Educational Administration, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, both from Texas A&M University, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English from Stephen F. Austin State University. Dr. Isbell serves as the Principal of CAST Tech High School, SAISD, which is San Antonio’s first high-tech high school that created in partnership with industry.

Mark Collier

CTO, SecureLogix

Ep. 29

As the Chief Technology Officer at SecureLogix, I manage our technology roadmap, work with our strategic customers, perform security research, monitor for new threats, and architect our security solution. I am actively performing VoIP/UC security research, especially in the area of Telephony Denial of Service (TDoS), authentication/fraud, and call spoofing. I have also managed our engineering team for most the history of SecureLogix and directed the development of our voice security products. I have been working in the software industry for over 20 years. Most recently, I have been working in the voice/VoIP/Unified communications (UC) security and network industry. As CTO, I am focused on identifying new voice/VoIP/UC security threats, performing research including development of testing/attack tools, educating our customers and partners on these threats, and developing commercial solutions. I am also working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on multiple research projects, focused on complex TDoS attacks and other security issues in critical environments such as banks and Next Generation 911 centers. I have led multiple additional research efforts in the area of voice, VoIP, and UC security. I have also developed a number of SIP attack tools as part of this research and to support the books I have written (Hacking Exposed: VoIP – 2006 and Hacking Exposed: UC and VoIP – 2013).

Ryan Orsinger

Senior Instructor, Codeup

Ep. 28

Ryan is a full stack web developer who is passionate about building software and engaging people. Before moving to PHP and JavaScript, Ryan worked in IT Administration and developed in SharePoint and Dynamics CRM.

Tommy Calvert

Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 4

Ep. 26

Tommy Calvert is Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 4, the youngest and first African-American County Commissioner in more than 170 years of Bexar County history. Los Angeles Weekly called him San Antonio’s “wunderkind” and Gardner Selby of the Austin-American Statesman said he is “one to watch” in Texas politics. Calvert started his own public relations and public affairs firm, Calvert International Consulting (CIC), in 2002. Over the past 16 years, CIC has been a trusted advisor to public sector leaders. Calvert’s public affairs work began in 1998 when he served as an aide to the San Antonio City Council. His work has taken him to positions in the Texas House of Representatives, as well as the United States Congress where he served as director of special projects for the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In addition, Calvert has advised San Antonio’s municipal water suppliers, numerous elected officials, business leaders, and executive-level educators of both public and charter schools. For two years, Calvert was chief of external operations for the world’s leading anti-slavery and human trafficking organization — the American Anti-Slavery Group. In this capacity, he worked to free and empower survivors of slavery and genocide from around the world. He spoke tirelessly across the United States to encourage Americans, the press, and politicians to end contemporary slavery and genocide. San Antonio Community Radio — KROV 91.7-HD2 FM — was founded in 2008 by Calvert, in partnership with Trinity University, as a non-profit radio station. Its purpose is to provide R&B music, local news, views, and non-profit information to uplift San Antonio’s unique urban community. KROV has won “Best Radio Station for Music” twice in the San Antonio Current’s “Best of San Antonio Awards” and named “Best New Gospel Music Programming in the State of Texas” by the American Gospel Announcers Guild. Having already secured $432 million for Precinct 4’s infrastructure in his lifetime, Commissioner Calvert has hit the ground running. As County Commissioner, Calvert will make public safety a priority by working with neighborhood associations, businesses, sheriffs, and constables to increase manpower for patrols, as well as build a sheriff substation on the Northeast side. Calvert will work with Commissioner’s Court to pass a policy of hiring people from neighborhoods where it builds infrastructure. He also has a plan to help create jobs within precinct 4. Commissioner Calvert is a lifelong member of Friendship Baptist Church and a lifelong learner. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from a Top-25 college, Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Johnny Carrera

Instructor, Open Cloud Academy

Ep. 25

Johnny Carrera is a San Antonio native who has been teaching IT for 14 years. Since 2015, Johnny has been an instructor at the Open Cloud Academy, teaching students to enter the IT field as Network Operations specialists. Johnny started his teaching career in 2004 at Holmes High School where he taught for 12 years. At Holmes High School, Johnny was awarded the “Teacher of the Year” award two times.

Deborah Carter

Senior Manager, Open Cloud Academy

Ep. 25

Zig Ziglar once said, "You can have everything you want in life if you just help enough people get what they want in life." This quote sums up Deborah Carter's personal and professional drive to help others succeed and drive transformational change in organizations. In the last 8+ years, Deborah has helped Rackspace University (RU) accomplish its wide-ranging objectives and successfully address organizational needs. Deborah has helped thousands of Rackers (Rackspace employees) by providing support to both technical and non-technical internal courses. She has initiated and established partnerships between Rackspace and the Texas Workforce Commission, Project Quest, and Alamo Community Colleges. In March 2013, Deborah and her team launched the Rackspace Open Cloud Academy, an initiative to provide IT training to members of the San Antonio community while filling talent-gaps that exist in the IT industry. Currently, Deborah leads the Rackspace Open Cloud Academy (OCA), located on heart of San Antonio's Tech District. The OCA program supports the development of San Antonio's community members and Veterans, preparing them for entry level IT careers. When Deborah took her initial position in RU, it offered eight courses. Since then, she has supported the development and/or implementation of several Learning and Development programs. Deborah was a key player in securing and managing over $8 million worth of grant-funding, which has been used to train thousands of Rackers and future Rackers through OCA. Also, $7 Million for tuition assistance for OCA students. Her efforts have been formally recognized with Texas Workforce Commision's Alamo Region's Employer of the Year for 2012, Bersin by Delliott's What Works Award and San Antonio Business Journal's Tech Titan award in 2015. Lately, you may have seen Deborah quoted in the Wall Street Journal, spreading the word about the OCA. A dedicated, innovative Racker, Deborah is proud to be able to expand the reach and impact of the OCA, in San Antonio and beyond.

Juan Guerrero

Technology Certification Instructor, Business Careers High School

Ep. 24

Juan Guerrero has worked in IT for the last 13 years. While attending Our Lady of the Lake University he worked with their IT department. Once graduated with his bachelors he began work as a Network Technician at Harlandale ISD where he trained new employees, managed vital servers, and new server installations. He took to teaching 5 years ago and has found it to be his passion. With a youthful perspective, Juan appeals to the wonder in his students to eliminate the daunting concepts of technology. His goal is to empower men and women to make technology a tool that allows them to achieve their dreams.

Debi Pfitzenmaier

Founder, Youth Code Jam

Ep. 23

Debi Pfitzenmaier is the founding executive director of Youth Code Jam. Youth Code Jam hosts San Antonio’s largest youth coding event, as well as teacher professional development workshops, summer camps, a girls-only coding community and special programs for low income, minority students and students with autism. Pfitzenmaier works closely with private and public entities, as well as parents, schools, community leaders and corporate volunteers, to create synergy around teaching students to code. These efforts were included by The White House as part of Obama's #CSForAll initiative twice in 2016. Over the years, Pfitzenmaier has served as a public relations executive, grant manager, ESL instructor, and event organizer and presenter. She is an active volunteer, sitting on the National Wildlife Federation’s Founding Mothers Advisory Board, serving as an MIT Parent Supporter and as a committee chair for the Churchill High School Charger Marching Band, and working as part of the Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio Collaborative.

Michael Maldonado

Cyber Patriot Teacher, Technology Facilitator at Ronald McNair Middle School

Ep. 22

Michael Maldonado has followed an unconventional path into cyber security education. Michael graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi with a BA in History but always maintained a passion for technology and cyber systems. Michael began his career in education as a history teacher and coach but very quickly was recognized as a campus leader in education technology and was asked to create a robotics program and then a cyber security program. Born and raised on the southside of San Antonio Michael dedicated himself to helping young people in underserved communities learn the skills they need to be competitive in the 21st century. For the past two years, Michael has served as the associate director for middle school program for the Cyber Texas Foundation. As an educator Michael has developed a middle engineering curriculum and has developed a full year cyber security curriculum aligned with the goals of the Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot Competition. Most recently Michael was the creator of a Texas Education Agency approved Innovative course title Principles of Cyber Security. In the CyberPatriot competition, Michael has consistently coached teams which finish as the top teams in Texas including an all-female team that finished with the 1st Place Texas Award. In addition to team awards and a variety of educator awards Michael has been selected as a 2016 KENS 5 ExCel Award winner in education, 2016 District Teacher of the Year, and was nominated for a Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. Michael is currently the Cyber security teacher at McNair Middle School in Southwest ISD (San Antonio).

Stephanie Ewing-Ottmers, CISSP, CISM, PMP

Senior Security Consultant, Delta Risk, LLC.

Ep. 21

Stephanie Ewing-Ottmers is a senior security consultant with Delta Risk, LLC. She has 16+ years of experience in information technology and information security leadership. Prior to joining Delta Risk, she spent several years working with leaders of critical infrastructure organizations across the nation to improve their security programs. Thru workshops, training classes and tabletop exercises, Stephanie has worked to educate executive level leadership and elected officials on security threats and risk management strategies. Additionally, Stephanie has held various technology and information security leadership positions in the utility industry working at CPS Energy in San Antonio for over 9 years. During her time at CPS Energy, she managed the Enterprise IT Security team. Her experience includes the implementation of incident response programs, risk and compliance programs, security awareness training and security operations. In addition to her professional experience, Ms. Ewing-Ottmers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Greg White, Ph.D.

Ep. 20

Dr. Gregory White has been involved in computer and network security since 1986. He spent 30 years with the Air Force and Air Force Reserves. He obtained his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Texas A&M University in 1995 conducting research in the area of Computer Network Intrusion Detection and he continues to conduct research in this area today. He currently serves as the Director of the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) and is a Professor of Computer Science at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Dr. White has been involved in security instruction for many years. He taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy for seven years where he developed and taught courses on Computer Security and Information Warfare. He helped build the nation’s first undergraduate information warfare laboratory while at the Academy. At UTSA Dr. White continues to develop and teach courses on computer and network security. He has also been very active in the development and presentation of cyber security exercises for states and communities around the nation and with the development of training designed to help states and communities develop viable and sustainable cyber security programs. He additionally is very active in development of cyber security competitions and was instrumental in the development of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and the CyberPatriot National High School Cyber Defense Competition. Dr. White has written numerous articles and conference papers on computer security. He is also the co-author for five textbooks on security and has written chapters for two others. His current research interests include an examination of organizational issues affecting computer security, secure information sharing, high-speed intrusion detection, infrastructure protection, community cyber incident response, and the development of the Community Cyber Security Maturity Model (CCSMM) which serves as a guide for states and communities desiring to build their own viable and sustainable cyber security programs. Dr White received the 2011 Educator Leadership award for Exceptional Leadership in Information Assurance Education at the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (CISSE). In 2012 he was awarded the Air Force Association Distinguished Sustained Aerospace Education Award for his efforts in cyber security education. In 2014 he was made a Distinguished Fellow of the Information Systems Security Association. In addition to being the director of the CIAS at UTSA, Dr White also serves as the Executive Director of the Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) Standards Organization (SO) and is the Executive Director of the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC).

Anton Domratchev

Ep. 19

Anton graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in Cyber Security. Anton started front end development with HTML, CSS and JavaScript in 2008, and has been developing in PHP and Ruby since 2013. He is currently honing his Javascript React skills while discovering the wonderful world of Software Architecture.

Jason Straughan

Co-Founder, Grok Interactive, Codeup

Ep. 19

Jason is the Co Founder of Grok Interactive and Codeup, two companies focused on software development based in San Antonio. A life-long programmer, he fell in love with computers in elementary school and has been hooked ever since. As CEO of Grok Interactive, he leads a team of web and mobile application developers creating custom software solutions. Jason also Co-founded Codeup, a career school focused on training web developers to meet the growing demand for programming talent in San Antonio. Jason served an advisory board member for LaunchSA (formerly Café Commerce), mentor for Techstars Cloud, co-organizer of the San Antonio Web Developer group, and acts as a technical advisor for several local startups.

Ray Sims

Managing Consultant, Decypher

Ep. 18

Ray is a cyber security professional with over 15 years of experience. At Decypher, he is the Managing Consultant for Decypher Commercial’s penetration testing team. Prior to joining Decypher, Ray directed the Infrastructure Assurance and Training Programs at UTSA’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. Ray has experience in network infrastructure design and implementation, software architecture and development, and operating system administration and security. He has managed and led software development and system administration teams in both commercial and government environments. Ray previously served as a Manager at Deloitte & Touche where he managed and led security controls reviews, compliance efforts, security and vulnerability assessments, wireless assessments, firewall audits and security technology implementation for a wide array of Fortune 100 companies in various industries. Mr. Sims obtained a Bachelor of Arts Computer Science - Economics from Claremont McKenna College and holds the credentials of Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and CompTIA Network+.

Congressman Will Hurd

Ep. 17

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Will is a proud product of the Texas public school system. He attended John Marshall High School and Texas A&M University, where he majored in Computer Science and served as Student Body President. After college, Will served as an undercover officer in the CIA in the Middle East and South Asia for nearly a decade, collecting intelligence that influenced the National Security agenda. Upon leaving the CIA, he became a Senior Advisor with a cybersecurity firm, covering a wide range of complex challenges faced by manufacturers, financial institutions, retailers, and critical infrastructure owners. He was also a partner with a strategic advisory firm helping businesses expand into international markets. In 2015, Will was elected to the 114th Congress and currently serves on the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform and chairs the Information Technology Subcommittee. He also sits on the Committee on Homeland Security and is the Vice Chair of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee. He is close to his brother Charlie, sister Liz, mother Mary Alice, and father Bob, who all live here in the district.

Rich Valdez

CTO, IPSecure, Inc.

Ep. 16

Richard Valdez is a recognized security leader, entrepreneur and CTO at IPSecure, Inc. Rich has nearly 20 years' hands-on experience in Cyber Security and various Enterprise and security platforms in the DoD, Joint, Air Force and Army sectors. Prior to assuming the role at IPSecure, Valdez served as the Cybersecurity Engineer and technical lead for the 335th Theater Signal Command, Joint Network Control Center Afghanistan (JNCC-A) and Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (RCERT -SWA) Southwest Asia as Northrop Grumman contractor deployed to Camp Doha Kuwait and various forward operating bases within Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan. Valdez was born in Jacksonville, NC but grew up most of his adolescent years in San Antonio, Texas. Rich's can do attitude and experience in working with Tactical Cyber Operations gives him insight and a vision that truly focuses on establishing a more advanced Cyber presence in San Antonio and throughout the United States and its interests. This vision is clearly seen in the level of support IPSecure currently provides 24th and 25th AF locally and multiple Cyber Operations with global responsibilities. None of this would be possible without amazing family support, Valdez is a family man first and is married to lovely wife Jennifer Valdez and has one son and two daughters, Isaak, Lilli and Kate.

Ed Shaw

Ep. 15

Ed Shaw, sometimes referred to as "Ed the Fed," discharged numerous information governance and privacy responsibilities during his career as a Special Agent with the FBI. While Ed researches his next career in the field of privacy and information governance he writes a blog (Tokyo2020olympicssecurity.com). The blog is inspired by his two tours in Japan as the FBI representative to all law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the Japanese government. He also serves as the secretary of the Houston chapter of the American Society of Industrial Security and the secretary of the Houston chapter of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. While representing the FBI to Japanese law enforcement authorities Ed coordinated numerous international data theft and fraud investigations involving the U.S., Japan, and third countries. His FBI overseas assignments also included extensive time and work in Taiwan and Australia. Ed lives in Houston with his Japanese wife while his son attends college in California. Ed, his wife, and his son all speak to each other in both English and Japanese. However, regardless of what language Ed uses while speaking with his wife and son they rarely seem to notice nor care what he says.

Kenny Gorman

Co-Founder, ObjectRocket

Ep. 14

Kenny has 18 years of experience with various database platforms behind some of the busiest datasets in the world. Most recently he Co-Founded ObjectRocket. He has had roles as Chief Technologist, Architect, Director, Manager, Developer, and DBA. He was a key member of the early teams that scaled Paypal and then eBay, ran one of the largest PostgreSQL installations on the planet, and was a very early adopter and Entrepreneur using MongoDB. He is an active database community member, speaker, and evangelist.

Joe Sanchez

Ep. 13

A 6th generation Texan, Joe Sanchez is an executive experienced in military and community activities involving Intelligence, Information Technology Operations and Security, Education, Innovation and Legislative matters. A local "social entrepreneur and technology evangelist," Joe established a prominent Cyber Security educational base in San Antonio and has helped promote the growth of local cybersecurity industries and associations. Joe served in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives as Congressional Fellow. He currently is the Chief, Network Operations, 25 AF Operations Center, Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland.

Will Garrett

Executive Director, CyberSecurity San Antonio

Ep. 12

Will Garrett is the Executive Director of CyberSecurity San Antonio, an industry-driven program created to accelerate the growth of the cybersecurity sector. He is the Co-Founder of the Build Sec Foundry, an incubator located at Geekdom in the heart of the San Antonio Tech District, which is developing and growing new cybersecurity products and technology. Garrett leads the Cybersecurity Industry Council of the San Antonio Chamber where he pursues ecosystem building strategies through and with the support of local companies, academic institutions and military partners. He managed the Cybersecurity Business Bootcamp program that offered mentorship, training and support for military members transitioning from service to entrepreneurship. Prior to assuming the role at CyberSecurity San Antonio, Garrett served as the lead for the Chamber's Economic Development Department and managed federal and state advocacy trips, the annual Stars & Stripes Over San Antonio fireworks show, and the Chamber's Celebrate America's Military events. Garrett was born in Austin, Texas and grew up during his high school years in Johnson City, Texas. He majored in Communication Studies and International Studies and graduated from Texas Lutheran University (TLU) with a Bachelor of Arts in 2006. Garrett holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Garrett is married to Elizabeth Garrett and has two daughters, Poppy Elizabeth and Lilly Kate.

Jim Perschbach

Ep. 11

Jim Perschbach is the EVP of business development and provides strategic support to grow aerospace and other advanced technology businesses at the Port. An attorney with over 18 years of legal experience, he was previously senior counsel for Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, where he worked alongside aerospace and other advanced manufacturing clients and help them achieve their growth plans. Perschbach has experience in key area of economic development, including real estate, economic development and workforce development. He is also a past chair of the San Antonio Chamber's Aerospace Committee and the Alamo Academies, part of Alamo Colleges.

Robert Autenrieth

Founder & President, J.Nels Consulting & Associates

Ep. 10

Robert Autenrieth is the Founder and President of J.Nels Consulting and Associates - technology consultants that specialize in helping clients experiencing the scaling challenges that come with hyper-growth. Prior to founding J.Nels Consulting and Associates, Robert was the Chief Operations Officer for Codero Hosting and held multiple leadership positions including Vice President of Support Operations at Rackspace.

Omar Quimbaya

Technology Evangelist, Def-Logix, Inc.

Ep. 9

Omar Quimbaya is a technology evangelist for Def-Logix, Inc., a local cyber security research and development company, and the founder and organizer of the CyberDEF Dojo, a meetup dedicated to sharing skills, knowledge, and wisdom to people who are interested in the cyber security industry. The CyberDEF Dojo also organizes the Security Engagement Series, which is an event series meant to educate entrepreneurs, business owners, and the public about cyber security and what are the best practices to follow to protect critical assets and infrastructure. He has worked in technology for the past 4 years, specifically for startups and organizations that support startups. He also volunteers with 1 Million Cups and other meetups around San Antonio. His vision is to see San Antonio compete globally in cyber security.

Dan Cornell

Principal, Denim Group, Ltd.

Ep. 8

A globally recognized application security expert, Dan Cornell holds over 15 years of experience architecting, developing and securing web-based software systems. As Chief Technology Officer and Principal at Denim Group, Ltd., he leads the technology team to help Fortune 500 companies and government organizations integrate security throughout the development process. Cornell is an active member of the development community and a sought-after speaker on topics of web application security, speaking at international conferences including RSA Security Conference, OWASP AppSec USA and EU and Black Hat Arsenal.

John Dickson

Principal, Denim Group, Ltd.

Ep. 8

John Dickson is an internationally recognized security leader, entrepreneur and Principal at Denim Group, Ltd. He has nearly 20 years of hands-on experience in intrusion detection, network security and application security in the commercial, public and military sectors. As a Denim Group Principal, he helps executives and Chief Security Officers (CSOs) of Fortune 500 companies, including major financial institutions, launch and expand their critical application security initiatives.

Paul Querna

Founder & CTO, ScaleFT

Ep. 7

Paul Querna leads ScaleFT as CTO and Founder. ScaleFT is a cybersecurity startup building BeyondCorp security solutions for the enterprise. Prior to ScaleFT, Paul held engineering and leadership roles at Rackspace, Cloudkick, and IAC, as well as participating in the Apache Software Foundation as VP of Infrastructure. Paul has contributed significantly to core Internet infrastructure open source projects such as httpd.

David Schulz

Cyber Risk Associates

Ep. 6

Bringing Information Privacy and Security to small business and nonprofits is a driving passion for David Schulz. "Threats to privacy increase daily," he says, "and protecting oneself, one's business and one's family is a critical imperative. It's the 'Fire Safety' of the 21st century." Following a career in executive management of nonprofit institutions, primarily educational, David uses dynamic writing and a strong classroom presence to engender situational awareness of the risks ... and also, the rewards for due diligence and making correct decisions. His company, Cyber Risk Associates, provides enterprise-quality compliance programs for SMBs, healthcare providers and business associates, performing risk analyses, gap remediation and maintaining documentation required by regulation. David writes on Privacy and Security for a variety of publications, including San Antonio Medicine Magazine, the San Antonio Express News; and has appeared on radio and television, helping the audience understand the threats and respond to them more fully.

Tom DeSot

CIO, Digital Defense, Inc.

Ep. 5

Tom DeSot is the Chief Information Officer of Digital Defense, Inc. (DDI). He is charged with developing and maintaining relationships with influential industry and market regulators, identifying key integration and service partnerships and serving as the prime regulatory compliance resource for external and internal contacts. He also serves as the company's internal auditor on security-related matters. Prior to joining DDI, DeSot served as vice president of information systems for a mid-tier financial institution in San Antonio, TX. While there, he was responsible for managing numerous institution-wide projects ranging from information security initiatives, to the Y2K program and the installation and implementation of both home banking and bill pay products. DeSot also managed the institution's ATM and debit card program, as well as all ATM network activities. DeSot holds a bachelor's degree in applied arts and sciences from Texas State University and is a master's candidate in information assurance at Southern New Hampshire University. He is heavily involved in San Antonio's information security community and has served on the board of directors for the Alamo Chapter of Information Systems Audit and Control Association and was a founding board member of the Alamo Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association. He is also a former Supervisory/Audit Committee Chairman for a mid-tier financial institution and now serves on their Board of Directors as the chairman of their Governance Committee. DeSot also serves on an information security curriculum advisory panel for Texas A&M University, San Antonio and is a member of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce IT Committee. DeSot believes in giving back to the San Antonio community and was instrumental in DDI's sponsorship of San Antonio's Southwest High School Cyber-Patriot teams. He has also acted as a mentor for the Collegiate Cyber-Defense team from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, and has delivered classroom and symposium presentations on cybersecurity and cyber ethics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. DeSot holds the National Security Agency's INFOSEC Assessment Methodology Certification and is formally trained in the OCTAVE Risk Assessment Methodology.

John Engates

CTO, Rackspace

Ep. 4

John Engates joined Rackspace in August 2000, just a year after the company was founded, as Vice President of Operations, managing the datacenter operations and customer-service teams. Two years later, when Rackspace decided to add new services for larger enterprise customers, John created and helped develop the Intensive Hosting business unit. Most recently, John has played an active role in the evolution and evangelism of Rackspace's cloud-computing strategy and cloud products. John meets frequently with customers to hear about their needs and concerns, and to discuss Rackspace's vision for the future of cloud computing. John currently serves as Chief Technology Officer. John is also an internationally recognized cloud computing expert and a sought-after speaker at technology conferences, including CA World, the Goldman Sachs Techtonics Conference and Cloud Expo. He speaks on the future of cloud computing, enterprise cloud adoption, data center efficiency, green data center best practices, and more. Prior to joining Rackspace, John was a founder and General Manager at Internet Direct, one of the original Internet service providers in Texas. John is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and holds a B.B.A. in Accounting.

Chris Gerritz

Pioneer in Defensive Cyberspace Operations

Ep. 3

Chris, a retired Air Force officer and service-disabled veteran, is a pioneer in defensive cyberspace operations having stood up the U.S. Air Force's first interactive Defensive Counter Cyberspace (DCC) practice. From a decade of military service, Chris draws on both leadership and deep technical experience serving in various roles such as cryptographic systems maintainer, cyber warfare officer and Air Force pilot. Prior to co-founding Infocyte, Chris served as the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team (AFCERT)'s first Chief of DCC Operations. In this role, he led a team of 28 operators tasked with finding, tracking, and neutralizing state-sponsored threats on the Air Force's $2B, 800k node enterprise network. He personally conducted and/or oversaw 350+ adversarial hunt, rapid response and threat engagement missions on networks throughout the world. Chris holds a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Oregon State University.

Matt Wilbanks

CEO and Co-Founder, HelpSocial

Ep. 2

Matt Wilbanks is CEO and Co-Founder of HelpSocial, the the #1 integration platform for customer care and social media. A customer service innovator, Matt honed his support skills at Rackspace Hosting where he solved complex customer issues via social media. During his tenure at Rackspace, Matt was an initial member of the company's social customer care team. As an early adopter of social customer care, Rackspace saw an opportunity to make the practice status quo. HelpSocial was developed out necessity to connect social customer care tools with internal customer support systems. Realizing the true value to companies outside of Rackspace, Matt and HelpSocial CTO and Co-Founder Rob Collazo, spun out with initial seed funding from Mark Cuban in 2014. HelpSocial was accepted into Techstars and are proud graduates of the notable start-up accelerator program. Today, the HelpSocial platform consists of web and mobile apps built to improve the efficiency of social customer service operations and offers an open API allowing a business to scale social data and functions across the various tools used across a contact center. As CEO, Matt is responsible for HelpSocial growth strategies, as well as ensuring the HelpSocial team has plenty of snacks and working a Netflix account.

Charlie Rentschler

Google Cloud Platform

Ep. 1

Charlie Rentschler is technologist, futurist, and sales executive currently working at Google - helping companies solve a new class of problems with machine learning and the Google Cloud Platform. Prior to working at Google and passionate about making a mark on the world by arming it with the best technology, Charlie worked to significantly grow the OpenStack ecosystem in his roles with both Rackspace and Cisco. Charlie loves to spend quality time with his wife and two daughters, enjoys cooking, sharing meals with friends, and botany.