The Human Side of Cybersecurity

In this special edition of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with a guest unlike any other: his son, Luca Desko. The conversation covers leadership and entrepreneurship through the eyes of a young leader, from what it takes to run a company, to the importance of rest, to what the ideal office snack situation looks like. Luca also shares his early in...

In this episode, Dan Desko sits down with Adam Markowitz, Co-Founder of Drata, to discuss the evolution of trust in cybersecurity and how it has become a core driver of business performance. Adam shares his journey from working on the NASA Space Shuttle program to building Portfolium and eventually founding Drata, and how those experiences shaped his perspective on proving trust, not just claiming...

In this episode, Dan Desko sits down with Adam Gunnett, VP of Business Intelligence & Strategy at Busy Beaver Building Centers, to explore how technology, data, and cybersecurity come together to drive real business outcomes. Adam shares his journey from traditional IT into a leadership role that spans analytics, strategy, and innovation, and how that perspective has shaped the way Busy Beaver...

In this episode of the series from Cyber Intelligence Weekly, Echelon Risk + Cyber CEO Dan Desko sits down with Dawn Cappelli, former CISO at Rockwell Automation and current Head of OT CERT at Dragos. Dawn shares her remarkable journey from programming nuclear power plants to helping pioneer the insider threat discipline at Carnegie Mellon’s CERT program. Along the way, she helped develop some of...

In this episode, Dan Desko sits down with Jamie Giroux, Chief Information Security Officer at Platinum Equity. With more than 30 years in cybersecurity, Jamie shares what it was like working in the industry long before it was even called “cyber,” and how the field has evolved over the decades. The conversation explores leadership, emotional intelligence, and the human side of cybersecurity. Jamie...

In this episode of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko sits down with Jon Garza, a cybersecurity leader with more than 25 years of experience in IT and over a decade in security leadership across multiple industries. Jon shares how his career evolved from early roles in network and systems administration to leading enterprise security programs, and the lessons that shaped his approach to ri...

In this episode of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko sits down with Arif Hameed, CISO at C&R Software, to talk about the path to cybersecurity leadership, the realities of the CISO role, and what it takes to build a program that actually supports the business. Arif shares his journey from software QA into IT audit, risk management, customer trust, and eventually the CISO seat. Along t...

In this episode of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko sits down with Roy Luongo, former CISO of the U.S. Secret Service and a cybersecurity leader with more than 30 years of experience spanning military intelligence, the NSA, Cyber Command, and the private sector. Roy shares the journey from offensive cyber operations and red teaming to leading enterprise security programs, and how those e...

In this episode of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, speaks with Dr. Trebor Evans, SVP and CISO at Dollar Bank, about leadership, pressure, and maintaining perspective in one of the most demanding roles in the industry. Leading security at a 170-year-old financial institution, Trebor shares how experience, judgment, and self-awareness shape effe...

In this episode of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, speaks with Julie Ray, VP and CISO at Wabtec Corporation, about building an effective security leadership style over time. Drawing on a career that spans infrastructure, compliance, and manufacturing, Julie shares how her perspective on cybersecurity has evolved, moving beyond tools to focus o...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with Margarita Rivera, Global CISO at Carnival Corporation, to explore an unconventional path into cybersecurity leadership. Margarita shares how her career began in business and risk management, evolved through mentorship and persistence, and ultimately led her to securing one of th...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with Paul Guerra, CISO at Rackspace Technology, to discuss what security leadership really looks like inside fast-moving organizations. Paul shares how building and fixing security programs during moments of change shaped his view of the role, not as a technical function, but as a di...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with John Scrimsher, CISO at Kontoor Brands, to explore how security leadership evolves over decades of change. John reflects on a career that began before modern security programs existed, shaped by early malware outbreaks, large-scale incidents, and the need to innovate when tools...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with Michael South, CISO at Dick’s Sporting Goods, for a candid discussion about leadership, pressure, and how the role changes over time. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience across the Navy, IT, operations, government, and retail, Michael shares how his perspective on risk...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, speaks with Dom Glavach of CyberSN about what security leadership looks like once the responsibility extends beyond systems and into people. Dom reflects on a career that began deep in the technical work, long before many modern security roles were formalized, and how that foundation continues...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, speaks with Aaron Stanley, Head of Security at DBT Labs, about what the security role becomes once the focus shifts away from tooling and toward long-term leadership. Aaron reflects on a career shaped less by titles and more by persistent questions around privacy, trust, and accountability—an...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with Bob Kemp, Global CISO at Federated Hermes, to discuss how credibility is built and sustained in the security leadership role. Bob reflects on a career path that began in accounting and finance, moved through IT and customer-facing roles, and ultimately led to security leadership...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with John O’Rourke, CISO at PPG Industries, to discuss how the security role evolves inside a large, globally distributed manufacturing organization. Drawing on his 18-year career at PPG, John reflects on his transition from software development and M&A integration into security...

In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, hosted by Dan Desko with guest Corey Kaemming from Valvoline, the discussion explores how the CISO role evolves once you’re in it, emphasizing leadership, judgment, and communication over technical skill. It highlights a leadership mistake causing security issues and the need to educate leadership. Corey Kaemming, shares his skepticism of “silver...