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2024 ISSA Board Election

Directors

Please note: The candidates appear in alphabetical order which may differ from the order on the ballot.


For Director
Mario Chiock
Mario Chiock
Email Address: mchiock@gmail.com
Current Job: Chief of staff Itegriti Corporation , Membership Director South Texas ISSA

Biography

Mario Chiock currently is the Chief of Staff at Itegriti Corporation since April 2022, he possesses over 44 years of experience in operations, IT, Cyber Security, Risk, Privacy and Auditing.  Prior he was Schlumberger (now SLB) Fellow and CISO Emeritus until June 2020, he was responsible for developing the company’s worldwide, long-term cyber security strategy including the cyber security digital transformation and cloud migration.  He is recognized for his leadership and management in all aspects of cybersecurity throughout the company as well as within the community.

Mario has been an active member of the ISSA for over 20 years; held numerous board positions in the Austin Chapter, as well as Houston Chapter. As president of the South Texas Chapter in 2007 won “Chapter of the Year” award. He is currently membership director on the board. Mario is also an active volunteer trainer for Security Certifications such as CISM, CISA & CRISC certifications, and has mentored many successful CSO & CISO.

Mario won the 2012 Central Information Security Executive (ISE) “People Choice Award”, in 2014 he is a recipient of the CSO40 – 2014 award, named “ISSA Fellow”, won ISC2 Americas Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA) and won the  “ISSA Honor Roll” award.
 
Mario has a CISM & CISA Certifications and is past chair for the American Petroleum Institute Information (API) Security Sub-Committee and was involved in the formation of the Oil & Gas ISAC (ONG-ISAC).

Statement of goals

Goals if elected to position:
  1. Bring ISSA international to the 21st century, for example have systems that are mobile 1st , Digital ID membership cards, improve user experience, support MFA.
  2. ISSA has many great chapters but also have many struggling chapters, I would like ISSA international to build standardize process to make all chapters successful,
  3. Many cities would like to have an ISSA chapter specially overseas, ISSA international should help create new chapters around the world
  4. Start relationships with universities around the world to help expand ISSA
  5. I would like to increase membership value to all members.
  6. Last, I would like to see ISSA International provide the proper tools to chapters to run successfully.


For Director
John Donovan
John Donovan
CISO and Co-founder, InstaSecure (https://instasecure.ai/)
Linked-in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjdonovan/

Biography

John Donovan is an active member of the cyber-security community in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. He is past president and director-at-large for the Silicon Valley chapter of ISSA ( https://sv-issa.org/). John has been active with ISSA International and was previously a key organizer for the Cyber-Executive Forum. In August of 2023, he was awarded the honor of ISSA Distinguished Fellow at the ISSA International Awards Gala at Black Hat. The status of ISSA Distinguished Fellow is reserved for less than 1% of ISSA membership.

In his day job, John builds and runs security, risk, and information technology programs. Currently, John is helping to bring proactive and preventative controls to the cloud as CISO and Co-founder of InstaSecure (https://instasecure.io/), an early-stage cloud security startup. Past professional positions include engineering, IT, risk, and security leadership positions at Malwarebytes, Illumio, Veracode, NetApp, Xilinx, iBuilding, and other security and technology companies.

John is passionate about developing the next generation of cyber-security professionals and leaders. He has partnered with businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions to bring security content and opportunities to students and people looking to make a career change to cyber-security. John is a founding board member of ISLF (https://islf.foundation), a founding member of member of SVCI (https://svci.io/), and is a Shepherd for the Wall of Sheep  (https://www.wallofsheep.com/) and PHV at defcon.

Statement of goals

One of our greatest strengths as ISSA International is our network of chapters throughout the world, with membership comprised of industry luminaries, seasoned professionals, as well as students and those moving into a career in cyber-security for the first time.

As a director for ISSA International, I will work tirelessly to support our chapters and members in connecting, teaching and learning from each other, and progressing in their careers. I will partner with my fellow ISSA International board members and our chapter leaders to further these goals.

I am honored to have been nominated by my local Silicon Valley chapter to run for this position, and I look forward to your support.



For Director
Garrett Felix, MS, CISSP
Garrett Felix
ISSA Fellow
Delaware Valley Chapter, PA

Biography

Garrett is an ISSA Fellow and has been actively involved with the ISSA since 2005. He currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the ISSA Journal, and his prior ISSA service includes: Chapter President (Central Penn), CISO Advisory Council, Director -International Board, and as a Presidential Advisor to the International Board.

With 25 years in the information security industry, Garrett currently serves as the Senior Director of Privacy and Security for Companion Protect – a Kansas company focused on the well-being, affordable wellness, and insurance solutions for pets. His industry experience also includes serving as the Information Security Officer and Privacy Officer for human performance and wellness firms EXOS and MediFit, in addition to a start-up, local government, and consulting roles.   

Statement of goals

We have faced, and moved past the many challenges the global pandemic presented us; not only to the information security industry, but to the ISSA as an international organization. As a Director, I would strive to refocus our organization’s efforts to ensure we are in the best place possible to best support our mission and membership globally.

As part of doing so, I feel it is important to:


For Director
Richard Greenberg, CISSP
 Richard Greenberg
Biography

Richard Greenberg, CISSP is a well-known Cyber Security Leader and Evangelist, CISO, Advisor, and speaker.

Richard brings over 35 years of management experience and has been a strategic and thought leader in IT and Information Security. His Project Management, Security Management (CISO for 15 years) and Operations, Policy, and Compliance experience have prepared him for a role on the ISSA Board. He has previous experience on non-profit International Boards, having been elected to the OWASP Global Board.

Richard’s volunteer work is substantial:
Richard is dedicated to diversity in our field. He started and chairs the annual Women in Security Forum, and supports creating a more open and welcome community for all. He has worked diligently to bring together the various SoCal IT and InfoSec organizations to enhance their collaboration efforts, to help reach new IT and InfoSec professionals.

You may have heard Richard’s interview as a Cybersecurity expert on Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/the-ron-burgundy-podcast-30270227/episode/cyber-security-47951911/.

Richard has been a published author in the ISSA Journal.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardagreenberg

Statement of goals
  1. Advocate for ISSA to have a lead role in helping to build partnerships between private industry and the public sector, to protect critical infrastructure & networks
  2. Engage ISSA chapters to share their successes, strategies, and templates to help build strong chapters worldwide
  3. Help to redirect the ISSA Board focus to be more chapter-centric, and provide more centralized support
  4. Work with other information security organizations to bring more benefits to ISSA membership, such as discounts at InfoSec events around the globe
  5. Support enterprise objectives by educating members on the relationship between IT and the business, business processes, and business risks
  6. Help grow the ISSA Community by reaching out to business leaders
  7. Share my knowledge and experience with fellow board members
  8. Creation of an Advisory Board. The International Board is a volunteer board, and thus incapable of handling everything that needs attention, and the management team is just too small. The Advisory Board and Committees would be comprised of dedicated proven chapter leaders, and can serve as a proving ground for future Board members.


For Director
Alex Grohmann
Alex Grohmann
Biography

As a security and privacy professional for over 25 years, Alex Grohmann as helped to promote the profession through professional and personal contributions. He is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Acuity International, a $550 million organization with locations in over 10 countries. He volunteers a great deal of his time to make the profession stronger through his efforts in ISSA.

During Alex’s time on the international board, has been the lead for the Privacy Special Interest Group (SIG), managing the group and the efforts along with the chairs. The SIG has grown to nearly 2,000 members in the few short years of its existence.

As a 20-year member of the Northern Virginia chapter, Mr. Grohmann has volunteered on its board for 9 years, with 3 of those as chapter president. During that time, the chapter won the Chapter of Year, and he collected the Honor Roll and Fellow designations.

Outside of ISSA, Alex has served on several boards and/groups including Washington DC InfraGard, NIST’s NICE and the IT-Sector Coordinating Council (IT-SCC).

Alex is a graduate of Florida State University in Management Information Systems, and a proud Seminole.

Statement of goals

I plan to continue the initiatives I started as a member of the current board. Understanding the requirements of the organization and its individual chapters, I am uniquely qualified to help it group after the challenging years of COVID.  

Individually, I plan on strengthening ISSA relationships with entities including the IAPP (Privacy), NIST, CISA and Cyber-Watch. My contributions to ISSA online web conferences will remain active.

I will also be working to reinforce our educational initiatives to help ensure our next generation of cyber professionals are well equipped for the challenges to come. My contributions to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) has a special place in my heart.

My work with local chapters will continue and prosper by providing them a voice to the board as well informing them about new initiatives. This is also true of my work with organizations supporting minorities, especially Hispanics. I will resume my work to improve chapter resources such as management of chapter meeting registration, updating of board policies, and chapter websites. I look forward to volunteering more of my time to ISSA.



For Director
John D. Johnson,  Ph.D.,  CISSP, CRISC, SMIEEE, SMISSA
John D. Johnson
Biography

Dr. John D. Johnson is an experienced cybersecurity executive with a career spanning 30+ years. He is Founder/CEO of Aligned Security, and Founder/President of Docent Institute, which promotes the integration of technology, security, privacy, ethics, and public policy. Through Docent,  he has introduced  cybersecurity to 1500 K-12 students via STEM and career programs.

Dr. Johnson earned his Ph.D. in Physics from UT-Austin in 1993. His cybersecurity career began as Network and Security Manager for the Theoretical Division at LANL.  He has since held executive security roles at notable organizations like John Deere, Deloitte, and Campbell Soup Company. From 2003-2019,  he also served as an adjunct professor, teaching astronomy and developing graduate cybersecurity courses.

Dr. Johnson serves as ISSA Education Foundation  Director of Fundraising and is an active leader within ISC2, InfraGard, and IEEE; currently serving as Vice Chair of Iowa-Illinois Section and Chair of Iowa-Illinois Computer Society  Chapter. His leadership roles within IEEE include  MGA Awards and Recognition Chair, IEEE-USA VP of Communications, and Computer Society  Board of Governors.  He founded the QC Cybersecurity Alliance and CornCon Cybersecurity Conference and has been a founding board member for cyber education nonprofits, corporate advisory boards, SC Magazine Editorial Board, and he is a frequent speaker  and has served on organizing committees for Black  Hat, RSA Conference, and CornCon, which he founded in 2015. He was a key force behind the kids’ program at DEF CON, which he managed  from 2010-2019.

Dr. Johnson is a Senior Member of both IEEE and ISSA,  a Distinguished Fellow of Ponemon Institute, a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow, and received the 2008 Senior Scientist of the Year Award and the 2010 IEEE Region 4 Jack Sherman  Outstanding Member Award.

Statement of goals

As an ISSA International Board Director, my focus will be on enhancing communications and engagement with ISSA Chapters, adding member value, and elevating the member experience. I am committed  to fostering Chapter vitality, attracting new members, and retaining our valued members. My platform includes:
  1. Advocating for member-centric initiatives, introducing innovative services, and improving existing ones to meet the diverse needs of our members.
  2. Enhancing member engagement, particularly for students and early-career professionals, and encouraging active participation in ISSA activities and events.
  3. Promoting inclusivity and diversity within our membership and volunteers.  We must embrace diverse perspectives to enrich our society and address complex challenges effectively.

For Director
Connie Matthews
Connie Matthews15
Biography

Connie Matthews Reynolds is Founder and CEO of ReynCon, a cybersecurity training and consulting provider. She is a passionate cybersecurity expert who has worked in the IT/Security industry for over 25 years.

Under Connie’s leadership, ReynCon is dedicated to transforming businesses through comprehensive InfoSec/Cybersecurity training and development that drives positive change, empowering companies to upskill their teams and stay ahead in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape. ReyCon also offers professional services to help organizations improve their infosec programs and strategies.

Statement of goals

Goals are to help ISSA develop membership and value growth strategies through focus on:
Core Values:
I strive to be a strong leader by:


For Director
Gene McGowan
Gene McGowan
Hello ISSA! Thanks for reading through my bio and goals!

I’m Gene McGowan, a longstanding member of ISSA International and the ISSA Denver Chapter, honored as an ISSA Fellow.

I got my start in information security while serving in the US Navy. Before there were official roles like CISO, I was the “Automated Data Processing Security Officer”. From those humble beginnings I’ve continued to grow in the cyber security field with multiple certifications, new roles and increasing responsibilities. I’ve worked with organizations of all sizes, large insurance companies like USAA, vendors, and small to medium businesses struggling to stay secure. Most recently, I’ve joined the ranks at the SANS  Institute as an instructor and course author.

Therefore, with decades of experience in the field, along with serving on the Denver Chapter as President, Sponsorship Director, Treasurer, and Programs Director, I would bring a unique insight to the ISSA Board. I often use analogies, much like Ted Lasso, to express things. Here are a few goals for ISSA International, in a nutshell:

The field goals have been moved in the industry. The rules of the game have changed. Practitioners, both new and experienced, are finding it difficult to make an impact,  innovate, and adapt.

ISSA is at the center of these conflicting crossroads. The industry is shifting towards embracing  more automation,  requirements from businesses are becoming  more complex, meanwhile the adversary is becoming  more sophisticated. We should be lighting the way through this “labyrinth” of complexity and uncertainty, focusing  on the individuals in the trenches, fighting the good fight.

Statement of goals

Two immediate things come to mind:

We need an easier process to join ISSA and renew. Our “interface” is more than antiquated, out of date would be the nicest way to describe it. The world has shifted to a “mobile first” engagement – we are significantly behind and
we must catch  up to the massive amount of competing organizations in the same space.

Individual chapters are our life-blood. International should be doing everything possible to build up and support the local chapters. Meaningful change happens, one-on-one, face-to-face. The blocking and tackling of building a community  of security practitioners would provide a significant return on investment. We should be providing a “fellowship” to each member.



For Director
Lee Neely
Lee Neely
Biography

Lee Neely is a senior IT and security professional at LLNL with over 35 years of extensive experience with a wide variety of technology and applications from point implementations to enterprise solutions. He currently is the LLNL Cyber Security Program Senior Cyber Advisor and is the CSP lead for new technology adoption specializing in mobility. He teaches cyber security courses, and holds several security certifications including GMOB, GPEN, GWAPT, GAWN, GPYC, GEVA, GCPN, GSLC, CISSP, CISA, CISM and CRISC. Lee is a current ISSA International Board member, acting Chief Security Officer for ISSA International, President of the Boise ISSA chapter, President and co-founder of the Boise Cloud Security Alliance chapter, current director for Uncle Credit Union and holds the CCUB and CCUSC certifications. He is a past President for the ISC2 Eastbay Chapter, Member of the SANS NewsBites Editorial Board, GIAC Advisory Board member, GIAC Ethics Committee Member, SANS Analyst and co-host of Paul’s Security Weekly podcast.

Statement of goals

My goals taking a leadership role and give back to the ISSA:
1)  Improve the security posture of ISSA International
a.   Establish the role of ISSA International CSO
b.   Lead Assessments and working groups to improve security posture of ISSA International services.
c.   Secure ISSA International hosted chapter websites
d.   Assess and recommend long term chapter website hosting solution.
2)  Help the board operate effectively, enabling forward progress of strategic initiatives.
3)  Ensure that the board is driving value back to chapters to achieve operational excellence.
4)  Continue to bring current industry leaders to ISSA leadership forums and webinars to benefit our members.
5)  Find initiatives to make ISSA first choice of professional organizations for information security professionals, including relevancy and supporting resources.


For Director
William Smith Jr
William Smith Jr
Biography

William (Bill) Smith Jr has been an ISSA member since 2004. He was elected Treasurer of the Central Maryland chapter in 2007 and served as President since 2008. During his tenure as President, the chapter successfully hosted the international conference in Baltimore, rebranded itself as the Central Maryland chapter in 2016 and was recognized as midsize chapter of the year in 2017. Bill also led efforts to establish student chapters and a scholarship fund for cybersecurity students. Bill has been co-chair of the Chapter Leaders Committee for the past 3.5 years and has actively engaged with other chapter leaders. In 2020, Bill was recognized as an ISSA Distinguished Fellow.

Bill graduated from Drexel University with a BS in Information Systems and Technology and a MS in Information Assurance from Norwich University. He has worked as an Insider Threat Analyst at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory for almost 25 years.

Outside ISSA, Bill serves on advisory boards at a local community college and a cybersecurity networking academy that is part of a county high school program. He has provided input to the curriculum, participated in career fairs, and mentored students within the respective cybersecurity programs.

Statement of goals

Advocate for chapters and chapter leaders:  As Chapter Leaders Committee co-chair, I continue to directly hear many of the concerns and frustrations that our chapter leaders are experiencing. I will maintain this engagement with chapter leadership and help provide the resources and support that our chapters and chapter leaders need to succeed.

Increase outreach to students and grow the profession: Members represent the lifeline of our chapters. By extension, students represent the future of our organization and profession. I will endeavor to expand these efforts by encouraging chapters to partner with local schools and universities as part of an overall outreach effort. Furthermore, I would also encourage chapters to develop relationships with employers and other organizations to promote the need for more students to consider a career in cybersecurity.

Highlight the benefits and value of membership: The benefits and value of ISSA membership extends beyond professional development and earning CPEs. The opportunities to network and develop relationships, both personal and professional provides immeasurable value. From a personal standpoint, these opportunities played a pivotal role in where I am today in my career. I will bring attention to these benefits, which also provide opportunities to give back to our community and profession.