Board of Advisors

The senior editorial advisory body.

Advisors review for technical accuracy, fairness, and adherence to the evidence rules, and attest to reports before publication.

Santa J. Ono

Santa J. Ono

GLOBAL PRESIDENT, ELLISON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Former President of the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia. One of North America's most experienced academic leaders.

Full bio

President of the research organization founded by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, developing solutions across health, food security, clean energy, and AI. An accomplished immunologist with a Ph.D. from McGill University, faculty positions at Johns Hopkins and Emory. Brings unparalleled experience leading major global research institutions and deep relationships across science, technology, government, and philanthropy.

Adam Shostack

Adam Shostack

PRESIDENT AND DISTINGUISHED ENGINEER, SHOSTACK + ASSOCIATES

One of the field's leading authorities on threat modeling. Author of Threat Modeling: Designing for Security and creator of the Elevation of Privilege game.

Full bio

President and Distinguished Engineer at Shostack + Associates, and one of the field's leading authorities on threat modeling. He is the author of Threat Modeling: Designing for Security and Threats: What Every Engineer Should Learn from Star Wars, and co-author of The New School of Information Security. Over a career spanning startup founder to nearly a decade at Microsoft, he helped create the CVE, now serving as an emeritus member of its advisory board, led the design and delivery of the Microsoft SDL Threat Modeling Tool, and created the widely used Elevation of Privilege threat modeling game. He serves on the Black Hat Review Board, leads OWASP's Threat Modeling project, and is an Affiliate Professor at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He brings decades of security engineering experience and deep expertise in how systems fail and how to reason about that failure.

Dr. Selim Aissi

Dr. Selim Aissi

2026 CSO HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE; CEO & CSO, AGA

One of the nation's most distinguished cybersecurity leaders. Over 100 U.S. and international patents in computer and information security.

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Built and led security programs at Visa (Apple Pay, Visa Checkout, Data Protection Program), Ellie Mae (through its $11B acquisition), Blackhawk Network, and Intel. Two-time CISO of the Year. Co-author of Security for Mobile Networks and Platforms. Distinguished Fellow of the Ponemon Institute. Board member across Ten Eleven Ventures, MagicCube, FundingShield, the California Cybersecurity Task Force, the National Technology Security Coalition, the UC Berkeley CISO Institute, and FS-ISAC. Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.

Dwayne Rosenburgh, D.Sc.

Dwayne Rosenburgh, D.Sc.

RESEARCH SCIENTIST, PARSONS CYBER WARFARE GROUP

Career spanning NSA, U.S. Cyber Command, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Doctor of Science from George Washington University.

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Research Scientist, Engineer, and Program Manager at Parsons Corporation's Cyber Warfare Group. Previously at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, supporting national security missions of the NSA, U.S. Cyber Command, and the broader intelligence community. Career spanning cybersecurity, algorithms, decision theory, AI/ML, electronics, and telecommunications.

Joe Frisk

Joe Frisk

VICE PRESIDENT AND CISO, DINE BRANDS

Cybersecurity executive with over thirty years of experience across financial, healthcare, telecommunications, and global services organizations.

Full bio

Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of Dine Brands, the parent company of Applebee's, IHOP, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop, bringing over thirty years of experience across the financial, healthcare, and telecommunications industries. As CISO, he has built relationships across client and partner security teams to promote transparency and stronger collaboration. Before Dine Brands, he held senior cybersecurity and risk leadership roles at a range of large global organizations, including Alorica, Cognizant, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, and Bank of America. He holds a master's degree in computer information systems and an MBA from Bryant University.

Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson

FORMER HEAD OF INFORMATION SECURITY, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Cybersecurity leader focused on building strong security cultures across organizations.

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Jack Thompson is a cybersecurity leader focused on building strong security cultures across organizations. He brings experience from both the public and private sectors, with expertise in intelligence analysis, cyber defense, and product development. He is known for translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders at all levels. Combining technical depth with business acumen, he helps organizations make informed decisions and stay resilient against evolving threats. Jack has served as Head of Information Security for the Indianapolis Colts and Bastian Solutions, and served over a decade between the United States Army and Air Force in military intelligence and cyber warfare.

Ruki Smith

Ruki Smith

SENIOR PRIVACY & SECURITY ADVISOR, TROUTMAN PEPPER LOCKE

Privacy and security advisor with global program assessment, regulatory, transactional, compliance, and incident-response experience across major industries.

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Senior Privacy & Security Advisor at Troutman Pepper Locke. She has conducted global privacy and security program assessments across a wide range of industries, including high tech, social media, retail, education, pharmaceutical, health, real estate, and financial services, and advises clients on a broad spectrum of regulatory, transactional, and compliance issues. Previously, she served as Meta's Associate General Counsel for Legal Privacy Compliance, where she built Meta's privacy program to comply with applicable law, advised stakeholders on FTC order compliance, and advised on incidents, FTC certifications, internal and external privacy complaints, Privacy Red Team initiatives, change management, and privacy risk assessments. Before Meta, she was Global Head of Privacy at WeWork and worked on the privacy and cybersecurity teams at Paul Hastings and Booz Allen Hamilton. She is licensed to practice in New York, California, Texas, and the District of Columbia.

Scott Clifford James

Scott Clifford James

PRESIDENT & CEO, APPLIED DYNAMICS INTERNATIONAL

Aerospace and defense technology innovator. Co-chief architect of the ADEPT edge computing platform.

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ADI is a trusted partner to Boeing, Gulfstream, Air Force Research Lab, Rolls-Royce, Boom Supersonic, and JetZero. Published in AIAA Scitech, IEEE Access, and the American Control Conference. CEO at the intersection of aerospace, defense, and cyber-physical systems.

Harold E. Miller

Harold E. Miller

RETIRED U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES COLONEL

Division Chief at Joint Special Operations University. Decorated Green Beret with multiple combat tours.

Full bio

Engagements and Communications Division Chief at JSOU, primary interface between USSOCOM and its global allies and partners. Previously Director of USSOCOM J3 International. Leads curriculum development and professional military education focused on joint military and interagency operations.

Marc Lopata, PE

Marc Lopata, PE

PRESIDENT, SOLAR ISLAND ENERGY

700+ solar installations worldwide. Technical advisor to the World Bank. Former Board President, U.S. Green Building Council.

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Licensed Professional Engineer operating across the Caribbean, North America, Central America, and the Middle East. One of only 40 NABCEP Systems Inspector certifications worldwide. Peer reviewer for the U.S. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The Obsidia Project
Independent public-interest infrastructure for cybersecurity learning.
info@obsidiaproject.org
obsidiaproject.org

Established to address systemic inequities, the organization designs and implements evidence-based programs that empower underserved communities and facilitate measurable, sustainable development.

Through strategic collaboration with community leaders, universities, and private partners, the team leverages comprehensive research to optimize resources and maximize collective impact.

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