Kourtney Lowe

Chief Executive Officer

Kourtney has been in the GRC space of information security for the better part of ten years, largely focusing on third party risk. She’s volunteered with Th0tcon, Blue Team Con, Securing Sexuality, and is also active in the Chicago BurbSec community. She’s passionate about the intersection of cybersecurity and psychology and gives advice about password managers, password hygiene, and security questions to anyone that will listen. Interests outside of the security space include Elvis (Presley and her dearly departed puggle), pickles, classic movies, and music. The weirder, the better.

Dave "Heal" Schwartzberg

Chief Financial Officer

David Schwartzberg is a Security Solutions Architect at Cisco Security. David is a regular speaker at conferences such as, GrrCON, he has also presented at THOTCON, CypherCon, OWASP AppSec, BSides(somewhere), Black Hat Arsenal, DEF CON, DerbyCON, (ISC)2 Congress, SC Congress and other events. As a writer, David wrote the original CramSession study guide for the Network+ certification in 1999 (yup going back to 1999), a self published book (http://amzn.to/CfKSISO), blogger for Dark Reading, Barracuda Labs, and as a guest blogger for the award winning Naked Security blog (http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com). After David graduated from Queens College with a B.S. in Accounting and Information Systems, he has earned several certifications in the field of Information Technology including DevNet ASC, CMNA, CNA, CNE, MCP, Network+, Security+, and CISSP.

Utilizing his 6+ years accounting experience combined with 28 years Information Security and Information Technology experience, he speaks regularly with technology executives and professionals to help protect their corporate secrets and stay compliant.

Johnny Xmas

Chief Marketing Officer

Johnny is a highly respected figure in the U.S. hacking community and the most punk rock Eagle Scout you've ever met. He is frequently found volunteering at events or presenting on topics ranging from his cutting-edge security research to his journey through the InfoSec career landscape, both as an engineer and a hiring manager.

As a Leadership member of the renowned BurbSec community meetup network, Johnny has been deeply involved with the group since 2011, fostering collaboration and mentorship within the industry. His contributions extend beyond BurbSec, as he partners with higher education institutions across the U.S., offering curriculum development and guest lectures.

Johnny has also provided Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) training to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and their private sector partners.

Professionally, Johnny leads Offensive Security for a Fortune 1000/Global 5000 manufacturing and agricultural company, where he continues to drive innovation and strengthen organizational defenses.

Robert Wagner

Director

Robert Wagner is an Advisory CISO and a highly respected security practitioner, advisor and strategist for almost 20 years. His security experience ranges from defending everything from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies, major universities, and financial institutions. He has presented and taught at Information Security and Hacker conferences ranging from DefCon, APIsecure, BSides Tel Aviv, GrrCON, Dawn or Doom, WCISC, and more. He is a co-founder of the not-for-profit organization Hak4Kidz, serves on the board of the Chicago ISSA chapter, and regularly volunteers for various hacker cons including BSides312, Blue Team Con, and others.

Mike Kavka

Director

Mike "Shecky" Kavka has been involved in the Chicago security community for over 10 years. Currently a Senior Security Engineer as his day job, he has volunteered with events such as Blue Team Con and Hak4Kidz. Outside of the security world, Shecky is involved with model railroading, community theatre, and sings the National Anthem at some sporting events.