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 instincts on entrepreneurship, technology, and what he would build if given the chance.It is a lighter episode, and an honest one. A reminder that behind every security leader is a full life, and that the human side of this work goes well beyond the job.

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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 it. The conversation explores how traditional approaches to security and compliance created friction through manual audits and point-in-time assessments, and how that experience led to a new way of thinking about continuous assurance. The discussion also covers the challenge of driving adoption for new ideas, the balance between innovation and practicality, and why many organizations struggle to move away from systems they know are broken. Adam also shares insights on the role of AI, how it is lowering the barrier to building new products, and why trust will become one of the most important factors in determining which companies succeed.

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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 competes in a highly competitive retail market. The conversation covers how mid-market organizations can move quickly with technology, why data alone doesn’t drive performance without accountability, and how leaders can avoid chasing tools that don’t solve real problems. Adam also shares practical examples of how AI is being used on the front lines to improve customer experience, along with a grounded perspective on what’s overhyped in the current AI landscape. Cybersecurity is also a key theme, with a focus on how cyber risk should be treated as core business risk, not a separate function.

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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 the first data-driven insider threat models used by government and industry today.

The conversation explores leadership lessons from decades in cybersecurity, including the importance of authenticity, building trust with executives and boards, and why cyber fundamentals still matter more than hype. Dawn also shares insights on OT security, AI risks, and the leadership qualities future CISOs need to succeed in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

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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 also discusses themes from his book on security leadership and culture, where he examines how emotional intelligence, employee engagement, and leadership mindset shape stronger security programs and healthier organizations.

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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 risk, leadership, and cybersecurity fundamentals. The conversation explores Jon’s early encounter with a real-world security incident and how experiences like that leave lasting “professional scars” that shape security leaders throughout their careers. Dan and Jon also discuss the importance of mentorship, relationship building across the organization, and why cybersecurity success often depends just as much on communication and trust as it does on technology. They also examine the trends surrounding technologies like cloud and AI, and why strong security programs still depend on mastering the fundamentals.

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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 the way, he built a perspective that goes beyond technical controls, focusing instead on how cybersecurity leaders communicate risk, adapt to changing business priorities, and create programs that are practical, sustainable, and effective. The conversation explores how CISOs have to evolve with the organizations they serve, why fear-based messaging often falls flat, and why many teams are still better served by focusing on fundamentals like identity, endpoint protection, and security awareness rather than getting consumed by the latest hype cycle. Arif also shares lessons from early career challenges, how he thinks about preventing burnout on security teams, and why understanding the business is one of the most important skills an aspiring CISO can develop.

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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 experiences shaped his approach to risk, leadership, and resilience. The conversation explores lessons from intelligence work, the leadership realities of running security teams, and the future of cybersecurity in an AI-driven world. Roy also shares why perfection in cybersecurity isn’t possible, why leaders must build teams smarter than themselves, and why non-human identities and AI agents may soon become one of the most important security challenges organizations face.

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