CTO at goLance • Making software simple • Startup Mentor

80% of companies quit on AI before it helps.

Why? 
• One doubtful engineer
• Scary tool costs
• Or no clear plan

I make those problems disappear.

Who I Am
• 20+ years in code and leadership – from hands-on developer to CTO.
• Scaled SaaS platforms used by millions of customers.
• Trained global teams of 10 – 200 engineers to work faster and smarter.
• Guided “boring-industry” firms like healthcare and banks through tough tech shifts.

What I Bring
• Plain-language coaching – Your leaders and engineers get the “why” and the “how” without buzzwords.
• Tool fit & cost control – Pick the right AI tools, keep data safe, and stop surprise credit charges.
• Team habits that stick – I show devs how to fold AI into daily tasks—code reviews, tests, docs—until it feels natural.
• Measurable gains – Expect quicker releases, fewer bugs, and happier engineers in weeks, not years.
• Outcome pricing – You pay for real results, not for my hours on a clock.

The Bottom Line
If you lead a steady, no-flash company and keep hearing, “AI sounds cool, but…,” let’s talk. I turn that “but” into better software, lower costs, and a team that loves its work.

Brian Childress

I started my career as a software engineer and application architect, spending over a decade writing code before transitioning into cybersecurity leadership. Today, I specialize in building security programs that drive real behavioral change—leveraging motivation, psychology, and gamification to create sustainable security cultures.

I’ve led large-scale security initiatives at companies like Staples and Fivetran, helping organizations embed security into their development processes without sacrificing speed or innovation. As the co-founder of Katilyst, I partner with security and engineering teams to design Security Champion programs that are engaging, rewarding, and—most importantly—effective.

Need to launch or scale a Security Champion program? Katilyst provides the strategy, tools, and services to ensure your champions are empowered and motivated. www.katilyst.com

Looking for a practical guide to security culture change? I wrote the Security Champion Program Success Guide, a free resource for security teams looking to build high-impact champion programs. securitychampionsuccessguide.org

Want to connect with like-minded security & engineering leaders? Join our “Let’s Talk Software Security” community—a vendor-free space for open discussions. Join us here: https://www.meetup.com/lets-talk-software-security/

Key Expertise:
- Security Champions | Human Motivation | Gamification | Behavioral Science | Culture Change
- Application Security | Secure Development | Threat Modeling | DevSecOps | OWASP
- Leadership | Community Building | Developer Enablement | Security Strategy

If you're passionate about transforming security from a blocker into a business enabler, let's connect!

Dustin Lehr

I’m excited to announce the launch of The League of Cyber Defense Champions (LC/DC)! It's a new community designed to help everyone, not just cybersecurity professionals, play an active role in security.

LC/DC takes the idea of security champions to the next level by bringing together both security and non-security professionals across companies and industries to share knowledge, promote practical cybersecurity best practices, and tackle real-world challenges together.

Why join The League?
- Access to Specialists: Learn directly from experienced security professionals who genuinely want to help you grow.
- Engaging Events: Monthly topic-focused discussions, cyber news breakdowns, and even tech games — something for every interest and experience level.
- No Spam, Just Value: Clear community guidelines that keep the focus where it should be and create a safe space for all.
- A True Community: Find your place in your cybersecurity focus area: technical or business, corporate or product, and grow alongside others with similar interests.
- Motivation to Act: Designed to encourage participation, ownership, and real-world impact.

Come join us! You can find the sign-up form in the comments.

#securitychampions #securityculture #securityawareness #securitycommunity #lcdc

Happy new year, all! I hope you enjoyed a refreshing holiday season and are ready to take on 2026. Here are some statistics from my break:

- Hours NOT worked: 90+
- Emails ignored: hundreds
- Hours skied with the kids: 13 (2 full days- they're getting really good!)
- Overnights at the ski lodge: 4
- Extended family members seen: 13
- Lifetime weight lifting records broken: 2
- Jigsaw puzzles completed: 5.3
- Presents opened by the family: like 50
- Spaces organized: 2.5
- Old toys donated: ~87
- Other items donated: ~28
- Furniture refinished: 1
- Christmas movies watched: 6 (Home Alone, Ernest Saves Christmas, Claymation Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas [classic], The Grinch, Mickey's Christmas Carol)
- Board/card games played: 11 (3x Harry Potter Clue, Family Poker Tournament, 2x Bohnanza, 2x DiXit, 3x Stratego)
- Fam video game sessions: 5 (Overcooked, Helldivers [original, still the best])
- Family disagreements: [redacted]

And with that, it's time to get back to work!

#developerexperience #codequality #securitychampions #securityculture #securityawareness #securecodetraining #appsec #applicationsecurity #productsecurity

This was one of my favorite gifts from the holidays. It's so true and my family knows me well. 😊 I remember learning early on that no matter how much I wanted to blame something else, like the computer itself, the issue was (almost) always my fault. What a humbling experience.

Now we can blame AI instead! 😆

That was a joke... we are still responsible for our output, even if we use AI. I couldn't joke for long on that one... 😬

Interestingly there were a few times during my software engineering career when it truly wasn't my fault and I found an issue with the C++ compiler I was using. Honestly! Ya gotta believe me!

#developerexperience #codequality #securitychampions #securityculture #securityawareness #securecodetraining #appsec #applicationsecurity #productsecurity

Curious about Application Detection & Response (ADR)? Miggo Security is doing great things, and they built a short, concise "supademo" that's very well done and worth your time. I'll share a link in the comments.

I've seen a lot of crappy demos. This one gets straight to the heart of the issues we face in appsec, including my favorite quote from the video:
"we can't just tell devs to 'fix it,' instead, give them clear evidence..."

This is something I've seen missing during both my time as a developer as well as an appsec leader. Devs are busy, don't waste their time. Don't just throw issues over the wall... tell them why they're important, show that you've done the work and have the tools identify the details of the issues, and express them in a way that's relevant to them, including suggestions for fixes.

I'd like to see more demos like this: the right words at the right time that connect with real issues we're facing, and a strong solution-oriented pitch that highlights differentiating features. Well done, Miggo! I'm quite proud to have the opportunity to work with this team.

#adr #developerexperience #codequality #appsec #applicationsecurity #productsecurity #aisecurity

Join me next week at The Elephant in AppSec Conference for my talk "AI is Table Stakes, People Are Still the Variables" where I'll discuss the importance of the human element even in the age of AI. Link in the comments!

This is one of my favorite events of the year because it's "Where strong opinions are encouraged" - and I have a few of those! Thanks to Alexandra Charikova and Escape for hosting and inviting me to speak.

 Hope to see you there!

#developerexperience #codequality #securitychampions #securityculture #securityawareness #securecodetraining #appsec #applicationsecurity #productsecurity #aisecurity

The security champion role evolves. They start as early adopters / advocates who help scale “security as a habit” across your org. Over time, they grow into owners of specific security responsibilities. Let me explain:

First, begin with the end in mind. Security best practices should be followed by everyone, not just a select few. Security champions aren’t the sole owners of security, and they’re not a replacement for defined roles on your security team.

Second, your security team can’t drive org-wide change alone. Simply writing a policy won’t influence behavior. You need a “volunteer army,” as change expert John Kotter puts it, to model and promote new habits within their teams. This works because people are more likely to listen to someone they already know and trust. Champions translate the security message into their team’s context.

Finally, after security habits reach scale (following the adoption lifecycle/Diffusion of Innovations curve), do you still need champions? Yes! But their role evolves to include owning specific responsibilities such as:
- Serving as the single point of contact between security and their team
- Verifying that core habits are consistently followed
- Acting as an initial reviewer to decide when security should get more involved in a project or design
- Becoming specialists who receive additional training on trends and initiatives, then filtering and rolling these out to their teams

In summary, even in an ideal state, security champions add unique, long-term value as a two-way liaison between security and their team and as promoters of strong security habits across the organization.

I’m happy to explore your unique situation and see where Katilyst can help with security champion program design / management, or Security Journey can help with secure code training. Changing culture and habits is harder than it looks and I’ve learned quite a few tricks over the years. Feel free to reach out and let’s chat!

#developerexperience #codequality #securitychampions #securityculture #securityawareness #securecodetraining #appsec #applicationsecurity #productsecurity

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Brian Childress

Dustin Lehr

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taplio

The Battle

Brian Childress

Dustin Lehr

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dustin Lehr's LinkedIn Performance

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