As of July 11, 2014, GK Southwick is no longer with the OWASP Foundation. Please submit your inquiries HERE.

Bio

GK is based in Denver, Colorado, USA and started as the Community Manager of the OWASP Foundation in March of 2014. She reports to the OWASP Executive Director.

GK has been working in the Event Planning space for over 20 years. Starting with Physical Security in 1990, she eventually moved on to roles in Operations, Production, Facilities and Technical Direction, with an emphasis on personnel management. Active as a volunteer in the InfoSec space, she is the Producer and President of the Board at Security BSides Las Vegas,Inc. is second in command of Safety & Security at DerbyCon, afternoon Stage Manager and volunteer coordinator for DEF CON SkyTalks, and until moving to Denver in 2013, was head of Safety & Security as well as Volunteer coordinator at Security BSides San Francisco. She now volunteers with BSidesDenver, where she's currently running Registration and volunteers. She has also run Safety & Security for BruCon in Belgium, BSidesATL, helps out wherever necessary at SOURCEBoston and has volunteered at both SakuraCon (IT dept.) and AnimeExpo (Entertainment & Guest of Honor Transportation).

GK is excited to bring her extensive volunteer management experience to OWASP, as she takes on the role of Community Manager. She's looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead of her while expanding the volunteer base within the organization, and working closely with the Chapter Leaders, to help them fulfill the OWASP Mission and assist them with their operational needs.

GK has a secondary diploma in Homeland Security from Bryman College, San Jose, where she graduated in 2004 With Honors.

Volunteer Management

• • Develops, implements, and maintains a volunteer program that effectively matches volunteers to available opportunities and provides recognition for their accomplishments.
  • Motivates, supports, and collaborates with Chapter Leaders to establish thriving OWASP Chapters globally. Serves as the single point of contact for OWASP Chapter related questions, issues, and volunteerism.
  • Facilitates the creation and ongoing support of OWASP training initiatives through the world by enabling volunteer efforts and providing logistical support.

Community Support

• • Collects and manages volunteer opportunities for our various programs around the world, liaising with community members regarding requests for volunteer assistance and volunteer opportunities.
  • Manages all chapter-related questions and account requests including new chapter requests, transition of chapter leadership, closing inactive chapters. Creates and maintains chapter-related social media accounts, websites, wiki pages and templates.
  • Provides virtual and in person training or workshops as needed to support Chapter Leaders and help them collaborate.

Documentation, Reporting and Metrics

• • Creates and maintains an OWASP Volunteer Handbook consisting of best practices, policies, and guidelines for OWASP volunteers.
  • Maintains the OWASP Chapter Handbook and manages chapter-related policies used by OWASP Chapters to understand the expectations and resources available to them.
  • Monitors, tracks, and reports on chapter health and activities, including up-to-date record of all active and inactive OWASP Chapters.
  • Monitors, tracks, and reports on volunteer opportunities and activities, including up-to-date records on available opportunities and volunteer engagement.
  • Creates an active directory of available training courses and trainer history for the community.

Communication & Outreach

• • Communicates volunteer opportunities and solicits new volunteers .
  • Facilitates and encourages communication among all chapter leaders, in addition to communication about OWASP chapters to the OWASP community.

Finance

• • Monitors chapter-related budget requests and approves if appropriate, assists local chapters with creating and maintaining budgets for their local accounts, provides input into the annual Foundation budget.
  • Responsible for overseeing any budgets related to volunteer initiatives and engagement.

Contact

GK Southwick