Overview
The path to the boardroom is often hidden from view, leaving many aspiring directors unsure of how the process really works. In this episode, we shine a spotlight on the mechanics of board-member selection, from how nominating committees identify candidates to the role networks, skills, and emerging competencies like cybersecurity and ESG play in shaping the pipeline. Joining us are experts from a leading executive search firm and seasoned industry leaders with direct experience in selecting board members. Together, they will reveal what differentiates candidates, how boards make decisions, and what it truly takes to earn a seat at the table.
Moderator
JC Vega – Founder, Executive Security Advisors, LLC
Colonel J. Carlos Vega is a former military officer and current cybersecurity executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across defense, government, and industry. He is widely recognized for bridging mission and market, bringing deep expertise in cyber risk, governance, and organizational transformation.
A former CISO, CIO, and strategic leader, Vega has led innovation within the Department of Defense and shaped cybersecurity strategy across startups, public agencies, and corporate boardrooms. His work focuses on systemic cyber risk, supply chain security, and enterprise resilience.
Vega was the first Cyber Operations Colonel in the U.S. Army and played a central role in the creation of the Army’s cyber branch. As a co-founder of the Army Cyber Institute, he helped define the history, doctrine, and future of Army Cyber Operations, building a professional culture rooted in high performance, ethics, and mission-first leadership. His experience provides a rare, first-hand perspective on the institutional evolution of military cyber power.
He serves as a board member and strategic advisor to multiple organizations, where he provides executive oversight and guidance on digital risk, resilience, and cybersecurity governance. He is Vice Chairman of the ISSA Board of Directors Special Interest Group (BoD SIG), a forum dedicated to advancing cybersecurity expertise in corporate boardrooms.
A frequent keynote speaker and trusted voice in national security and cyber policy circles, Vega draws on decades of operational leadership to inform and empower decision-makers navigating complexity and disruption.
He is a Senior Army Aviator and Blackhawk Instructor Pilot, ISC2 CISSP certified, a Board Certified Qualified Technical Expert, and has taught at West Point. He holds a graduate degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Speaker/s
Michael Piacente – Cofounder and Managing Partner, Hitch Partners
Michael Piacente is a cofounder and managing partner at Hitch Partners, a global executive search firm specializing in AI Security, Product Security, Information security, Information technology, and Business Technology. With two decades of experience in executive recruiting, Michael and his team have successfully placed over 100 CISO, CSO, CIO and Board members.
Beyond his executive search work, Michael serves as a board advisor for several security startups and is actively involved in several nonprofit organizations. Prior to founding Hitch Partners, he held IT leadership positions in enterprise storage and data center infrastructure operations. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael brings a unique blend of industry expertise and executive search acumen to the community.
See Michael Piacente‘s full profile.
Ron Gula – President, Gula Tech Adventures
The co-founders of Gula Tech Adventures, has decades of experience starting and running cybersecurity companies, including Tenable Network Security. In building Gula Tech Adventures, he and his co-founder have broadened their team with deep experience from industry and government to help guide investments, philanthropy, and cyber advocacy.
Since 2017, GTA has invested in dozens of cyber start-ups and supported multiple cyber nonprofits and projects. Ron has served on the Board of Directors for a number of GTA’s portfolio companies and has been a steadfast mentor and advisor to many founders.  Ron has also supported a variety of cyber nonprofits and think tanks, with both his substantive expertise and through philanthropic funding.
From 2002 to 2016, Ron was the co-founder and CEO of Tenable Network Security. Under Ron’s leadership, Tenable grew to 20,000 customers, raised $300m in venture capital, and grew revenues to $100 million annually; this positioned the company for a successful IPO in 2018, where it was valued at $3 billion.
Prior to founding Tenable, Ron was a cyber industry pioneer.  Ron developed Dragon, one of the first commercial network intrusion detection systems, and he also ran risk mitigation for one of the first cloud companies.  While serving as a US Air Force officer, Ron deployed network honeypots in the mid 90s for the US Defense Department (DOD) and served as a penetration tester at the National Security Agency (NSA), participating in some of the nation’s first cyber exercises.
For these efforts, in 2023 Ron was inducted into the Cybersecurity Hall of Fame, received a Lifetime Achievement award from SANS, and a Gold Medal Order of Thor from the Military Cyber Professionals Association. In 2025, he was awarded a Visionary Cybersecurity Investor Global Infosec Award.
Recent On-Demand Web Conferences
ISSA Webinars and Conference series cover all the continuing education credits to maintain your cyber security certifications. (CPEs, CEUs, ECE, etc). Each hour is equal to one continuing education credit. Certificates of completion are available upon request after completion. For instructions, click here.