John Donovan is an active member of the cyber-security community in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. He is an investor and advisor to security technology companies and is a founding member of SVCI. John has been a speaker and participant in webinars, private events, and conferences such as RSA Conference, Defcon, BSides, FWD:cloudsec, Identity World, and Cornerstones of Trust.

John is passionate about developing the next generation of cyber-security engineers and leaders. He has partnered with businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions to bring content and opportunities to students and people looking to break into cybersecurity. He is a founding board member of ISLF and is a Shepard for the Wall of Sheep and the Packet Hacking Village at DEFCON. John is past president and director-at-large for the Silicon Valley chapter of ISSA. 

Steve Tout is the producer and co-host of The Candid CISO, a podcast for cybersecurity leaders who are tired of the noise and ready for the truth. A longtime strategist and founder of Identient, Steve created the show to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to lead in a system that was never built for CISOs to succeed. With a background spanning Fortune 500s, high-growth tech, and public sector transformation, Steve brings a sharp, business-first lens to every episode—balancing hard-earned insight with real talk from the front lines.

He doesn’t just interview guests—he challenges them to think differently. The Candid CISO is where security leadership gets real, strategy gets human, and the role of the CISO is reimagined in public. Whether you’re a CISO on the edge or an operator eyeing the next level, this podcast is your backstage pass to the conversations that actually matter.