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Marisa Fagan - Measuring Security Culture

The Application Security Podcast

The Application Security Podcast
Marisa Fagan - Measuring Security Culture
Aug 05, 2025 Season 12 Episode 13
Chris Romeo and Robert Hurlbut

Marisa Fagan, Head of Product at Katilyst and veteran security culture expert joins us today to  share practical strategies for building and scaling security champions programs that actually work, from designing effective pilots to avoiding common pitfalls that can derail your initiatives. Learn how to motivate developers using the SAPs model (Status, Access, Power, Stuff), why getting management buy-in is crucial before launching, and discover the metrics that truly demonstrate security culture success. Marisa reveals why most programs fail, shares her blueprint for creating sustainable security culture initiatives, and discusses the evolution beyond security champions to include privacy and accessibility programs. 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Security Champion Success Guide: https://securitychampionsuccessguide.org/

 • OWASP Security Champions Guide: securitychampions.owasp.org

 • People-Centric Security book by Lance Hayden 



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