OWASP 2026 Global Board Elections
Bio
About me
I am a security professional with more than 20 years in the information technology industry. I started as a developer, grew into a full-stack developer, and then moved into security, where I have worked across Data Loss Prevention, offensive security, identity and API security, and SIEM.
Today I am a Sales Engineer for Latin America at Fortra, helping organizations across the region adopt data protection and offensive security solutions such as Cobalt Strike, Core Impact, and Outflank. Before Fortra, I held technical roles at IBM, Broadcom, and CA Technologies, implementing API management, Single Sign-On, Identity & Access Management, and Privileged Access Management solutions. Along the way I built SIEM connectors and learned firsthand where the API lifecycle tends to break.
My OWASP Journey
I lead the OWASP São Paulo chapter, serve as Secretary on the OWASP Europe board, and completed a 2025 term on the OWASP Global Board of Directors, appointed to fill a vacated seat. That term gave me a direct view of how the board works, and it is why I am running again.
What I Will Work For
Transparent, accountable governance: OWASP deserves a board that is financially sound and answerable to its members.
Stronger chapters and projects: securing the resources our volunteers need to succeed.
Sustainable fundraising: growing the support that keeps our mission going.
A truly global community: as a trilingual member (Portuguese, English, and Spanish), I want to bring more of the world, especially Latin America, into OWASP's decisions.
Beyond Security
Outside of work, I'm a dad who is passionate about his son, and being his father is the role I'm proudest of. To stay balanced, I run, lift weights, and go for long walks that help me clear my head. You'll also often find me at a Brazilian boteco, the neighborhood bar where good conversations happen over a cold drink and some snacks. That's where I feel most at home: connecting with people and talking about anything from technology to life in general. For me, that's also what OWASP is about: people coming together, sharing ideas, and building something bigger than any of us alone.
Your Vote
Voting runs October 15–30. When you are choosing among outstanding candidates, I ask for your vote for the Board of Directors. Together, let's build a stronger, more transparent OWASP.
Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsmartins/
Candidate video
Questions
What have you contributed to OWASP in the past year, and what gaps has that shown you? If you haven’t been active, how do you know what the community needs?
I've been active on four fronts this year.
Global Board. I completed my 2025 term, appointed to a vacated seat. In December we approved the Board of Directors Policy, which brought ranked-choice voting and stronger qualifications to this election, and the Antitrust Policy, which I seconded.
OWASP Europe. I was appointed Secretary of the new OWASP Europe board and helped structure it from the start, including how the European entity and the Foundation divide responsibilities across two jurisdictions.
São Paulo. I lead our chapter with my fellow members Carlos, Linuxmen and Anderson.
How have you stayed connected with the community this year, and what have you learned?
By showing up where the work happens: São Paulo chapter meetings, Global AppSec EU in Vienna, OWASP Slack and the leaders' list, in Portuguese, Spanish and English.
What I learned:
Friction drives volunteers away faster than disagreement. This year chapters absorbed Meetup's retirement, a new website and an updated Chapters Policy. Each change may be right; together they cost volunteer time.
AI brings newcomers who know one corner of OWASP. Our job is to show them the rest.
People want to be asked before decisions, not informed after.
How would you improve and expand OWASP's fundraising?
Our income still depends heavily on a few large conferences, and the 2026 budget planned a deficit. I'd diversify within our vendor-neutrality rules:
Multi-year corporate partnerships, with regional tiers for Latin American and Asian companies, working with our new Director of Corporate Relations.
AI companies, which consume OWASP material at scale, invited to fund the open work they rely on.
Public funding. Our European entity's constitution already provides for raising EU funds, and programs like Germany's Sovereign Tech Agency fund open-source security.
Certification with rules first. The OCSD needs published conflict-of-interest and brand rules before it scales.
The red line doesn't move: OWASP is strictly vendor neutral and endorses none of its supporters.
Paid individual membership is falling. How would you show its value and get more people to join?
I'd gently push back on the premise: GlueUp shows us about to cross 6,000 members. The real test is renewals in 2027, so I'd publish a quarterly dashboard of new members, renewals, lapses and regional growth.
To show value without paywalling knowledge:
Make existing benefits visible. Members already get event and training discounts, a vote, and priority for grants and partner benefits. We should say so at every touchpoint.
Make the regional rate easy to find. Members in lower-income countries already pay two-fifths of the standard fee. Add local payment methods, like Pix in Brazil.
What will be your efforts to ensure OWASP continues to be a centerpiece in software security?
Make OWASP not just a reference point, but an integral part of the software security ecosystem, embedded in tools, processes, and education at all levels of the industry. Need to modernize and expand core resources, and education initiatives, improve our accessibility and usability, and foster innovation in security tools for emerging technologies.
What unique strategic goal do you intend to bring on board, if you are elected?
Make membership worth renewing. Members already get discounts, a vote and priority for grants. I'd add mentoring, pairing newcomers with experienced leaders and maintainers, and show every member what their dues fund. With our regional rate and local payment methods, a one-time conference discount becomes a lasting connection.
If you had been on the Board when the website redesign was approved, what would you have done differently?
The redesign came to the board in October 2024, before I joined. I served through 2025 while it was built, and in December the board asked to review the site before launch.
Slack