OWASP Candidate Debate - 2025 Edition

What should OWASP become, and which leaders have a credible plan to get it there? In this special 2025 Board of Directors candidate debate, nine candidates present their qualifications and answer the same questions about OWASP's future. The discussion tests concrete ideas for expanding education, improving global and chapter outreach, strengthening project support, finding sustainable funding, and making the Foundation's impact easier to measure. Candidates identify where OWASP performs well, where it falls short, and how they would balance ambitious programs against limited staff and volunteer capacity. Closing statements give each participant a final opportunity to define their priorities. The result is a direct comparison designed to help OWASP members make an informed choice before voting.The Application Security Podcast is brought to you by Security Journey.About Security JourneyWe help enterprises reduce vulnerabilities through application security education for developers and everyone in the SDLC.→ Learn more about Security JourneyConnect with OWASP:→ OWASP Foundation→ 2025 Global Board ElectionsMentioned in this episode:→ OWASP 2025 Global Board Elections→ OWASP Global Board Candidates→ OWASP Foundation→ OWASP Dependency-Check→ OWASP Dependency-Track→ OWASP CycloneDX→ OWASP Nettacker→ OWASP ASVS→ OWASP Security Champions GuideFollow the Application Security Podcast:➜ Home➜ X➜ LinkedIn➜ YouTube➜ Instagram➜ FacebookChapters:00:00 The 2025 OWASP candidate debate01:22 Debate format and opening question02:24 Candidates introduce themselves13:50 Sam Stepanian's introduction16:05 Arunesh Salhotra's introduction18:17 Arvind Janardhanan's introduction22:02 How should OWASP increase its impact?28:12 Comparing ideas for greater impact31:59 What is OWASP doing poorly?35:27 Project support and Foundation operations38:57 Using data to increase influence41:19 Indexing projects and regional review44:01 Should OWASP grow more chapters?48:43 A regional ambassador program51:50 How would candidates fund their plans?55:03 Corporate support and new funding58:52 Candidate closing statements64:37 Education as an OWASP priority68:05 Debate conclusion