Our Team
Hush Line is built by individuals who want to advance truth in the public interest, protect tip line owners and whistleblowers, and make usable privacy tools for everyone.
Hush Line started as a project of Science & Design, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 2025, Science & Design, Inc. rebranded as Hush Line, allowing us to focus entirely on developing and growing this platform and supporting the whistleblower community.
Hush Line Contributors
- Loading contributors…
Board of Directors
Brian Knowles
Brian is an attorney licensed in multiple jurisdictions and countries with an office based in Charleston, South Carolina and a satellite office in The Hague. He strongly believes in seeing that the rule of law is followed and peoples’ rights are protected from abuses by powerful and influential interests, multinational corporations, or government entities. Part of Mr. Knowles practice entails representing whistleblowers from around the world in retaliation cases and/or through various U.S. government whistleblower programs, including the SEC and DOJ. Some of his high-profile whistleblower cases have attracted international media coverage, including numerous aviation whistleblowers from Boeing and Spirit AreoSystems. On a personal level, Mr. Knowles was the first in his family to graduate from college and understands the struggles of everyday life. Mr. Knowles has a strong interest in the arts, music, photography, and surfing, and he utilizes the attributes from his interests to be an innovative and creative problem solver in all aspects of his cases and work.
LinkedIn
Chris Messerole
Chris is a senior technology and security executive with over two decades of experience leading complex communications, cyber, and information operations at the highest levels of the U.S. military. A retired Marine Corps Master Sergeant and former senior leader within U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC), he has directed large scale, high risk technical programs spanning secure communications, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, and enterprise infrastructure, with responsibility for multimillion dollar systems supporting global operations. Chris brings deep expertise in governance, risk management, and operational integrity, alongside a proven ability to translate highly sensitive technical challenges into clear strategic decisions for senior leadership. He holds an active TS/SCI clearance and industry certifications across cloud, security, and networking, and provides the Hush Line board with disciplined technical judgment, mission focused leadership, and a strong commitment to protecting secure, trusted communication channels.
LinkedIn
Elijah Waxwing
Elijah is the co-founder of Riseup.net, the LEAP Encryption Access Project, and Thoughtworks. He's been working on the issue of digital justice, autonomous infrastructure, and surveillance of social movements since 2000. Elijah is a software developer, systems architect, information security specialist, and manager.
Mastodon
Glenn Sorrentino
Glenn is the founder and Executive Director of Hush Line and serves on the Board of Advisors to Distributed Denial of Secrets. In his most recent role as Principal Product Designer at Salesforce, he led the design for products including Search, Voice, Identity, and Authentication. His work has been awarded multiple US patents, and invitations to collaborate with institutions like Harvard's Belfer Center and the World Economic Forum. A USMC veteran and military whistleblower, Glenn understands the risks associated with disclosure.
LinkedIn
Stefanie Daehler
Stefanie is a librarian and educator, holding a Masters of Library and Information Sciences from Pratt and a BA from Cornell. Her experience includes Penguin Publishing, The NYC Department of Education, and leadership at The Archer School for Girls.
LinkedIn
Board of Advisors for Whistleblowers
Balaji Ramamurthy
Balaji Ramamurthy is the father of the late OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji. His perspective on the pressures whistleblowers and their loved ones may face helps inform Hush Line’s approach to disclosure safety, risk awareness, and support beyond the act of reporting itself.
Erika Cheung
Erika Cheung is a biotechnology whistleblower whose disclosures helped expose fraud at Theranos, contributing to one of the rare accountability cases in Silicon Valley. Her experience navigating legal risk, professional retaliation, and public scrutiny informs Hush Line’s approach to safer disclosure pathways and responsible reporting practices.
Dr. Kim McLear
Dr. Kim McLear is a United States Coast Guard whistleblower who spoke out about systemic misconduct and retaliation affecting service members and cadets. Her experience highlights the unique risks faced by whistleblowers inside hierarchical institutions and informs Hush Line’s work on post-disclosure safety and retaliation awareness.
Mohammad “Redbull” Muzahir
Mohammad Muzahir, known as “Redbull,” escaped a crypto scam compound and provided inside evidence that enabled investigative reporting that exposed the operation. His experience demonstrates the extreme real-world risks faced by sources and contributes practical insight into evidence handling, anonymity, and survivor-centered disclosure design.
Poornima Ramarao
Poornima Ramarao is the mother of the late OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji. Her perspective on the personal risks and lasting impacts that public-interest disclosures can place on families helps inform Hush Line’s work to build safer reporting pathways and more durable support for whistleblowers.
Board Alumni
Micah Lee
Micah is a Hush Line core contributor, cofounder of Freedom of the Press Foundation, serves on the board of Distributed Denial of Secrets and OpenArchive, and was formerly the Director of Information Security at The Intercept. He is a computer security engineer and an open-source software developer who writes about technical topics like digital and operational security, encryption tools, whistleblowing, and hacking using language that everyone can understand without dumbing it down. In addition, he develops security and privacy tools such as OnionShare, Dangerzone, and Semiphemeral. Micah served while the organization was named Science & Design, Inc.
Website
Serene
Serene is a software engineer, ex-hacker, and the creator of the Snowflake pluggable transport. Away from the computer, she is a concert pianist who concertizes around the world. Serene served while the organization was named Science & Design, Inc.
Website