Back
DirectDefense’s Kelly Kish and Dani Loughnane Spotlighted on the 2025 Women of the Channel List
DENVER – May 12, 2025 – DirectDefense, an information security services company, proudly announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized Kelly Kish, VP of Marketing and Alliances and Dani Loughnane, Channel Operations Manager, on the prestigious Women of the Channel list for 2025.
This annual CRN list celebrates women from vendors, distributors, solution providers and other channel-focused organizations who make a positive difference in the IT ecosystem. The CRN 2025 Women of the Channel honorees are innovative and strategic leaders committed to advancing channel excellence and supporting the success of their partners and customers.
Kelly Kish brings over 20 years of B2B tech marketing expertise. In the last year, she restructured the channel team, introduced a tiered model, and boosted partner engagement through consistent outreach. These efforts resulted in the largest partner deal in company history and a record-breaking increase in partner-driven opportunities. Looking ahead, Kelly plans to grow channel revenue, launch a Partner Advisory Council, and expand the elite partner base to strengthen collaboration and performance.
Dani Loughnane has nearly a decade of experience in the channel, starting at RSA Security. Over the past year, she revamped DirectDefense’s partner program by creating essential resources, launching a partner newsletter, and kicking off the 2025 Partner initiative. Her efforts in enabling sales and strengthening partner relationships led to a doubling of partner-sourced opportunities year-over-year, with Q1 setting a new record. In 2025, Danielle aims to further empower partners and internal teams to drive continued growth.
“It’s an honor to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of these women, who are leaders and change-makers in the IT channel,” said Jennifer Follett, VP, U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. “Each woman spotlighted on this list has shown exceptional dedication to building creative strategies that propel transformation, growth, and success for their organizations and the entire IT channel. We are pleased to spotlight their important contributions and look forward to their future success.”
The 2025 Women of the Channel will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine, with online coverage beginning May 12 at www.CRN.com/WOTC.
Follow DirectDefense
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/directdefense/
X: https://twitter.com/Direct_Defense
Blog: https://www.directdefense.com/resources/blog/
About DirectDefense
DirectDefense provides enterprise risk assessments, penetration testing, ICS/SCADA security services, and 24/7 managed security services for companies of all sizes. Focused on building security resiliency, the firm offers comprehensive security testing services with specialization in application security, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and compliance assurance testing. Its team of highly talented consultants has worked with the majority of the Fortune 100 companies, in industries such as power and utility, gaming, retail, financial, media, travel, aerospace, healthcare, and technology. More information can be found at www.directdefense.com.
Press contact:
Bethany Kozal
DirectDefense
bkozal@directdefense.com
About The Channel Company
The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world’s top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers, and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.
Follow The Channel Company: X and LinkedIn
© 2025. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Channel Company Contact:
Kristin DaSilva
The Channel Company
kdasilva@thechannelcompany.com
05.12.25