M3AAWG is proud to celebrate two remarkable decades of progress by honoring the pioneers of our organization who are battling online abuse at the highest levels worldwide. This month, we are wrapping up our Pioneers of M3AAWG blog series by spotlighting a leader whose energy has repeatedly driven our mission forward. We are thrilled to share the story of Sara Roper, Chairperson of our Board of Directors.

Sara Roper’s tenure with M3AAWG is hallmarked by her groundbreaking achievements across a variety of leadership roles she has held since first getting involved with our group in 2009.

She has proudly served as the Collaboration Committee Chair from 2012 to 2016 before taking on the role of Leadership Chair for Growth & Development from 2017 to 2020. Additionally, she held the position of Vice Chair on the Board of Directors during two terms, from 2015 to 2017 and once again from 2019 to 2020, becoming M3AAWG’s first woman Vice Chair. Continuing her illustrious journey with M3AAWG, in 2024, she rose to the role of Chair of the Board of Directors.

1. When did you first get involved with M3AAWG?

My first meeting was in February 2009, and it's hard to believe it's been over 15 years! Even today, I often talk with people about how memorable that first meeting was for me. The keynote address came from Brian Krebs, an acclaimed author and investigative journalist covering cybercrime, whom I was honored to briefly meet later that week. Brian talked about the work that went into taking down the harmful McColo web hosting service provider, which at the time was an epicenter of spam activities worldwide. 

I also remember studying for a certification that week, and back then, I didn’t really know about the importance of networking with the M3AAWG crowd, so I skipped the meeting’s Night Out event in favor of studying. I passed the test, but I still wish I’d attended the Night Out. It took me one or two more meetings until I fully realized the power of building relationships within this incredible community of M3AAWG.

2. What inspired you to engage and contribute to M3AAWG?

I have always been passionate about the potential for collective action to create significant change on a large scale, and the impact we can make at M3AAWG has worldwide reverberations. I believe in the power of people working in unison because I’ve experienced the incredible difference it can make. When I realized I was among many peers and experts at M3AAWG who were similarly interested in collaborating to drive change, I was hooked, and I haven’t taken my foot off the gas pedal since. 

I discovered early on that referencing a M3AAWG-developed Best Common Practice (BCP), as well as standards created by M3AAWG’s partner organizations, speaks volumes. When I ran out of options for convincing my leadership to support a change within our technological environment, I found that pointing to M3AAWG's BCPs, standards, requirements, or even regulations typically ended the discussion in my favor.

3. What would you say is M3AAWG’s most important contribution to the industry over the past 20 years?

Several of my predecessors have named so many contributions, and to be completely honest it’s difficult to know where to start, but here goes my best shot: 

• As an organization, M3AAWG has contributed to the advancement of email protections globally through the adoption of email authentication protocols such as DKIM and DMARC.

• We have developed guidelines for bot mitigation and network security to help organizations better protect against automated threats.

• We continue to rise to the challenges that mobile technologies and messaging have brought us with today’s threats.

Despite the accomplishments listed above, I still feel that M3AAWG’s most important contribution is its capability to break down competitive barriers within our industry. Our companies have a core business need to serve our customers, and outside the M3AAWG universe, we are all in full-fledged competition mode. However, we share a common interest in ending cyber abuse; therefore, through our discussions, we help each other, and every company participating in this community is better off because of the gap M3AAWG bridges.

Prioritizing our customers as the primary reason we are collectively working together allows us to provide more resilient and secure technologies that protect the digital space and livelihoods of all. Individually, we share our successes and lessons learned with the community, resulting in all of us gaining increased consumer confidence as a result.

4. What do you consider to be the biggest change in M3AAWG from its early days to now? 

M3AAWG was already operating at full speed when I joined the organization, and at that time, senders and ISPs were discussing their challenges in separate rooms. I firmly believe that two diametrically opposed sides cannot meet in the middle unless they are communicating directly. It wasn’t long after I started that we began direct talks, and many more doors have opened through true collaboration because of that change.

From the time I started until today, I believe the biggest change has been in how the organization operates to support its members. I can say with confidence that it is easier to herd cats and nail Jell-O to a wall than it is to corral dozens of people into a collective setting to discuss, document, edit, and agree on a document.

All of our work products, including our BCPs, technical guidance, public policy comments, and position statements, are member-generated. Our participants within our member companies volunteer their time with their companies' sponsorship. When our volunteers are operationally engaged in their own environments, there is precious little time to spare to help others do the same, which means that people often wait for our General Meeting events to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Now, with the help of our Program Managers and support staff, our volunteers show up between meetings to document and collaborate. Our staff has helped remove a layer of administrative complexities that previously slowed our progress, and we are more capable than ever before. This is a significant change and opportunity for our organization. It benefits all of us to respond more quickly and proactively to address the rapidly growing landscape of online abuse.

5. What would you consider to be the most significant challenge M3AAWG has faced in its 20-year history?

Experiencing COVID could have been debilitating for our organization. As an organization heavily reliant on face-to-face meetings, we could have completely halted and lost all momentum. Instead, M3AAWG’s leadership, staff, and members met this challenge head-on and pivoted to online meetings. 

In addition to meeting with our members on our regular schedule with high-quality content and collaboration capabilities, our leadership and our staff took the time to examine and improve M3AAWG’s organizational focus, creating clarity for our members to articulate M3AAWG’s remit and position within the industry. As an organization, we emerged with a stronger structure that provides direct focus and aims for our targets. I am so appreciative of our staff and leadership during this challenging time, and I’m grateful to be working alongside them again now.

6. What is one of your best memories or proudest moments with M3AAWG?

It never fails to make me proud when I see one of our individual participants stepping up to take on a leadership role as a Chair, Champion, Board Member, or, in general, raising their hand to help with a small task or to fully take the wheel. This is where growth as an organization and as professionals really takes place.

Beyond that, I’ve had dozens of memorable moments that I will always treasure. These include the time I was first selected to participate as a Co-Chair of a Committee, being chosen as M3AAWG’s first female Vice Chair of the Board, and the moment my company’s leadership recognized the value and impact M3AAWG could have on our operations, which elevated the membership level of the company I was with at the time. 

Helping to establish one of our regional AAWGs in the early phase was career-defining and an invaluable opportunity. Finally, I treasure the moment I realized I had the capability to confidently lead M3AAWG into its next phase as Chairperson of the Board and, shortly thereafter, was elected to the role. All these memories fill me with pride.

7. What role has M3AAWG played in your career?

If M3AAWG were a character in a stage play of my life and career, it would be a lead role. My careers, functions, and even vertices of the industry I have worked to support have changed over time, but M3AAWG has been a rock of stability through it all. I credit M3AAWG with connecting me to career opportunities, enhancing the capabilities of the roles I’ve held, and introducing me to the people who have elevated the entire experience for me personally.

8. What advice do you have for someone getting started in M3AAWG?

My advice for someone getting started is to expect to get your hands dirty and jump into initiatives or committees where the work resonates with your passions, interests, and ideas. Dedicate a small portion of time between our onsite meetings to invest in M3AAWG in some way, whether it’s ten minutes to submit an Open Roundtable or session topic, a couple of hours to offer your opinion or share your experience, or your wisdom to synthesize the opinions and experiences of others. Make it routine practice during your typical work week, even if it’s just a small amount of time. Find a way to incorporate M3AAWG into your routine, and you will not regret it.

Furthermore, you need to network. While building relationships, learn how the changes others are making toward a world free of online abuse will impact your own efforts and operations. Be ready to adjust! Work within M3AAWG to make your job in the ecosystem a little easier, a little more automated, and a little more resilient. In the end, take it one step at a time, one small bit at a time. Even if you can’t attend all the meetings, our work continues year-round.

9. What is your greatest fear/hope for the online security/anti-abuse industry?

If you know me, you’ll understand that I’m always considering the human impact alongside the technical challenges we work to overcome. Technically, we face an ever-increasing landscape of online platforms, technologies, and capabilities. We recognize what lies ahead regarding quantum computing and the cryptography needed to be prepared for the post-quantum era, as well as how our adversaries can leverage new and emerging technologies, such as AI. We understand that our world is better protected and more resilient because of our collaboration, and our members consistently rise to the challenge. I am constantly bolstered by the deep passion our members bring to the table on these topics.

However, my greatest fear is a decline in member drive and commitment; I wonder what life would be like if our members were to lose their capability to maintain momentum. Finding new ways to push past boundaries without creating unnecessary risks or friction for our consumers is a challenge for all of us in our environments. Our members present brilliant ideas and solutions to solve problems on a broad scale, yet the implementation of these ideas is frequently met with opposition related to cost, legal or privacy concerns, and their impact on operations or consumers. All of these are valid concerns that must be considered when working to advance protections, but it’s hard to hear “no” too many times. Feeling defeated is a tough struggle.

This brings me to my greatest hope: that we can continue the conversation, collaboration, and the additive “yes, and” mentality throughout our membership, within and between our meetings. By doing so, we can enhance each other’s strengths and defenses and take inspiration from our own moments of greatness, as well as from key experiences shared by others in our community.

M3AAWG is defined by the work of pioneers like Sara Roper, who drive our impact forward and, in turn, make the online world safer from the persistent threat of cybercriminals. We commend Sara for her unwavering dedication and resilience, as well as for bringing together our industry of otherwise competing organizations as allies in this fight.