Overview

April 13

No one knows for sure what the higher education environment will look like after COVID-19, but it will almost certainly be different than the pre-pandemic normal. Concessions made to enable social distancing – most notably online learning – will likely lead to more digital and personalized course options, particularly for non-traditional students. Researchers who found they could collaborate online with advanced networks may continue to do so, leading to greater knowledge sharing. Higher education employees who successfully worked remotely may continue to do so, at least part-time.

These changes, while beneficial to students and faculty, have created new cybersecurity vulnerabilities that must be confronted with a short and long-term strategy.

The Center for Digital Education is gathering a small group of higher education leaders for a conversation about what this new environment will look like, and how education security and technology professionals can manage risk in this evolving environment. Along with our partner, Fortinet, we are organizing a virtual roundtable that will look at:

How the higher education environment is evolving and what to expect
What these changes may mean for your institution’s risk profile
How you can proactively address increasing vulnerabilities

Speakers

Kenny Holmes

Head of US Public Sector, Fortinet

Kenny Holmes became the leader of go-to-market strategy for Public Sector at Fortinet in March 2019. He’s an advocate and speaker for the Public Sector and has been in Information Technology for more than twenty years, holding more than ten technology certifications and positions spanning from Engineering to Sales Executive. He is an expert in cybersecurity with a background in cryptography. Kenny has worked in the Federal Government, State Governments, Research Institutions, and Universities on some of the largest security projects in the world. He resides in the Chicagoland area and in his spare time enjoys public speaking and training on religion, is a pilot, and an influencer for the rights of girls and women with Autism.

Renee Tarun

Deputy CISO/ Vice President Information Security, Fortinet

Renee Tarun has over 20 years' experience in the cybersecurity and information technology fields with leadership experience in development and engineering, operations, strategy, policy, and portfolio management, across the intelligence community, law enforcement, and private industry. As Deputy CISO at Fortinet, she focuses on enterprise security, compliance and governance, and product security. Prior to joining Fortinet, she served as Special Assistant to the Director, National Security Agency (NSA), for Cyber and Director of NSA's Cyber Task Force, in which she advanced NSA's execution of its cybersecurity and cyber-related missions by overseeing resources; defining and integrating mission capabilities; and shaping agency strategy and national level policy at the White House. Renee is also a board member for the George Mason University Volgenau School of Engineering, creating synergy between the school and the professional community by addressing workforce development demands, industry expectations, and employment trends. She is married with two children.

William (Bill) Rials, Ph.D. — Moderator

Associate Director and IT Professor, Tulane University and Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Education

William (Bill) Rials, Ph.D., is a professor and associate director (department chair) of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement IT and Cybersecurity Program. Where he focuses on continually delivering and updating the program curriculum based on innovative and emerging technologies, before transitioning academia and higher education, he had a diverse government technology career delivering value to state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Mississippi.

Webinar

Managing Risk in a Post-COVID Higher Education Environment