Join us for Empowering the Modern CISO: Strategies for Success, part of the EDUCAUSE Leadership Series. This event will be delivered online via synchronous and asynchronous engagement opportunities.
This EDUCAUSE Leadership Series event will include four sessions with focused resources combined with synchronous, live conversations (via Zoom). Each session will feature a facilitated multi-person panel discussion and ample time for interactive Q&A with participants. (Note: All invited panelists are current or former CISOs from the higher ed community.) Participants are encouraged to engage in all four sessions, which build upon one another.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your leadership skills, expand your network, and empower yourself as a modern CISO in higher education!
Schedule
- Theme 1: Monday, December 2, 2024 | 12:00 noon–1:30 p.m. ET
- Theme 2: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | 12:00 noon–1:30 p.m. ET
- Theme 3: Monday, December 9, 2024 | 12:00 noon–1:30 p.m. ET
- Closing Session: Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | 12:00 noon–1:30 p.m. ET
Themes
Session 1 | So you want to be a CISO?
Navigating the role of a higher education CISO demands a blend of resilience and patience. While the challenges of supporting academic institutions may not be for the fainthearted, the rewards of being a campus CISO are gratifying and worthwhile. In this session, panelists will paint a picture of the essential roles, skills, leadership pathways, and avenues of professional development that are vital for current and aspiring higher ed CISOs.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about contemporary CISO leadership and technical skills and how these have changed over the past two decades.
- Discover professional development and mentoring opportunities in the higher ed community and beyond.
- Understand CISO career pathways and options for professional growth.
Expert Panelists
Chief Information Security Officer
California State University, Office of the Chancellor
Session 2 | The CISO as an influential leader
Increasingly CISOs have a “seat at the table,” advising leadership at all institution levels on the risks related to using data and information technology on campus. In this session, seasoned higher education CISOs will share their strategies for establishing and maintaining credibility in front of institutional leadership, leading under pressure and periods of great change, and using data to help reduce institutional cybersecurity risk.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn techniques for presenting to institutional leadership.
- Develop leadership skills for handling pressure and change management.
- Understand how to use data to illustrate information security risk.
- Discuss the potential legal liability attached to the CISO role.
Expert Panelists
Session 3 | The CISO and succession planning
This third session will delve into the advantages of succession planning and cross-training, vital elements that foster seamless continuity and stability within higher education information security teams. Panelists will offer proactive, inclusive strategies for identifying, nurturing, and retaining talented individuals capable of leading strategic security programs and campus-wide initiatives.
Learning Objectives:
- Benefit from insights and real-world experiences about succession strategies and how to provide leadership opportunities for team members.
- Learn how succession planning differs from professional development and how to cultivate a culture of leadership development by empowering your team.
- Understand the importance of extending trusted relationships—both on campus and within the higher ed infosec community—to team members.
Expert Panelists
Session 4 | Growing your information security program
Ensuring institutions are protected from modern-day cybersecurity threats requires a programmatic approach that integrates strategy, operations, and risk management activities. In our final session, higher education CISOs will share their approaches to building and maturing their information security programs, all while managing change fatigue, burnout, and reacting to the dynamic higher education threat environment.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand basic information security program elements.
- Identify strategies to mature your information security program.
- Discover techniques to battle change fatigue in information security programs (and on campus).
- Evaluate the higher education threat environment and how it impacts information security strategy.
Expert Panelists
Isaac Straley
Chief Information Security Officer
University of Washington