DPO Download

Our hosts share key takeaways for school districts from the 2026 New York State Cybersecurity Conference. Listen in as they dive into new developments in AI prompting, data privacy, and the growing trend of educators "vibe coding" applications for their classrooms. Finally, learn about the critical privacy concerns all School District Data Protection Officers should consider when address...

On this episode our hosts revisit a interview with Hilary Hofstein, Managing Program Coordinator for Health, Safety, and Risk at Capital Region BOCES on the Cybersecurity Annex a component of school districts' Building Level Emergency Response Plans in New York. Hofstein provides a deep dive into the annex, describing it as a vital "cheat sheet" or quick guide that outlines essential...

Join our hosts live at the 2026 RIC one Data Privacy and Security Conference. Listen as we hit the conference floor to catch up with district leaders and IT experts, diving deep into the breakthrough insights and "aha" moments they’re taking back to their schools.

In this episode of the DPO Download our hosts speak with Eric Coronado, Director of Technology for the Suffern Central School District, to explore how his district is embracing cutting-edge technological initiatives. Eric shares how his team proactively addressed the rapid rise of artificial intelligence by collaborating with teachers to create a "green, yellow, and red light" framework...

In this episode, our hosts sit down with leadership from the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District—Superintendent Patrick McGrath, Director of Technology Doug Carlton, and Assistant Director of Technology Michael Steinberg. They discuss the district’s strategic shift toward a unified vernacular across departments, a move that enabled the implementation of automated user provisioning re...

On this episode we welcome former Chief Information Officer at Pittsford Central School District Dr. Jeff Cimmerer to the podcast. Listen as Dr. Cimmerer speaks about how cybersecurity is very much a team sport. Learn how using common nomenclature can help reach a variety of stakeholders within your district.

This episode we are joined by Data Protection Officers Brian Zimmer of Webster CSD, John Miller of Honeoye Falls-Lima CSD, along with Dan Fullerton of Monroe Regional Information Center (RIC) to speak about the opening of a new school year. Listen as we discuss how collaboration plays a critical role among the Monroe RIC region by emphasizing standardized practices, shared hardware, and mutual sup...

What happens when hackers find a flaw before the developers do? They get a Zero-Day—a golden ticket into networks worldwide. Join our hosts along with NERIC's Information Security Manager Don Harple as we discuss the recent zero day Microsoft SharePoint Vulnerability. Learn as we discuss best practices for zero day threats as well as speak to the benefits of exercising your incident response p...

On this episode our hosts along with Saige Hupman and Ashleen Speen from South Central Regional Information Center discuss what the world's top security experts are saying and how it applies to NYS School districts.  Join us as we pull back the curtain on the Gartner Data Security and Privacy Summit.  We’re cutting through the global corporate-speak to translate the latest guidance on AI, data...

Join our hosts as they sit down with Louise DeCandia, the NYSED Chief Privacy Officer, for a candid look back at her impactful tenure. Listen as Louise speaks about the initial challenges she faced. Hear her reflections on the ever-evolving data privacy and security landscape. Discover the initiatives she believes had the most impact, and the relationships she was able to establish with all the st...

Have you ever wondered about what goes on inside a security operations center (SOC)? In our next episode, our hosts will be speaking with Paul Marco from Talas Security. Paul will be sharing his experiences managing a security operations center, and we'll be discussing the "Build it" versus "Buy it" approach for cybersecurity controls in school districts. To wrap up, Paul will also share his first...

Join our hosts broadcasting live from the 2025 RICone Data Privacy and Security Service Conference. They'll be discussing the conference's growth over the past four years, sharing excerpts from the keynote speaker, and catching up with attendees about their favorite aspects of the event.

Join us for an insightful conversation with Casey Wagner, the Director of Technology (DOT) and Data Protection Officer (DPO) for West Irondequoit Central Schools. We'll explore Casey's unique journey, from classroom educator to technology leadership. Learn how she successfully made the switch and, in just two years, significantly enhanced data privacy and security within her school distric...

Stay ahead of cyber threats! Join hosts Monica and Josh as they break down the essential takeaways from their annual School District Business Office Cyber Awareness Training. Discover the latest risks and learn how to protect your district's sensitive data.

Join us as we attend the annual NYSCATE conference. Listen as we catch up with attendees and speak to RIC one Risk Operation Center representatives about the Student Data Privacy Consortium panel.

In this episode, we welcome Melinda Lamantia, the Records and Archives Manager at Seattle Public Schools, to discuss data retention in schools. You'll hear how Seattle Public Schools manages data retention, including their email systems. Melinda will also share how you can throw an information review and clean up party in your school district.

Join us for part 2 of our interview with Laura Samulski-Peters and Julianna Sciolino of Buffalo Public Schools. In part 1 we heard about the cyber incident that affected Buffalo Public Schools in 2021. Listen to part 2 as Laura & Julianna speak about what Buffalo Public Schools has accomplished since the incident. Learn about how they have involved students and the community in making Buffalo...

Join us for this special 2 part podcast with Buffalo Public Schools. In part 1 hear from Laura Samulski-Peters and Julianna Sciolino about the cyber incident that affected Buffalo Public Schools in 2021. Listen as Laura & Julianna speak about the actions taken during the incident and how Buffalo Public Schools was able to recover to keep learning loss at a minimum.

Tune in this month as co-host Josh Becker shares his firsthand experience navigating a cyber crisis. Learn about the intense mental pressures he faced and gain valuable insights to help you prepare for the unexpected.

Join us this month as we talk with Bethlehem Central Schools Chief Technology Officer Erin Sheevers. Listen as Erin speaks about the evolution of her career as well as cybersecurity. Learn how Erin balances family life with being a leader in the district and community.

Join us this month as we recorded live from the RICone Data Privacy and Security Conference in Albany, NY. Listen to snippets of the keynote address as well as conference attendees on the best part of the conference.

Join us as we provide a preview of the 2024 RICone Data Privacy and Security Conference on May 2nd & 3rd. Listen to snippets from past guests that will be presenting at the conference.

Join us on the extra special show as Jaya, who is in the second grade, speaks to us about what data privacy means to her and even provides some clever ideas on passwords. Listen as she tells us how she learned about data privacy and also hear from Mom, Neethu on how Jaya is now making sure the whole family is following correct data privacy practices.

This month we welcome Dr. Michael Doughty the Director of the Northeast Regional Information Center on the DPO download. Join us as Dr. Doughty shares his perspective on how senior leadership should approach data privacy and security as well as generative AI.

Join us as we speak with Dr. Jessica Kingsbury the Director of Technology and Data Protection Officer for the Public Schools of Tarrytowns. Learn how Dr. Kingsbury's approach of building relationships, utilizing resources, and creating data security culture has led to a successful first year in the role.