The 2026 National K-12 Cybersecurity Leadership Conference

February 24-26, 2026 (Albuquerque, NM)

Hosted by the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX), the 2026 National K-12 Cybersecurity Leadership Conference is a unique event designed to identify and share solutions and best practices to better defend the K-12 education sector from emerging cybersecurity threats, such as ransomware and data breaches. The fourth annual conference will be held February 24-26, 2026 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Named a “top K-12 conference to attend in 2026” by K-12 Dive.

  • REGISTRATION: Now open. Advance registration required; there is no option for on-site registration.

  • CONFERENCE VENUE AND ROOM BLOCK: The event will be held at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town (800 Rio Grande Blvd NW), conveniently located in the heart of Old Town and the Sawmill District. Rooms are available in the hotel block at $189/night plus taxes and fees. To secure (or manage) your room reservation, please visit this link. NOTE: Room block is available on a first come, first serve basis. We anticipate the room block will sell out.

  • SPONSORSHIP INQUIRES: Contact us.

What to expect?

  • Highlights from last year’s conference

  • Preliminary 2026 Agenda: Available here. Subject to change.

  • Pre-Conference K-12 Tabletop/Incident Response Exercise to learn from and with peers, while helping to prioritize your information needs for the conference

  • Capture the Flag (CTF) Contest to test your cybersecurity skills

Accepted presentations/workshops (confirmed):

  • “Saying ‘Yes’ to AI, Safely: Balancing Innovation and Student Privacy” by Antoinette King and Michelle Krieger, Lake Shore Central School District (NY)

  • “From Chalk Dust to Digital Trust: Building a Culture of Governance in K–12 Privacy and Cybersecurity” by Michelle Krieger, Lake Shore Central School District (NY) and Antoinette King

  • “You Don't Put Cybersecurity in the Corner: Making Cybersecurity Visible and Valued with Your School District” by Eric Logan, Director of Information & Network Security, DeKalb County (GA) School District

  • “Rightsizing Cybersecurity in K-12” by Michael Marassa, CTO, New Trier Township High School District 203 (IL)

  • “Cybersecurity Basics: Audits, EDR/MDR, SAT, and SIEM” by Eric Nush, Director of Technology, Homer School District 33C (IL)

  • “SOAR Made Easy: Automatic Isolation of Compromised Windows Devices” by April Mardock, Chief Information Security Officer, Washington State (WA) Information Processing Cooperative

  • “Navigating the Wilderness of Vulnerability Management: A K–12 Survival Guide” by Tommy Pigeon, Director of Cybersecurity, and Jon Hurley, Deputy CTO, Dallas (TX) Independent School District

  • “Automating Cyber Workflows with PowerAutomate: The Extra Cyber Team You Didn’t Realize You Had” by Dave Robinson, Chief Information Officer, Baylor School (KY)

  • “Applying the Threat Intelligence Cycle in K-12” by Chris Rule, Director of Technology, Sublette County School District #1 (WY)

  • “Practical AI Security in K-12: A District Perspective” by Sean Sheridan, Information Security Architect, Dallas (TX) Independent School District

  • “Maturing Your Cybersecurity Posture: Scoping, Implementing, and Actionizing Penetration Testing” by Casey Wagner, Director of Technology/Data Privacy Officer, Ryan Deveau, Systems Administrator, and Bruce Baker, Network Administrator, West Irondequoit Central School District (NY)

2026 Conference Sponsors

GUARDIAN

DEFENDER

Interested in sponsoring the event? Contact us.