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.

REGISTER HERE

  • 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 Workshops + 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 (hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC))

Who will be there?

  • Organization types: Federal, state, regional, and local K-12 practitioners and policymakers

  • Representative job titles: District CIO/CTO/Director of Technology/IT, CISO/Cybersecurity Analyst/Cybersecurity Engineer, Network Administrator/Engineer, Systems Administrator/Engineer

  • National reach: Attendees travelling from 27+ states

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

  • “Collateral Damage: Surviving Someone Else’s Cyber Mess” by Ross Lemke and Michael Tassey, Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), U.S. Department of Education

  • “FERPA Masterclass: From Policy to Practice,” by Ross Lemke and Michael Tassey, Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), U.S. Department of Education

  • “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

  • "WOW! That’s A Lot of Apps" by Jim Lucchesi, Information Security Architect, and Eunice Mwebi, Manager, Cybersecurity Governance, Denver (CO) Public Schools​

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

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

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

  • “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

  • “You're in Charge: Navigating Cybersecurity and Data Governance in K-12 External Partnerships” by Laura Pollak, Supervisor, NASTECH, Data Privacy & Security Service and SMS; Data Protection Office, Nassau RIC/BOCES (NY)

  • “Battle-Tested Cybersecurity Wins for K-12 Districts: Configurations, Free Fixes, and GRC That Actually Work” by Kyle Pearston, Cybersecurity Analyst, Aldine (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)

  • “Student Authentication Practices: Past, Present, and Future,” by Mark Racine, Co-Founder, RootED Solutions, and Chris Warden, Technology Director, Central R-3 School District (MO)/K12 Tech Talk Podcast

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

  • “Nightmare on Network Street: Surviving the Friday the 13th Ransomware Attack,” by Melissa Saunders, Superintendent, et al., Manassas Park City Schools (VA)

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

  • “Board Games: How To Employ Governance To Support Your Cybersecurity Program,” by Dr. Tim Tillman, Chief Technology Officer, Richmond (VA) Public Schools

  • “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.