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Agenda

September 29, 2026
TENTATIVE AGENDA
 
 
NECE - National Energy Center of Excellence
ATC - Advanced Technology Center
 
NECE - National Energy Center of Excellence
ATC - Advanced Technology Center
8:30 am - 11:30 am   The Work We Do - Ted Schick
Schick Corporate Learning (Pre-Conference, Fee $59)
NECE 431/433
11:00 am - 1:00 pm   Name badge pick-up and Onsite Registration 4th Floor Foyer
11:30 am - 12:15 pm   Lunch for paid participants NECE 415, Bavendick Stateroom
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm   Transition to Live Event Center  
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm   Welcome ATC 109, Live Event Center
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm   Opening Keynote
1,133 Days: What Daily Execution Taught Me About Cyber Resilience - Dr. Gerald Auger, Simply Cyber
2:00 pm   Break
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm   Breakout Set A
    •  AI at the Pace Accountability Can Hold: From Pilots to Production Without Outrunning Governance
Speaker: Jason Anderson, NDIT
    •  Managing the Cyber Risk Storm Before It Strikes
Speaker: Josh Kadrmas, NDIT
    •  Basic Threat Evaluation and Reporting
Speaker: Dan Krueger, NDSLIC
    •  All About Kerberos: Function, Attack and Detection
Speaker: Launcelot Sutton, NDIT
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm   Break with Sponsors NECE 415, Bavendick Stateroom
3:30 pm - 4:15 pm   Breakout Set B
    •  Hearts AI Governance Framework
Speaker: Dr. Serena Ponenila and Nathan Anderson, Minot State University and Gregory Carlson, North Dakota University System
    •  ND College and University AI and Cyber Updates
Valley City State University, University of North Dakota, Minot State University, Dickinson State University
    •  Data Centers and Large Loads - Challenges for the Grid
Thomas Ghidossi, Barr Engineering
    •  2025 NISC Famous Chollima Incident
Speaker: Bill Heinzen, NISC
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm   Tech ND Awards and Wrap-up ATC 109, Live Event Center
 
 
September 30, 2026
TENTATIVE AGENDA
NECE - National Energy Center of Excellence
ATC - Advanced Technology Center
7:30 am - 8:00 am   Breakfast with Sponsors (for all paid participants)  
8:00 am - 8:15 am   Transition to Advanced Technology Center  
8:15 am - 8:30 am   Welcome, Morning Announcements - Aparna Subramanian, Dakota Carrier Network  
8:30 am - 9:30 am   Morning Keynote - Barometric Extremes: Hidden Cyber Risk from Weather Hazards
Speaker: Sunny Westcott, Geospatial Intelligence ISAC
9:30 am - 10:00 am   Break with Sponsors
10:00 am - 10:45 am   Breakout Set C
    •  State of North Dakota Cybersecurity
Speaker: John Rodenbiker and Christopher Gergen, NDIT
    •  Elections 101
Speaker: Michael Howe, ND Secretary of State's Office
    • ND College and University AI and Cyber Updates
North Dakota State University, University of Mary, Dakota College at Bottineau, Turtle Mountain Community College
    •  The Power of Partnership: Lessons from St. Paul Cyber Response
Speaker: Lieutenant Colonel Brian Morgan, Minnesota National Guard
10:45 am - 11:00 am   Break
11:00 am - 11:45 am   Breakout Set D
    •  The Rising AI Threat to Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure & How to Address It - Speaker: Dr. Jeremy Straub, University of West Florida
    •  The Mission of the NWS Hydrology Program and You
Speaker: Allen Shlag, National Weather Service
    • Still Figuring It Out: Higher Education's Honest Reckoning with AI, Critical Thinking, and Literacy
Speaker: Dr. Anna Kinney, University of North Dakota
    •  Trends from the Battlefield
Speaker: Lucas Pippenger, NDIT
11:45 am - 12:30 pm   Lunch  
12:30pm - 1:15 pm   Lunch Keynote
The Professional Professional
Speaker: Ted Schick, Schick Corporate Learning
1:15 pm - 1:30 pm   Break / Transition to Breakout Sessions
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm   Breakout Set E
    •  Inside the Mind of the Modern Threat Actor: Lessons from the Front Lines
Speaker: Troy Knudson, Palo Alto Networks
    •  Beyond Drone Racing: Developing Adaptive Talent for the Future Workforce
Speaker:  Solli Frank, Bismarck State College
    • Beyond the Boom: Power, Connectivity and the Race to Build Data Infrastructure
Speakers: Terry Effertz, TechND - Martin Vega, Applied Digital - Seth Arndofer, DCN - Johnathan Fortner, Lignite Energy Council
    •  Who Cares?
Speaker: Chase Berry, NDIT
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm   Break
2:30 pm - 3:15 pm   Breakout Set F
    •  Penetration Testing War Stories
Speaker: Jamie Maguire, High Point Networks
    •  Financial Risk and Fraud
Speaker: Lindsay Luther, Bravera Bank
    • Frontier Computing: AI and Quantum 
Speakers: Terry Effertz, Tech ND and Patrick Hedger, NetChoice
    •  Stop Scaring the Room: How to Sell Security Without the Horror Show
Speaker: Bob Henderson, Cass County
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm   Transition to Bavendick Stateroom  
3:30 pm - 3:50 pm   CyberCon Hall of Fame and Chairman's Award for Excellence  
3:55 pm - 4:55 pm   Closing Keynote
Speaker: Clifford Stoll
5:00 pm   End of Conference
Wrap-up by Jeremy Schoenberg, 2027 Chair
 

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