Ken Ries
Position title: Chief Information Security Officer, University of Wisconsin–River Falls and University of Wisconsin–Stout
Ken leads the information security programs for two four-year comprehensive Wisconsin universities. With more than two decades in IT leadership roles, Ken focuses his efforts on building a culture of security and the application of technology to serve and safeguard higher education information systems and the communities they serve.
Ken holds a Master’s in Education Leadership from Concordia University, a Bachelor’s in Career and Technical Education from the University of Minnesota, and a postgraduate certificate in Cybersecurity and Privacy Law from Michell Hamline College of Law. He also holds several professional certifications including CISSP, ITIL, Microsoft Azure, and CTT+.
Outside of his day job, Ken can be found teaching scuba diving and dive safety at the University of Minnesota, helping to band birds with the Raptor Resource Project, or relaxing with his family on his hobby farm in east central Minnesota.