What a Difference a Dave Makes! They say it takes a special kind of person to thrive in IT and Cybersecurity. Turns out, a lot of them are named Dave. And let’s be honest—we are pretty special. In fact, there’s a whole crew of us in the BCNet and Higher Ed community, tackling cyber threats, navigating higher ed’s unique challenges, and taking on the ultimate "David vs. Goliath" battle every day.

Join some of the Daves you know (you know...) for an unfiltered, informal session where we swap war stories, share insights, and dive into the ever-evolving world of Cybersecurity in Higher Education. This is your chance to Ask Dave Anything!

Not a Dave? No problem! Channel your inner Dave, jump in with your own “A Dave in the Life” experience, and let’s prove that together, we’re an unstoppable force.

Dave Kubert

Dave Kubert

Director, Information Security, University of Price Edward Island

Dave spent his career in academia working in Unix systems administration, network engineering, and software development before finally surrendering the last vestiges of his soul and moving into information security. Dave’s professional interests include redefining the role of information security in organizational structures, risk governance, walking a fine line, and being in over his head.

Dave Lampron

Dave Lampron

CIO, Vancouver Island University

Dave is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Vancouver Island University. He's worked in academia for over 25 years. Dave is a student of empathetic leadership. He strives to create the organizational conditions that allow for an 'Idea Meritocracy' culture. An Idea Meritocracy is designed to produce the best possible decision under the circumstances by enabling the best thinking by all team members. Dave also has a passion for assisting rural and remote communities in augmenting access to essential services.

David Burkholder

David Burkholder

Associate Director, Technology Services, Thompson Rivers University

David oversees the networking and telephony services group at TRU. He started at TRU (then UCC) in 1989, as a technician supporting networking and telephony systems. Over the last 34 years, various higher paid individuals, recognized/decided that he had the skills/aptitude/competence (what were they thinking?), to manage and support these functions. He's honoured to know he's contributing to the support of staff, faculty and most importantly contributing to the learning and teaching of students. David enjoys hiking/walking, biking and IT support for friends and family. He really enjoys working on vehicles for a ministry in Central America (and at home).

David Birch

David Birch

Manager, IT Security, Okanagan College

Dave has been at Okanagan College for over 7 years, has a B.Sc. in Computer Science accompanied by CISSP and Associate C|CISO security certifications, and brings over 30 years of diverse IT industry experience from private and public sector to the College.  
As the Manager, IT Security, Dave leads the IT Services cybersecurity team to oversee the Security Operations Center (SOC) and overall IT Security program.  Dave is also an active member of several BCNet Higher Education Security committees and working groups and was a lead member of the incident response team during the Okanagan College ransomware event in January 2023

Technology Track