Keynote Speakers
Brian Lesser
Chief Information Officer, Toronto Metropolitan University
Brian Lesser is Toronto Metropolitan University's chief information officer (CIO). Brian helped develop the university’s first identity management system, establish an e-learning support team and was a founding member of the university's Digital Media Zone (DMZ) steering committee. The DMZ is TMUs startup incubator and accelerator. Brian is a board member of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, manages the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers' (CUCCIO) cybersecurity benchmarking project and was a founding member of the Canadian Shared Security Operations Centre (CanSSOC) steering committee. Prior to joining TMU, Brian worked at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada and the National Archives of Canada.
Laurie Stewart
Executive Program Director of Digital Strategy Toronto Metropolitan University
Laurie Stewart (she/her) is TMU’s Executive Program Director, Digital Strategy, leading the development of our first formal Digital Strategy to join our university’s suite of strategic plans. With 15 years experience working at TMU, she has been responsible for leading the Future of Work program and directing communications across the Administration and Operations portfolio. Laurie volunteered for 7 years as chair and co-chair of Positive Space, advocating for queer inclusion, fostering community, and breaking down systemic barriers. Equity, diversity and inclusion are central in Laurie’s approach.
Cameron Sielski
Manager of Technology Strategy and Transformation, Deloitte
Session details
A special keynote presentation on the work to date in developing TMU’s inaugural digital strategy.
Tracy Dallaire
Deputy Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Director of Information Security Services and Client Services at McMaster University
As Deputy Chief Technology Office, Tracy helps advance strategic initiatives aligned with the university’s IT and institutional priorities, oversees operational goals and supports McMaster’s digital experience. This includes the adoption of tools such as Campus Relationship Management (CRM), SharePoint, Teams and PowerApps. Tracy has extensive experience in cybersecurity in both government and higher education at McMaster where she served as Director, Information Security Services. She also represents McMaster in key initiatives including the Canadian Shared Security Operations Centre (CanSSOC), Research Intensive Group activities, ORION SecureONE and Inclusion in Cybersecurity Canada, for which she recently received the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO) Community Award, along with her collaborators.
Art Exner
Associate Vice-President (Information Services) at the University of Regina
Art is responsible for charting the strategic information technology plans for the University of Regina to achieve improved business outcomes in an increasingly client-centric service model. Art is also the Chair of the Saskatchewan Research Network (SRNET) Board of Directors and is a board member of the Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry and Education (CANARIE) and the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO). Art is CIO liaison to the CUCCIO Information Security Special Interest Group and a contributor to the CUCCIO Leadership Development Program.
Nathan Corwin
Chief Information Security and Digital Trust Officer at the University of Toronto
Nathan brings over 25 years of experience in higher education IT and cyber security, most recently from Arizona State University (ASU(, where he led enterprise cybersecurity initiatives supporting a large and complex institution. Nathan’s career at ASU spanned technical operations, service delivery, and enterprise leadership. Most recently, he served as ASU’s Executive Director for Cyber Security in Enterprise Technology, where he operationalized technology and strategy to support the security and resilience of the ASU Public Enterprise. He joined the University of Toronto in March of 2026, bringing a focus on building digital trust through collaboration, clarity, and shared responsibility.
Session details
Cybersecurity Risk Management in Higher Education: Are We Making Decisions and Are They the Right Ones?
If complexity is the enemy of security, it’s no wonder the higher education sector is so difficult to secure. Bicameral governance, a regularly changing set of leaders, severe fiscal constraints, distributed responsibility for computing infrastructure and support at our institutions and a growing number of available online services all contribute to these cybersecurity challenges.
Join us for a panel discussion where we’ll discuss how cybersecurity governance can and should work in our sector. Our panelists will share best practices at different institutions in Canada and abroad, the challenges of communicating and managing risk in our organizations and leave with insights into what we can all do to improve cybersecurity risk management.
Moderated by Brian Lesser, Chief Information Officer at Toronto Metropolitan University.