WiscNet Connections logo in purple and green

Join us at SentryWorld in
Stevens Point on April 29-30th

ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (FULL CONFERENCE: 2 DAYS) ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (FULL CONFERENCE: 2 DAYS)
ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (FULL CONFERENCE: 2 DAYS)
$200.00
ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (HALF CONFERENCE: 1 DAY) ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (HALF CONFERENCE: 1 DAY)
ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (HALF CONFERENCE: 1 DAY)
$100.00

Exhibitors

Exhibitor registration is now closed. Information for registered exhibitors can be found on our FAQ page.

Be sure to attend the reception from 4:00-7:00pm on Tuesday, April 29th, which offers dedicated time to explore booths and chat with exhibitors.

Schedule

Download a PDF of the full program, including session descriptions here.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

7:45 am - 8:30 am: Registration and Breakfast

8:30 am - 10:30 am: Welcome (Atrium)

  • WiscNet Board of Directors 2025 election: Candidate Introductions

  • State of WiscNet: Brian Remer, WiscNet CEO

  • WiscNet Secure Platform Update: Jason Downey, WiscNet CISO

10:30 am - 10:45 am: Refreshment break (Fieldhouse)

10:45 am - 11:45 am: Presentation sessions 

  • Running a Successful Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise: Amy Jaeckel, Green Bay Area Public School District (Grand Hall)

  • WiscNet’s Research Program Inside & Out: David Plonka, WiscNet (Court 1)

  • Technology Department Budgeting: Brady Mesenberg, DC Everest Area School District (Court 2)

  • The 5 Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead: Dennis Pauli, Edgerton School District (Court 3)

  • Welcome to the WiscNet Artificial Intelligence Affinity Group: John Pederson, WiscNet (Court 4)

  • (Re)Committing to Digital Inclusion: Cassandra Hill, City of Madison (Community Room)

  • The Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL) Certification from CoSN: A Valuable Asset for Technology Directors and Administrators- Kathleen Stephany, Holmen School District (Gathering Room 1)

  • TEACH/DOA Updates: Matthew Yeakey and Zachary McCollum, State of Wisconsin DO (Gathering Room 2)

11:45 am - 1:00 pm: Lunch (Atrium)

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Connecting People Roundtables: Geographic Regions

  • Northwest (Community Room)

  • Northeast (Gathering Room 2)

  • Southwest (Court 1)

  • Southeast (Gathering Room 1)

2:00 pm - 2:15 pm: Refreshment break (Fieldhouse)

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm: Presentation Sessions

  • All Things E-Rate: Rachel Schemelin and Bill Herman, State of Wisconsin DPI, with Aneta Kosturova, WiscNet (Atrium)

  • CAN Opener: Steve Schlomann, Waukesha School District (Court 1)

  • Demystifying Generative AI: Unlocking the Potential Beyond Terminator Fears: Jason Schmidt, OshKosh Area School District (Court 2)

  • Designing a Technology Acquisition Process: Amy Jaeckel, Green Bay Area Public School District (Court 3)

  • Who Cooked Tilapia in the WiscNet Café?: John Pederson, WiscNet (Court 4)

  • Minions Assemble!: Kevin Capwell, BrainStorm Events, Inc., Thomas Lange, BrainStorm Events, Inc. (Community Room)

  • Cyber Incident Preparedness: Is Your District Ready?: Dan Johnson, CESA 5 (Gathering Room 1)

  • The Leadership Challenge: Liberating Others and Fostering Healthy Relationships: Dan Pauli, Edgerton School District (Gathering Room 2)

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm: Special session: The WiscNet Network: Josh Gorton, Eric Hammons, Chris Wopat, WiscNet (Atrium)

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Reception with exhibitors (Grand Hall)

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

8:00 am - 8:30am: Breakfast (Atrium)

8:30 am - 8:45 am: “Business With Bacon”

8:45 am - 9:45 am: Keynote Speaker

10:00 am -11:00 am: Connecting Strategies Roundtables: Topics of Interest

  • Advanced Networking (Gathering Room 1)

  • AI (Court 1)

  • Cybersecurity (Gathering Room 2)

  • Leadership (Community Room)

11:00 am -11:15 am Refreshment Break (Fieldhouse)

11:15 am - 12:15 pm: Presentation Sessions

  • Team Management Success, Yes!: Kevin May, Oregon School District (Grand Hall)

  • Building a Windows Lab Environment: Ben Dumke, Lawrence University (Court 1)

  • Building a Security Operations Center (SOC) with Students: Jesse La Grew and Zachary Miller, Madison College (Court 2)

  • Lessons Learned Update- Creating an Incident Response Plan from Scratch: Heidi Genthner, WiscNet (Court 3)

  • eduroam: Getting Started, Looking Ahead, and Why It Matters for Your Institution: Josh Gorton, John Pederson, Rich Turiel, WiscNet (Court 4)

  • Community Engagement for Planning and Beyond: WiLS (Community Room)

  • The challenges of Cybersecurity in K-12 Education: Brian Casey, Stevens Point Public Schools (Gathering Room 1)

  • Women in the WiscNet Community: A panel facilitated by Aneta Kosturova and Sarah Miller, WiscNet (Gathering Room 2)

12:15 pm: Lunch (Atrium)

If you need a PDF of this schedule for documentation purposes, you can find that here.

Keynote speakers

We’re thrilled to announce our keynote speakers, Emily Easton of the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) and Jennifer Choy from UW-Madison, who will talk to us about quantum computing, quantum networking, why it matters to us in the WiscNet community, and what the future may hold.

As the Director of Education and Workforce Development at CQE, Emily Easton oversees the development and implementation of programs that inspire, prepare, and connect students and professionals in the emerging fields of quantum science and engineering, including the Open Quantum Initiative, annual Quantum Recruiting Forum, and NSF-funded Quantum Leap Challenge Institute Quantum Careers Workshop. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication, she has 20+ of experience in leading and managing projects, programs, and services in academic and research settings, including initiatives focused on broadening participation, career development, organizational effectiveness, and community outreach, specifically in the sciences.

An Asian woman with dark brown hair smiling at the camera

Jennifer Choy is a Dugald C. Jackson Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW–Madison, where she focuses on quantum magnetometry and inertial sensing using neutral atoms and color centers in diamond. She was previously a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Draper Laboratory. She received S.B. degrees in Physics and Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University.

Hotel accommodations

You can find all the details about lodging — including how to reserve a room in our block at both the Inn at SentryWorld and Country Inn and Suites — here:

2025 Board of Directors elections

There are two board positions open this year: They represent the following member segments:

(1) K-12 seat
(1) At-Large seat

The election is open from Monday, March 3 through 4:00pm on Tuesday, April 29. For more information about this year’s candidates — and, if you’re a WiscNet member, to vote — see our Board of Directors page.

Questions?

If you have any questions, concerns, or anything else related to WiscNet Connections, contact Sarah Miller at sarahmiller@wiscnet.net or (608) 210-3957.