Link Oregon 2025 Annual Member Meeting

An aerial photo of Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland Metro Campus building

Thursday, June 26, 2025
Oregon Institute of Technology
Portland Metro Campus
27500 SW Parkway Ave
Wilsonville, OR

9:00-10:00am PDT – Coffee & Networking
10:00am-4:30pm PDT – Program

We are excited to invite you to Link Oregon’s first in-person annual member meeting, to be held at the Oregon Tech – Portland Metro campus in Wilsonville, OR.

Don’t miss this day packed with keynotes, panel discussions, technical workshops, and plenty of time to network with Link Oregon members – representing Oregon K-20 education, local and state government, and other public and non-profit entities – and partners across the regional and national broadband ecosystem.

Registration is FREE for Link Oregon members and $50 for non-members.

Morning refreshments, lunch, snacks and beverages will be provided.

Agenda

TimeTopicSpeaker
9:00-10:00Refreshments & NetworkingN/A – Come early to enjoy coffee, pastries, and networking with the community.
10:00-10:15amWelcome Remarks & IntroductionsDr. Steve Corbató, Executive Director, Link Oregon
10:15-10:40amKEYNOTE – Partnerships for Innovation, Connectivity, and Access – Successes from a Leading State Network in the WestDerek Masseth, Executive Director, Sun Corridor Network

Sun Corridor Network, Arizona’s Research and Education Network, is a collaboration between Arizona’s three public universities. SCN serves the needs of the education community across the State and expands access to unserved and underserved communities by applying emerging cyber-infrastructure technologies and educational experiences that make the internet easy to use.
10:40- 11:05am FIRESIDE CHATThe Evolving Technology Landscape in Oregon Dr. Jimmy Godard, State Chief Technology Officer, Enterprise Information Services, State of Oregon
Skip Newberry, President and CEO, Technology Association of Oregon
Dr. Jackie Wirz, Incoming Executive Director, Link Oregon
11:05-11:10amTransition / Panelist IntroductionsJackie Wirz
11:10-11:35am
 
PANELResilient Networks, Resilient Communities – Network-enabled Disaster PreparednessWilliam Chapman, Statewide Interoperability and Watch Center Manager, State of Oregon
André LeDuc, Vice President and Chief Resilience Officer, University of Oregon
Robin Mayall, Director of Information Services, City of Eugene
11:35-11:40amTransition / Panelist IntroductionsSteve Corbató
11:40-12:05pmFuture EvolutionsThe Future of High-Speed Networking: Preparing for 400G    Richard Hicks, Senior Network Engineering Architect, Link Oregon
Christy Long, Associate Chief Information Officer for Technology Infrastructure, University of Oregon
Mark Keever, Executive Director, Digital Research Infrastructure, Oregon State University
12:05-12:20pmLightning TalkThe Fundamental Pillars of Network Automation for Modern Day NetworksJeremy Georges, Senior Systems Engineer, Arista Networks
12:20-1:20pmLunch – Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks

Link Oregon Strategic Updates (12:45-1:05) – Steve Corbató & Cynthia Brown, Manager – Program Management, Implementation, and Operations
1:20-1:45pmPANELThe Evolving Threat Landscape: Cybersecurity and Incident Response in an AI-powered world     Kevin Bohan, Manager, Network Engineering, Link Oregon
Rachel Wente-Chaney, Chief Information Officer, High Desert Educational Service District
José Domínguez, Chief Information Security Officer, University of Oregon
1:45-1:50pmTransition / Speaker IntroductionKevin Bohan
1:50-2:05pmLightning TalkRouting with Ciena: A Case Study with Lane Educational Service DistrictKen Abel, Consulting Sales Engineer, Ciena
2:05-2:15 pmHEAD TO THE SECOND FLOOR FROM LOBBY (FOLLOW SIGNS)
PARALLEL TRACKS—CHOOSE ONE
2:10-2:35pm Technical Session
Network Automation: A Journey, not a Destination

Facilitator: Stephen Fromm, Senior Network Automation Architect, Link Oregon

Panelists:
Greg Brewster, IT Director, City of Sandy
Johan Reinalda, Director, Networking and Telecom, Oregon State University  
Future Evolutions
Quantum Buzz is Growing: Why quantum networking should be on your radar

Presenter: Brian Smith, Professor, Optical Molecular & Quantum Science, University of Oregon
2:40-3:05pm  Technical Session (Tutorial)
Safeguarding Internet Routing – A Primer on BGP and RPKI Routing

Presenters:
Stephen Fromm, Senior Network Automation Architect, Link Oregon
Richard Hicks, Senior Network Engineering Architect, Link Oregon
Future Evolutions
Democratizing HPC and Growing the STEM talent pipeline in Oregon

Presenters:
Christy Long,  Associate Chief Information Officer for Technology Infrastructure, University of Oregon
Will Pazner, Assistant Professor, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Portland State University    
3:05-3:15 pmHEAD BACK DOWN TO FIRST FLOOR/MAIN ROOM (COFFEE/PASTRIES)
Interested in learning more about eduroam? Look for the K12 eduroam Birds-of-a-Feather table.
3:15-4:00 pmCOLLABORATIVE ALL-HANDS MEMBER ACTIVITY
4:00-4:15 pmCLOSING REMARKS – Steve Corbató, Executive Director, Link Oregon

Thank you to our member meeting sponsors!

GOLD SPONSORS

Ciena logo
Arista logo

SILVER SPONSORS

Astound logo
Fujitsu logo

LUNCHEON SPONSOR

Palo Alto logo

Hotel

Hilton Garden Inn
30800 SW Parkway Ave 
Wilsonville, OR 97070 

https://www.wilsonville.hiltongardeninn.com/

Click here to reserve your room in our group block.

Dates: June 25-27, 2025
Group Rate: $165.00 plus 12.5% taxes
Rate Includes: WiFi and Parking
Reservation cut-off date for group rate: June 9

Parking

On site parking is plentiful and free.