Link Oregon 2026 Annual Member Meeting Speakers

Jackie assumed leadership of Link Oregon as its new Executive Director on July 1, 2025. As a scientist, educator, operations leader and community advocate, Jackie has led high-impact initiatives in public and non-profit institutions that sit at the intersection of technology, education, and public service. Her career has included senior roles in research, teaching and leadership, including appointments at OHSU as Assistant Professor of Biomedical Research, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies and Director of the Career Development Center in addition to executive leadership roles at the Saturday Academy, Donate Life Northwest and Oregon Residency Collaborative Alliance (ORCA-FM).

Ken began his career in 1989 at the dawn of modern networking, building a foundation during a transformative era in the industry. He spent 18 years in sales engineering and SE management with a West Coast-based carrier before joining Ciena, where he has spent the past decade delivering network design services to enterprise, education, healthcare, and local government customers. With over 35 years of experience, Ken brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and customer-facing leadership to every engagement. 

Sean Alagar-McCartney works for the City of Portland at the intersection of technology operations and AI governance. He spearheaded the development and adoption of the policy governing employee use of AI, established the governance framework that guides AI use across bureaus, and chairs the AI review panel. He also led the rollout of Microsoft Copilot Chat, helping turn policy into practice. Sean brings a practitioner’s perspective on what it takes to implement responsible AI inside a large public institution while balancing innovation, workforce engagement, accountability, and public trust.

Keanen is a Network Analyst for the Network Services Department at Educational Service District 113. Network Services provides support to 19 school districts across 5 counties in Washington State. Keanen is leading the implementation of eduroam within ESD 113’s service area.

Cynthia is the Manager of Operations and Implementation at Link Oregon, where she oversees Service Delivery and Field Operations and leads key initiatives in project management, business processes, and product and service development, with a focus on member engagement and network integrity. With over 20 years of experience in both wireless and wireline industries, Cynthia has successfully led the development and implementation of innovative technologies, nationwide network deployments, and collaborated to evolve operational and development frameworks, elevating user satisfaction and laying a foundation for scalable growth.

Anton Cauduro is a seasoned cybersecurity leader who serves as the Senior Director of Global Solution Sales Strategy at Palo Alto Networks. With a career built at the intersection of technology, economics, and business strategy, Anton specializes in Modern Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Identity Security. In his current role, he drives global sales initiatives that help organizations secure their critical digital identities and protect complex enterprise infrastructure against modern cyber threats. Anton holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Oregon and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management Information Systems from DePaul University. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), combining deep technical credibility with a strong focus on business value.

Kasey Fernandez leads library services and STEM initiatives across sixteen schools in the Tigard-Tualatin School District and has been central to one of Oregon’s most-cited K–12 AI policy efforts. TTSD’s policy — built around academic integrity and responsible use, with a supplemental guide for educators, students, and families — has been referenced statewide as a model for practical, future-proof AI governance. Kasey served on the committee that developed the policy. She holds an MEd in Educational Technology from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and a degree in School Library Media from Portland State University. Her work spans AI, digital equity, intellectual freedom, and curriculum development. 

Stephen is a Senior Network Automation Architect for Link Oregon, with over 20 years experience working in middle-mile, regional and education networks. He is well-versed in designing and operating optical and routed networks, virtualization, and network storage technologies. Stephen is experienced with automation technologies to manage a number of services and platforms to deliver consistency and predictability. He has contributed to various open source projects, including the automation platform Ansible.

Jack Haden-Enneking (he/him) is the program manager for Washington’s K-20 Education Network, a husband, and a dad; formerly a Network Engineer, a swing dancer, and a Californian. He’s proud to have kicked off eduroam deployment to Washington’s K-12s and excited to envision ubiquitous, secure, roaming Wi-Fi across the PNW, the US, and the world.

Richard Hicks is a Senior Network Engineering Architect with over 30 years of experience designing and supporting complex routed, switched, and optical networks. He currently serves in this role at Link Oregon, where he plays a key leadership role in the design and operation of statewide infrastructure supporting research and education connectivity. His past roles span healthcare, public education, and enterprise technology, with a consistent focus on building secure, high-performance networks. Richard brings a strong background in BGP, MPLS, and troubleshooting, with a passion for resilient, scalable infrastructure.

Shayne Huddleston is the Chief Technology Officer at Oregon State University, where he leads the strategic direction of the university’s technology infrastructure. He co-leads OSU’s newly launched Research Computing Office — established January 1, 2026 to centrally coordinate advanced computing, high-capacity data storage, and the application of AI in research — and previously served as Interim Chief Data Officer. Shayne holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Oregon and brings deep expertise in cloud computing, data center infrastructure, and enterprise IT. His work sits at the intersection of institutional technology strategy and Oregon’s broader research computing future. 

Gwen Jacobs works with the Cyberinfrastructure Alliance for Oregon (CIAO), a statewide collaboration across Oregon’s eight public universities and Link Oregon to develop a strategic cyberinfrastructure plan for the state. She brings a distinguished career in research computing and cyberinfrastructure leadership, including prior roles as Director of Cyberinfrastructure at the University of Hawaiʻi System, Professor of Neuroscience and Assistant Chief Information Officer at Montana State University, and faculty member at UC Berkeley. She holds a PhD in Neuroscience from SUNY Albany, an MS in Physiology from UC Davis, and undergraduate training in Human Anatomy and Physiology from UC Berkeley. 

Michael Klinkerfues serves as Network Services Manager within COCC’s Information Technology Services department (cocc.edu/directory/departments/its), where he is responsible for network infrastructure and cybersecurity operations across the college. He also teaches Computer Information Systems courses at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution as part of COCC’s prison education program, which launched an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree in 2024 to help adults in custody prepare for careers and continued education after release.

Joe is a Systems Engineer at Arista Networks based in the Pacific Northwest specializing in network visibility and automation. In his over 25 years of networking he has designed and deployed networks of all sizes all over the globe. His previous work also includes researching curating and evolving complex informational domains with a dialectical model of information organization.

Christy is the Associate Chief Information Officer for Technology Infrastructure and Chief of Staff for Information Services at the University of Oregon. She is responsible for engineering and support for research IT services and high-performance computing, networking, compute, storage, voice, data centers, audiovisual and classroom technologies, and UO staff supporting the Link Oregon statewide research and education network. Christy has more than twenty years of experience serving higher education as a technologist and leader. Her leadership experience spans three AAU members, R1 institutions.

Robin is the Director of Information Services for the City of Eugene. Previously, she was the Director of Information Technology and Strategic Innovation for Lane Transit District where she formerly held roles as a Business Analyst and Project Manager. Robin graduated from the University of Oregon in Art/Computer Science and has worked as a Software Engineer and Program Manager for Microsoft, a Business Intelligence Analyst at Symantec, a volunteer robotics team coach for F.I.R.S.T., and “Coder in Residence” in Eugene/Springfield school districts. She currently chairs the Lane County Transportation Advisory Committee and serves as the Vice President on the board of OAGITM (Oregon Association of Government IT Management).

Ellen has over 11 years of lobbying experience in Oregon working with legislators, staff, the governor’s office, and state agencies. She works closely with Republicans and Democrats to achieve client outcomes. As a contract lobbyist she has represented public, private, and non-profit clients. She has deep knowledge of state agency programs and budgets based on her time working at the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) as a legislative coordinator and policy analyst. Her lobbying track record includes passing bills, amending bills, preventing damaging legislation from moving forward and securing budget items for clients.

Jesse Nelson joined Connected Lane County as Executive Director in January 2025, bringing a career rooted in expanding access to postsecondary and workforce opportunities for young people. He previously worked at the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Central Washington University, where he provided tutoring, academic advising, disability support, career services, and leadership development to help students navigate complex systems and achieve their goals. Jesse holds a BS in Accounting from Southern Utah University, an MBA from Oregon State, and a PhD in Education Policy Studies from Indiana University. He brings the boots-on-the-ground lens to this panel: what does cross-agency collaboration actually look and feel like for the young person or community member at the end of the line? 

Will Pazner is currently an assistant professor in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Portland State University. He is also an affiliate of the Mathematics Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Previously, he was at the Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, first as the 2018 Sidney Fernbach Postdoctoral Fellow and then as a staff scientist. His research focuses on the areas of numerical analysis and high-performance scientific computing.

Susan is the E-Rate and K-12 Advisor for Link Oregon. She also serves as the Washington State E-Rate Coordinator and assists Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction by supporting the K-12 members on Washington’s K-20 Education Network. She brings 30 years of experience with state education networks, having been part of the original team that implemented WA-K-20 in 1996. Susan is devoted to supporting members of the K-12 community and works tirelessly to ensure that the smallest, most rural districts are able to access the same levels of technology and funding as districts on the other side of the digital divide. Building on her years of experience with WA-K-20 and Link Oregon, Susan is now leading a collaborative effort between the states to expand eduroam deployment throughout the region, increasing ease of access and connectivity across the Northwest.

Keith Testerman is the Data Center and Systems Manager at LCOG, where he oversees the regional technology infrastructure that underpins collaboration across Lane County’s member agencies. He has been a central figure in LCOG’s broadband expansion efforts, including an $8.5 million grant project with Douglas Fast Net to bring high-speed fiber internet to rural pockets of Lane and Douglas counties. Keith’s work sits at the intersection of infrastructure and equity — ensuring that the systems agencies build together actually reach the communities and households that need them most.

Leah has worked closely with state and local agencies including the Oregon Health Authority and its county representatives, the State Fire Marshal’s office and its district representatives, and countless city councils, planning, and zoning offices. She has consulted with small and large businesses to curate competitive developments and business opportunities as well as ensure full state and local compliance. She builds success by meeting all stakeholders where they are at and helping to find common ground. Her relationships with state and local government agencies and businesses ensure the open communication that is key to getting results for clients.

Victor Villegas is a technologist and educator with over 30 years of experience helping communities and organizations adopt technology safely and responsibly. At OSU Extension, he works statewide on digital equity, digital literacy, and AI adoption — with particular attention to underserved and rural communities. He chairs the Oregon Broadband Equity Coalition and leads the AI Oregon K–12 Collaborative (AOK), a statewide monthly convening on AI in Oregon education. He also co-chairs the National Extension AI & Emerging Technologies Hub. Victor’s work includes hands-on community engagement efforts — including an Indigenous storytelling workshop using generative AI to teach about bias, data sovereignty, and AI limitations. 

Jameka Williams serves as the Executive Director of Member Services and Community Engagement where her organizational impact includes nurturing connections to solve challenges which provide an exceptional member experience and deliver value that enables member success. She is a senior leader responsible for organizational financial sustainability, community engagement, and member services portfolio development and lifecycle management, ensuring Merit’s offerings remain mission-aligned, sustainable, and responsive to community needs.