#230: LSU, NC A&T & SentinelOne on Student-Powered SOCs, Shadow AI Governance & Blocking Threats Before IT Calls

Episode Summary

In this episode, Craig Woolley from LSU, Lizbeth Johnson from NC A&T, and Ron Ringgold from SentinelOne break down how a student-powered SOC model is scaling across 32+ institutions - and why the hardest part of cybersecurity leadership isn't the technology, it's the people.

Featuring

Craig Woolley is CIO at LSU - 35 years in higher ed IT, architect of the student-powered SOC model now operating across 32+ institutions in partnership with TechStream, and chair of LSU’s AI strategy committee that produced an 80-page institutional report.

Lizbeth Johnson is Interim Chief Information Officer and Vice Chancellor for Information Technology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University - three months into the CISO role after more than a year at NC A&T, bringing a change-agent approach to shadow AI governance and team-building on a growing campus.

Ron Ringgold is Public Sector CISO at SentinelOne - former Army with 17 years in the Department of Defense and intelligence community, former architect of the Department of Commerce’s zero trust strategy, and adjunct professor of cyber policy and governance at University of Maryland Global Campus.

Timestamps

(0:00) LSU’s student-powered SOC - Craig Woolley on 35 years in higher ed IT and why the model works

(2:00) Tiger SOC launches - scaling the LSU model to 32+ institutions and nine private industry customers

(3:00) The grief of going from technician to leader - Lizbeth Johnson on the identity shift no one warns you about

(9:00) Teaching cyber policy vs. living it - Ron Ringgold on why experienced practitioners sometimes make the hardest students

(11:00) Shadow AI at NC A&T - how a vendor tipped off the CIO and turned a compliance risk into a partnership

(14:00) Cutting Commerce’s cyber budget 60% - Ron Ringgold on zero trust, bakeoffs, and building a unified security stack

(20:00) The Neighborhood Watch - how 32+ schools share threat intelligence and auto-block attacks within 10 minutes

(24:00) AI ROI at LSU - why Craig chaired an 80-page AI committee and what “low-hanging fruit” actually means

(27:00) Building great teams - trust, empathy, and treating internal departments like customers

(32:00) Open door, open calendar - Lizbeth on how she empowers her team to own their own 1-on-1 agendas

Listen now: YouTube x Apple x Spotify

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways you can connect with TechTables:

1. 📬 The TechTables Newsletter

Thanks for reading TechTables! Get early access to new episodes, insights, upcoming events, and more — straight to your inbox.

Join now: https://www.techtables.com/

2. 🤝 TechTables CIO Communities for Local Government

A private, vendor-free network where public sector CIOs share what’s actually working

Members get:

- 2x National Retreats (facilitated by Info-Tech Research Group & Gartner)

- 4x CIO Virtual Roundtables 

- Monthly “Behind the Mic” intelligence briefing doc

Apply to Join → https://techtables.com/communities-local-government

3. 🤝 The Better Together Virtual Series

The narrative-driven series bringing together industry partners and public sector CXOs. Discover the compelling stories that unfold when we stop working in silos and start building together.

»»» Email joe@techtables.com to learn more.

Platinum Newsletter Sponsor:

Missed out on Info-Tech LIVE in New Orleans? No worries, you can join TechTables & Info-Tech Research Group at Info-Tech LIVE 2026 - Las Vegas (June 9 - 11, 2026)!

Gold Newsletter Sponsor:

SentinelOne - Learn how SentinelOne empowers this state to stay secure.

Verizon Frontline -The advanced network that keeps first responders connected when it matters most.

Carahsoft - The Trusted Public Sector IT Solutions Provider™, supports government agencies and education/healthcare markets. Contact your Carahsoft rep today to access special discount pricing exclusively through the TechTables + Carahsoft partnership!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com