School of Computing & Engineering Center for Cybersecurity

Jonathan Blake, PhD, is professor of computer science at Quinnipiac, joining the faculty in 2020. Blake has held previous appointments at UCSF and Tennessee Tech, as well as at MITRE Corporation. He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton and a master’s degree and PhD in computer science from Northwestern University.

John Coursen is the founder of two cybersecurity companies: Edwin and Fortify Cybersecurity. Previous positions include leadership roles at Severn River Capital Management and Pylon Technology. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac University in entrepreneurship/information systems management.

As IGT’s VP & CISO, Kevin oversees information security governance for all IGT business lines across the globe. He is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in designing and implementing complex information security frameworks and communications networks on six continents. He has an exemplary track record in tactical and strategic planning, leadership, mentoring and achievement of goals in diverse and unpredictable situations.

Kevin has worked with IGT for over 20 years, working as a Technology Director, moving his way up to Senior Director of Information Security and then finally becoming the VP & CISO in 2017. In his previous role, Kevin managed a department of personnel, with varying responsibilities.

His expertise includes International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001:2005; World Lottery Association (WLA); Multi-State Lottery (MUSL); Payment Card Industry (PCI); SSAE 16; and Italian Law 262 (SOx equivalent).

Kevin has a BA in Anthropology from the University of Rhode Island. He also holds certifications in Telecommunications System Technology as well as Computer Programming.

Altrin Elmazi is a highly accomplished IT and cybersecurity expert with a remarkable 15 years of experience, specializing in the financial sector and academia. His exceptional career has been marked by a deep commitment to safeguarding critical digital assets and a profound understanding of the intricate cyber threats facing the financial industry.

Elmazi's impressive educational background includes the attainment of a Master's in Cybersecurity from Quinnipiac University, which he has leveraged to pioneer innovative and effective security solutions. His dedication to his craft is evident in his excellent track record, where he has consistently demonstrated his ability to navigate the evolving landscape of cybersecurity while maintaining the highest standards of protection. With an extensive knowledge base and wealth of practical experience, Altrin Elmazi remains a distinguished figure in the field, contributing substantially to the security of both the financial sector and the academic community.

Bianca Gast is a manager with Deloitte & Touche LLP, serving in the Deloitte risk and financial advisory market. With more than 8 years of experience, Gast has worked with a broad array of companies across the consumer and technology landscape with an emphasis on Fortune 500 multinationals in the U.S. and abroad. Her area of focus includes internal and external audits and technology risk. She has extensive experience helping companies implement, assess and enhance their risk and control frameworks. Gast has led many domestic and multinational companies through internal control readiness, framework assessments and audit engagements, including providing external and internal audit services and Sarbanes-Oxley readiness services to those clients. Gast has in-depth knowledge of various frameworks, industry standards, and regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley ACT (SOX), COSO 2013, COBIT and NIST. Gast is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and is a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

Robert E. Jasek is the chief information security officer for Quinnipiac University. Previously, he was the chief information security officer for Trinity College and Wesleyan University, as well as deputy chief information security officer at Yale University. He earned his master’s degree from Colorado Technical University and holds CISSP, CEH and GIAC certifications.

Brian Kelly currents serves a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) at Compass IT Compliance. In this role, he develops, implements and maintains a secure and stable environment for clients' data and related systems, safeguarding information assets across multiple verticals against unauthorized use, disclosure, modification, damage or loss.

Before joining Compass, Kelly was the CISO at Quinnipiac University, and most recently, the director of the cybersecurity program at EDUCAUSE. He also works as an adjunct professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College, where he has developed and taught cybersecurity courses.

Kelly has diverse experience in information security policy development, awareness training and regulatory compliance. He provides thought leadership on information security issues across industries and is a recognized leader in his field. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree from Norwich University. He has served in various leadership roles on the local boards of the ISSA, InfraGard and HTCIA chapters. Kelly is also a retired Air Force Cyber Operations Officer.

Dennis Klemenz is vice president and chief information officer of Connex Credit Union, North Haven, Connecticut. Previously. Klemenz held positions at Sikorsky Aircraft, ComputerShare and American Medical Response. He has been an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac since 2016. Klemenz holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of New Haven.

John P. Lionato has been active in the cybersecurity and information technology communities for two decades with experience around the globe leading and transforming teams and organizations through growth and crisis. Lionato is presently a managing director and the global lead for managed detection and response services at Accenture Security. He joined Accenture in 2020 after the acquisition of Symantec’s cybersecurity services business, where he was the general manager. For 5 years, prior to joining Symantec in 2013, Lionato was the chief security officer and head of global fanatical support services at Rackspace Hosting. He spent 8 years at Intuit, holding executive leadership roles in IT, customer service, and organizational and process excellence. He began his career at General Electric, holding leadership roles during his 13-year tenure in IT, M&A, operations, litigation and Six Sigma Quality. Lionato, an avid sailor and proud father, was awarded a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in New York City and a JD from Quinnipiac School of Law.

Joshua Luksberg, JD ’06, is vice president and Connecticut state manager for First American Title Insurance Company. He is a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and executive director of the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a JD from Quinnipiac School of Law. Luksberg is admitted to practice law in Connecticut and New York.

Robert J Potter, Jr. ’91 is vice president worldwide sales of Mandiant Validation Solutions and was former chief revenue officer of Verodin. He has previously served as vice president, Americas for Symantec, as well as vice president of sales for Lancope, CounterTack and RSA Security. Since 2019, Potter has been a member of the QU Board of Trustees. Potter earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Quinnipiac.

Mark Santino ’91 is a strategy and operations executive with deep global experiences accelerating profitable growth and optimizing business execution for companies ranging from large Fortune 50 entities to start-ups. Santino is currently the senior director of Worldwide Sales Strategy & Operations for Axis Security. He has more than 25 years of strategy, planning, operations and finance experiences in Asia Pacific, EMEA and Americas regions in the cybersecurity, enterprise software and information technology domains. Santino has held sales strategy and operations executive leadership roles at Commvault Systems, the market leader in data protection and ransomware software solutions; at Palo Alto Networks, the world’s largest cybersecurity company; and at Cisco Systems, where he was part of the leadership team which created, led and grew the global cybersecurity sales division to $3B. During his tenure at Cisco, he additionally held senior financial leadership positions, including area CFO for the U.S. Enterprise East Area, services controller for Asia Pacific based in Singapore, and manufacturing controller for the EMEA region based in Italy. Santino started his career at IBM Corporation, where he held both technical and financial roles. He serves on the Advisory Board for Quinnipiac University’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity program and the Advisory Council for Quinnipiac’s Department of Computer Information Systems and is a mentor for Quinnipiac’s School of Business students. Santino earned an MBA in Business and Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona and graduated from Quinnipiac University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Brian Tschinkel has more than 10 years of IT experience in multiple industries, including finance, healthcare and academia. He has a passion for security compliance, policy, governance and risk management. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in information systems, with a concentration in security and information assurance. Tschinkel has been at Weill Cornell Medicine for over 6 years and currently serves as their chief information security officer. He oversees information security, identity management and IT business continuity.