S01-E07 -The CISO Tightrope: Balancing Boards, CIOs, and Campus Culture
Episode 7 welcomes CISO Isaac Straley to explore the evolving role of the CISO in higher education — from reporting lines and key relationships with CIOs, presidents, and budget offices to the human impact of breaches.
Bo and Dana discuss practical leadership lessons, collaborative security models like CANSOC, and how security programs should enable research and campus life rather than simply impose controls.
Key takeaways: prioritize people, translate technical controls into institutional outcomes, and build trust across campus to manage risk effectively.
Isaac Straley | LinkedIn
CanSSOC
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S01-E06 Where IT Nightmares Become Leadership Legends—And Sometimes, Laughs. Part 2 - BETA
In part two of their storytelling arc, Bo and Dana unpack the leadership lessons behind their most memorable IT projects. From trust-building in crisis to the art of triage and communication, they explore what it really takes to steer technology through chaos. With reflections on collaboration, resilience, and the occasional comic relief, this episode turns hard-won experience into practical wisdom for anyone leading tech in higher ed.
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S01-E05 Where IT Nightmares Become Leadership Legends—And Sometimes, Laughs. Part 1 - BETA
In this episode Bo and Dana share unfiltered stories of major IT challenges and wins from their careers in higher education — from a risky Office 365 migration and a campus-wide ERP rollout (Project Beacon) to building a Data Resource Center and a resilient campus network through COVID and Hurricane Fiona.
They highlight practical leadership lessons: communication and trust, listening to stakeholders, turning skeptics into allies, and focusing on student experience and process maturity. Expect candid insights on change management, collaboration across IT, libraries and research, and how persistence and transparency pay off.
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S01-E04 CIO Tightrope - When Innovation Meets Tradition: Navigating Cultural Conflict - Part 2 - BETA
In this episode of Bytes of Experience, Bo and Dana explore the cultural conflicts CIOs face in higher education—resistance to change, shared governance versus agility, misaligned priorities, reporting structures, security and innovation tensions, and uneven digital literacy.
They share examples from campus life, discuss strategies for turning conflict into opportunity through cultural change and storytelling, and present a day‑in‑the‑life profile of Dr. Abby Lee, a CIO balancing diplomacy, strategy, and rapid context switching.
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S01-E03 CIO Tightrope: Balancing Tech Strategy and Campus Culture - Part 1 - BETA
Bo Wandschneider and Dana Sanderson discuss the modern CIO’s challenges in higher education, exploring five themes: translation between tech and stakeholders, navigating institutional culture and shared governance, strategic influence beyond IT, emotional intelligence in leadership, and metrics, wins, and accountability.
This is Part 1 of the episode series, highlighting storytelling, digital moments, building partnerships, trust during crises, and how to communicate wins; Part 2 will follow to cover cultural conflicts and a day-in-the-life CIO story.
Higher ed IT isn’t just about technology—it’s about leadership, strategy, and navigating the unique challenges of institutional culture. And we’ve seen it all. Two retired Canadian Higher Ed CIOs—and CUCCIO CIO of the Year winners—Bo Wandschneider and Dana Sanderson—bring decades of experience tackling technology, governance, and innovation in Canadian universities. In Bytes of Experience: CIOs Unplugged, they cut through the noise to discuss real challenges, real solutions, and the realities of IT leadership. Expect deep insights, candid discussions, and plenty of humor—because IT isn’t always glamorous, but it’s always interesting. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the field, join them for an unfiltered look at the digital evolution of higher ed IT.
Listen to Bytes of Experience : CIOs Unplugged, All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
Canada - english