Paul Kern is an experienced information security professional currently serving as the Chief Information Security Officer at South Dakota State University since October 2022. Kern previously held the role of Network and Security Director at the South Dakota Board of Regents from October 2019 to October 2022 and managed the Security Operations Center at Meta Payment Systems from January 2015 to October 2019. Kern's expertise encompasses various IS security tasks, including the planning, deployment, and maintenance of enterprise IS security tools compatible with both Windows and Linux environments. Additional past roles include Associate Security Officer for the South Dakota Board of Regents and Network and System Administrator at Alliance Communications. Kern has also contributed to education as an Adjunct Professor of Web Programming. Kern holds a Master of Science in Information Technology Management and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Education, along with multiple certifications in penetration testing and auditing from SANS.