Rene Buenrostro, ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity

I grew up in a rural community outside of Bakersfield, California. While in high school, I discovered my passion for IT in education and decided to pursue it as a career. To gain experience, I enrolled in an IT course through my high school’s Regional Occupational Program and interned with a local school district. By the summer of 2001, after graduation, I landed my first official IT job at just 17 years old.

I went on to earn an Associate’s Degree in Information Technology and have now been working in educational technology for 24 years. My career began in helpdesk support, and I was then promoted to Database/Network Technician. With this K-8 District, I spent 11 years. Later, I relocated within California and took on a role as an IT Support Specialist, eventually earning a promotion to Database Specialist. In 2021, I advanced to IT Director within this K-8 district, where I served for three years before moving into my current role as a Cybersecurity Administrator for our County Office of Education. Now I am back at my former District as the Director of IT and Cybersecurity.

In my current position, my focus is not only on strengthening our District's cybersecurity posture.. I am passionate about working in education and plan to continue in this field until I retire. It’s my way of giving back to the community, knowing that our work directly impacts students, families, and educators.