2026 Summer Institute on Privacy Enhancing Technologies for Education Data

12:00 – 1:00 pm Registration + Lunch 9th Floor
Fireside Chat | Michael Torrence, Motlow State Community College

1:00 – 1:30 pm Welcome Address 9th Floor
Amy O’Hara, Massive Data Institute

1:30 – 3:00 pm Opening Panel: Synthetic Data 9th Floor
Alex Brodersen, NSWERS; Andrew Rice, Education Analytics; Jeremy Seeman, Urban Institute
Moderator: Stephanie Straus, Massive Data Institute

3:00 – 3:30 pm Coffee & Snack Break 9th Floor

3:30 – 5:00 pm Linkage Quality Presentation 9th Floor
Joseph Lam, University College London

5:00 – 7:00 pm Happy Hour Discussion 9th Floor
The Government Data Privacy Landscape | Bethanne Barnes, (former) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Maya Bernstein, (former) HHS

8:00 – 9:00 am Breakfast 9th Floor

9:00 – 10:30 am Panel: Secure Enclaves 9th Floor
Molly Abend, Maryland State Department of Education/Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center; Katie Weaver Randall, Washington State Education Research and Data Center; Baron Rodriguez, WestEd

10:30 – 11:00 am Coffee & Snack Break 9th Floor

11:00 am – 12:30 pm Concurrent Sessions: Hands-on Demos Part I
A: Synthetic Data Training | Claire Bowen, Urban Institute; Jeremy Seeman, Urban Institute; Aaron Williams, Urban Institute 620
B: Differential Privacy & Noise Infusion Office Hours | Joshua Snoke, Massive Data Institute 290

12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch 9th Floor

1:30 – 3:00 pm Concurrent Sessions: Hands-on Demos Part II
A: Differential Privacy & Noise Infusion Training | Joshua Snoke, Massive Data Institute 290
B: Synthetic Data Office Hours | Claire Bowen, Urban Institute; Jeremy Seeman, Urban Institute; Aaron Williams, Urban Institute 620

3:00 – 3:30 pm Coffee & Snack Break 9th Floor

3:30 – 4:30 pm PET Ask me Anything: Rotating Series 9th Floor

8:00 – 9:00 am Breakfast 9th Floor

9:00 am – 10:30 am Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage Implementation 9th Floor
Aaron Bean, Asemio

10:30 – 11:00 am Coffee & Snack Break 9th Floor

11:00 am – 12:30 pm Concurrent Sessions: Hands-on Demos Part III
A: PSI Open Source with EdSim Data | Vince Dorie, Massive Data Institute 620
B: TBA 290

12:30 – 1:00 pm Closing Remarks 9th Floor

Molly Abend serves as the Data Management Coordinator for the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center and is the Center’s liaison to the Maryland State Department of Education. In this capacity, she leads the MLDS Center’s data governance initiatives and oversees the secure loading, cleaning, and integration of complex state data collections. She has spent her career transforming raw data into actionable insights through performance management roles in the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office, where she supported operational improvements for the Fire Department and the Department of General Services, and by managing the Student Learning Objectives process for more than 5,000 staff at Baltimore City Public Schools. She also contributed to multiple education research studies funded by the United States Department of Education through a nonprofit based in Washington, DC. Molly holds an M.P.A. from the University of Baltimore and a B.A. from Goucher College. She is an avid collector of Baltimore Orioles memorabilia.

Aaron Bean is a passionate social entrepreneur with a history of building systems for community good. As Managing Partner of Asemio, a social enterprise headquartered in Tulsa, OK, he leads a team of technologists and consultants who are working to address complex, systemic problems facing our communities. From 2001-2007, he led technology teams focused on catalyzing the economic growth of the Cherokee Nation. Aaron left the Cherokee Nation to join Fortune 500 technology company EMC, where he developed an international growth strategy for its then-newly acquired platform, Avamar. In 2009, he joined the U.S. Peace Corps and spent two years in Kazakhstan volunteering with people with disabilities. In Kazakhstan, he produced a national festival focused on celebrating deaf culture, created the first-ever Russian Sign Language music video, and developed a curriculum for teaching sign language to the parents of deaf children. In 2013, Aaron co-founded Asemio, which he has grown into a national network of technology and data systems that combine science, human story, and collaborative action to improve the public health and economic wellbeing of the communities it serves.

Claire McKay Bowen (she/her) is a senior fellow and leads the Data Governance and Privacy Team at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on developing technical and policy solutions to safely expand access to confidential data for advancing evidence-based policymaking and ensuring everyone is responsibly represented in data. She also has an interest in improving science communication. In 2024, she became an American Statistical Association Fellow “for her significant contributions in the field of statistical data privacy, leadership activities in support of the profession, and commitment to mentoring the next generation of statisticians and data scientists.” Further, she is a member of the ICPSR Governing Council and several other data governance and data privacy committees as well as an adjunct professor at Stonehill College.

Alex Brodersen is Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation at the Nebraska Statewide Workforce and Educational Reporting System (NSWERS), where he leads research design, data analysis, and evaluation across a statewide P20W data system. He has over a decade of experience in educational measurement, data science, and integrated data systems, with prior roles in consulting and education technology. For the past three years, his work has focused on applying synthetic data approaches to support secure, privacy-preserving access to linked education and workforce data. He holds a master’s in computational statistics and a PhD in quantitative psychology from University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Andrew Rice is the CEO and co-founder of Education Analytics, Wisconsin–based nonprofit that helps education systems use data, analytics, and technology to improve outcomes for students. His work sits at the intersection of AI, interoperability, education data structures, and data governance, with a focus on helping schools and agencies build systems they control rather than surrendering institutional memory and sensitive data to closed Ed-Tech and AI tools. He is particularly interested in how interoperable, well-governed data infrastructure can make AI more useful, secure, and accountable in education. Under his leadership, Education Analytics has helped design and implement large-scale data systems spanning millions of students and thousands of districts. 

Dr. Rice also brings deep experience in accountability, applied research, and education policy. Over the course of his career, he has helped design state and local report cards, accountability metrics, and research frameworks that translate complex data into usable information for educators, policymakers, and the public. His work includes advising on accountability policy, metric design, and the responsible use of assessment data in public-sector decision-making. He serves on Ed-Fi’s Governance Advisory Team, the Ed-Tech Collaboratory advisory board and is a longtime advocate for interoperable, publicly accountable education data systems.

Baron Rodriguez serves as the Vice President of Client Facing Technology, AI, and Compliance at WestEd. Baron most recently founded the Data Integration Support Center’s (DISC), a philanthropically funded center which provides security, privacy, architecture, and legal assistance to public agencies integrating data nationwide. Baron has over 20 years’ experience leading data integration efforts with a focus on privacy, architecture, security, and governance. His experience spans across government, non-profit, and commercial organizations and across sectors including education (all sectors), criminal justice, social service, workforce, and defense. Baron is a national expert on data privacy and holds an industry certification in privacy with the International Association of Privacy Professionals in GDPR. (CIPP/E)

Recognized as a strategist, connector, visionary, influencer, author and implementer, Dr. Michael Torrence, a front-runner in higher education throughout Tennessee and the nation, is the seventh-seated President of Motlow State Community College. Taking the helm as President in May 2018, Dr. Torrence has transformed Motlow State into an award-winning, innovative college year after year. He has masterfully blended the rural with the urban, all the while touching students and transforming communities one at a time. His leadership and vision have positioned Motlow on platforms and before audiences previously unknown to Motlow. He is a premier speaker and lecturer. Dr. Torrence is a technology strategist with more than 35 years of experience in higher education. He practices holistic development while creating space for the broader community. Included among his areas of expertise are Community, Economic, and Workforce Development, Research, Adult Education, Student Success, Academic Affairs, Professional Development, Distance Learning, and Success and Innovation. Additional interests are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Applied Learning with Open Education Resources (OER), Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Automation, Robotics, Mechatronics, and Gamification as platforms for education, learning, and training business and industry to increase efficiency and scalability. Dr. Torrence is also an entrepreneurial business development professional. Dr. Torrence earned a Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning (Literacy) from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee. He serves on local, state, national, and international boards that influence and shape the future of higher education, including the American Association of Community Colleges Board, the Community Colleges of Appalachian Board of Directors, and the College Board’s Community College Advisory Panel. He is the recipient of numerous awards and was named a Distinguished Alumni by South Dakota State University, where he earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He is a revered Maxine Smith Fellow and is one of only two Fellows appointed as a Community College President in the Tennessee Board of Regents–the College System of Tennessee, the system that governs community and technical colleges. Dr. Torrence is an Air Force veteran.

Katie is a recognized leader in the use of P20W (early learning through workforce) data to inform research, policy, and practice. With experience spanning both applied research and system-level leadership, she brings deep expertise in leveraging integrated administrative data to improve outcomes across education and workforce pathways.

Katie is currently the Director of the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC), Washington state’s P20W organization. A central focus of the ERDC is expanding responsible access to P20W data while reducing barriers for researchers and partners. Under her leadership the ERDC team has developed and implemented governance frameworks that support secure, efficient, and transparent data sharing through mechanisms such as data enclaves and standardized data sharing agreements. Katie is particularly committed to streamlining access in ways that maintain strong privacy protections, minimize administrative burden, and enable timely, high-quality research.

The Summer Institute is open to all and is especially relevant to individuals who work with SLDSs.

Registration for the Summer Institute is $250 for general attendees. If cost is a barrier to attendance, please email mdisummerinst@georgetown.edu. 

The government employee rate is $150. If cost is a barrier to attendance, please email mdisummerinst@georgetown.edu. 

Registration covers all programmed events, including breakfast, lunch, and receptions.

Drinks and light refreshments will be provided at the evening reception on day one (Monday, June 22 from 5-7 pm).
Coffee and light refreshments will be provided in the morning of days two and day three (Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24).
Lunch will be provided on days two and three of the conference (Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24).

We have recommended hotels with booking links to Georgetown negotiated rates on this list. Attendees will be required to make their own bookings. The organizing team is arranging a hotel block; details will be shared shortly.

The Institute will begin on Monday, June 22 at 1pm ET and end on Wednesday, June 24 at 1pm ET.

Please send any inquiries to mdisummerinst@georgetown.edu.

Registrations cancelled before May 29, 2026 receive a 100% refund. Registrations cannot be cancelled or refunded after May 29, 2026. Refunds will be issued to your credit card and may take up to 10 business days to appear on your statement. Please contact mdisummerinst@georgetown.edu for any concerns.