Presented by Dr. Mark Benigni, Superintendent, Meriden Public Schools (CT); Dr. Timothy Broadrick, Superintendent, Prospect Mountain Schools (NH); Dr. Matthew Friedman, Superintendent, Quakertown Community School District (PA); and Linnette Attai, Project Director, CoSN Student Data Privacy Initiative, CoSN (Consortium for School Networking)
Moderated by Ann McMullan, Project Director, CoSN/AASA EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, CoSN (Consortium for School Networking)
This edLeader Panel series is presented by CoSN and AASA.
Sponsored by ClassLink
There is no question that school districts have many unique and challenging tasks when it comes to assuring data privacy within their networks and digital learning environments. Addressing the variety of national, state, and local legal requirements while at the same time leveraging technology for learning and operations comes with challenges for school leaders that are both critical and constant.
In this edLeader Panel, three leading-edge superintendents join in conversation with CoSN’s Data Privacy Project Director to review the content and recommendations included in the freely accessible CoSN 2025 National Student Data Privacy Report. An overview of CoSN’s free Student Data Privacy Toolkit is also presented.
The superintendent panel shares examples of successful data privacy procedures that are currently in place in their school districts and the types of support needed to ensure each district is successful in implementing their data privacy practices. They also discuss the barriers and challenges involved in assuring ongoing data privacy for their school districts.
This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 district leaders, school leaders, education technology leaders, teachers, and librarians.
View all of the recent EmpowerED Superintendent edLeader Panels.
Mark Benigni
About the Presenters
Mark D. Benigni, Ed.D., is an educator with over 25 years of experience, including 16 as Superintendent of Meriden Public Schools. He has served in various roles, from special education teacher to mayor of Meriden. Dr. Benigni has led Meriden Public Schools to numerous awards. He was also recognized as an AASA’s and CoSN’s Digital Superintendent of the Year and selected by EdWeek as a Leader to Learn From. Dr. Benigni previously served as the President of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. Under his leadership, the district achieved its highest academic scores in history and received awards from various educational organizations. Dr. Benigni is a published author and frequent presenter at national conferences. He has taught doctoral classes, published numerous articles, contributed to book publications, and authored three books. His latest book, Leveraging Social Media for District Improvement, was just released by Bloomsbury Publishing in December 2025.
Timothy Broadrick
Dr. Timothy Broadrick has served as a superintendent in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He previously taught at the high school level and was a district director of technical programs, also overseeing technology operations. He is committed to seeking innovations within the public school system. His New Hampshire school system operates the state’s first public school choice program, hosts a public virtual school open to all students in the state, and employs nearly half of the Google Certified Trainers currently working in New Hampshire schools.
Matthew Friedman
Dr. Matthew Friedman is an accomplished educator and visionary leader with over 25 years of experience in public education. As Superintendent of the Quakertown Community School District near Philadelphia, he has spent nearly two decades in transformative leadership roles, including director of curriculum, chief academic officer, and assistant superintendent. Dr. Friedman has led major initiatives such as Career Language Integration (CLI)—a groundbreaking K–12 approach to career exploration—and the district’s Career Pathways Program, aligning academics with workforce trends to prepare students for life beyond graduation. In addition to his K–12 leadership, Dr. Friedman teaches at the university level, mentoring future educators and doctoral candidates. He is widely recognized for creating innovative, student-centered learning environments, building community partnerships, and inspiring systemic change that empowers educators and students to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Linnette Attai
Linnette Attai is Project Director for CoSN’s Student Data Privacy Initiative and Trusted Learning Environment Program. As founder of the global privacy consulting firm PlayWell, LLC, Linnette delivers strategic advice and training, policy development, and technology assessments, and builds cultures of compliance across a wide range of organizations. She also serves as virtual chief privacy officer and GDPR data protection officer to select clients. Linnette is a recognized expert in the youth and education sectors and speaks globally on data privacy matters. She is a TEDx speaker and author of the books Student Data Privacy: Building a School Compliance Program, Protecting Student Data Privacy: Classroom Fundamentals, and Student Data Privacy: Managing Vendor Relationships.
Ann McMullan
About the Moderator
Ann McMullan is Project Director for CoSN’s EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, created in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Ann served as Executive Director for Educational Technology in Klein ISD, near Houston, Texas, until September 2013, when she and her family moved to Los Angeles, California. For 16 years, Ann led the district team that provided professional development on technology and 21st century instructional strategies to 4,000 educators serving 50,000 students. She was Co-chair of the Texas Education Technology Advisory Committee, which developed the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. Today, Ann works as a public speaker, writer, and consultant focused on leadership to meet the needs of today’s students. Ann serves on the edWeb.net Advisory Board. Ann is co-author of Life Lessons in Leadership.
