WATERVILLE, ME, September 2025 — Thomas College cybersecurity professor and expert Dr. Frank Appunn is teaming up with area professionals to host the SecureMaine Conference, organized by SecureMaine, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland, Maine.
The conference, in its third year, will feature presentations and panel sessions covering the latest priorities in information and infrastructure security. The event will also have a sizeable sponsors pavilion, and ample time for networking. Speakers come from leading Maine firms and from other nationally recognized firms.
This full day conference covers information security issues as they relate to technology, governance, and architecture, and finishes with a roundtable discussion featuring prominent practitioners in the information, security, and privacy spheres (CISO/CIO/CIPOs).
Constituents attending this event will include individuals and organizations looking to improve their cybersecurity, physical security, and privacy protection. Attendees have come from across New England and exhibitors from California and Texas have attended.
The conference is a collaboration between five inaugural non-profit professional bodies investing their time and resources in the importance of this event to their members in Maine and nearby states. The event will satisfy continuing education credits (up to 8 CEUs) for related topics. The entities, in alphabetical order, include: IAPP – International Association of Privacy Professionals, InfraGard Maine, ISACA New England, (ISC)2 Maine, and the New England Tech Hub.
Presenters will include national experts, leaders from federal agencies, significant organizations, technologists, lawyers, consultants, strategists, and policy makers at national and local levels.
Appunn, who initiated the event, has been a professor of cybersecurity and project management at Thomas College for more than a decade. His background includes entrepreneurship, technology, systems management, and security. Appunn is credited for adding new degrees of study at Thomas College in project management and security for both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
“Cybersecurity is crucial with new techniques and solutions; AI is important due to better solutions and new threats,” said Appunn.
The conference provides refreshment, lunch, and parking, which are all included in the attendance fee/donation, at Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Ave, Portland, Maine. Registration can be completed online.
Organizers expect 250 attendees. For more information, contact Frank Appunn or (727) 474-0979.
About Thomas College
Thomas College, located in beautiful Waterville, Maine, is defining what it means to be the College of the Future. With a strong commitment to innovation, career readiness, and community partnerships, Thomas College is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of Maine’s top colleges for social mobility. Our distinctive Guaranteed Job Program™, accelerated undergraduate degrees, and flexible graduate programs empower students to advance faster in business, entrepreneurship, education, technology, applied STEM, and arts & science fields. At Thomas, belonging isn’t a buzzword; it’s a promise. We create a supportive, welcoming environment where every student is seen, valued, and prepared to thrive in a rapidly changing world.For more information visit thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley Young at [email protected] or 207-859-1313. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.