Not all heroes wear capes—some are just really good with computers.

When a cyber-attack hit a local elementary school district in 2024, Hsiawen Hull, executive director of infrastructure and information security at College of the Canyons, pitched in to help them recover and guide their decisions to improve their security posture.

Hull was perfectly suited for the job as he is considered one of the foremost authorities on cybersecurity throughout the California Community College (CCC) system.

For his work on advancing COC’s own cybersecurity posture, as well as helping lead training and education programs on cybersecurity for IT professionals at community colleges throughout the state, Hull was recognized with the 2025 Rising Star Award at the California Community College Chief Information Systems Officers Association (CISOA) Technology Summit on Wednesday, March 5.

“As an employee of College of the Canyons for over 26 years and a product of the California Community College system, it’s an honor to receive an award like this,” said Hull. “I’ve been lucky enough to have been provided with amazing opportunities to grow and learn at College of the Canyons, and it has always been my goal to give back as much as what was given to me.”

Hull is always available to help or collaborate with COC staff or at other colleges across the state, says Dr. James Temple, assistant superintendent and vice president of information technology at COC.

“As his supervisor for the past 26 years, I can confidently say that Hsiawen has a gift for technology and for helping others that he has demonstrated time and time again over his tenure at COC,” said Temple.

Hull has played an active role in helping guide the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and other colleges in the successful adoption of security technology.

Over the past two years, he has participated in or led several sessions at CISOA on cybersecurity, Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT), and safe purchasing processes for technology.

In addition, he organized two successful South Region CISOA events and was invited by Microsoft last year to speak in Silicon Valley on the use of MS security tools.

An active CISOA member, Hull also served as a South Regional representative for the past two years.

“He is a valuable asset to College of the Canyons, our system, and CISOA and we are fortunate that he has chosen to make his career in the California Community College system,” added Temple.

The CISOA organization represents the IT professionals throughout the California Community College system and provides advocacy, training, and educational opportunities for its members.

The 2025 CISOA Technology Summit was held in Burlingame, Calif.