For the past nine years, Boston College and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have hosted the Boston Conference on Cyber Security, a one-day event featuring compelling lectures and panel discussions from international leaders in the disciplines of emerging technologies, operations and enforcement, and real-life cyber and national security concerns. At a time of growing concern about the vulnerability of our nation鈥檚 information systems, this conference provides an opportunity for leaders in cybersecurity from the academic, analytic, operations, research, corporate, and law enforcement arenas to come together and coordinate their efforts, creating a more secure cyber-space.

Learn more about the Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) in Cybersecurity, Risk, and Governance.

October 14, 2026

The 10th Annual BCCS
In Person and Streaming
Stuart Room 315
8:15 AM - 1:45 PM

Keynote Speaker:
Christopher G. Raia, Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Expert Speakers and Panelists From:听
Wells Fargo, Liberty Mutual, FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, Bain Capital Ventures, McDermott, Will & Schulte, Google, BC Law, HYCU, Inc., U.S. Cyber Command, and Mintz.

Sponsor information to come.

Photo of Odette Lienau

Odette Lienau, Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean & Professor, Boston College Law School


Odette Lienau joined Boston College Law School in January 2023 as the inaugural Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean, having previously served as a professor of law and former associate dean for faculty research and intellectual life at Cornell University Law School.听

As dean, she has strengthened BC Law鈥檚 mission of providing a stellar legal education grounded in service to the greater good, including through record faculty hiring and support; programmatic, quality of life, and facilities improvements; increased international engagement; and expanded placement efforts and alumni involvement.听

Under Dean Lienau鈥檚 leadership, BC Law has launched two new degree programs, a Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Cybersecurity, Risk, and Governance, and a highly selective Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD). The School has hired fifteen outstanding new faculty members over the past three years, and restructured its faculty services and publication support efforts to further strengthen the School鈥檚 academic reputation.听Under her tenure, BC Law has moved up twelve spots in the US News & World Report rankings to #25, and graduate employment results have hit all-time highs.

Dean Lienau also has worked hard to engage larger portions of an already dedicated and passionate alumni base. As part of the University鈥檚 Soaring Higher campaign, the School announced an ambitious goal to raise 鈥$100 million for 100 years,鈥 a nod to its upcoming Centennial Celebration in 2029. Over the past two years, BC Law has hit the highest annual fundraising achievements in its history.听

Dean Lienau has overseen numerous facilities improvements, from classroom renovations and revamped shared spaces to art installations, enhancing the campus鈥檚 role as a 鈥渟econd home鈥 for students to engage in both community gatherings and quiet focus. The School has right-sized its incoming class to improve the classroom experience and student support, resulting in the most accomplished and diverse student body in BC Law鈥檚 history, coinciding with all-time high application volumes. Through this, she has remained squarely focused on retaining the uniquely collaborative and collegial nature of the student and faculty community 鈥 a hallmark of the BC Law experience.听

Dean Lienau鈥檚 research and teaching interests center on international economic law, international law and international relations, and political and legal theory. Her first book,听Rethinking Sovereign Debt: Politics, Reputation, and Legitimacy in Modern Finance, won an American Society of International Law Book Award. Her research and related articles have appeared in many distinguished publications, including the听Harvard International Law Journal, Yale Journal of International Law听and Oxford University Press, among others. She has served as a consultant and expert for the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD), the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, among other organizations, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dean Lienau practiced with the Financial Restructuring and Insolvency group at Shearman & Sterling in New York City prior to joining Cornell Law School and has taught at Harvard and Yale Law Schools. She received her A.B. from Harvard College, her J.D. from NYU School of Law, and her Ph.D. in political science at Harvard University, where her dissertation received the University's Charles Sumner Prize.


Photo of Kevin R. Powers

Kevin R. Powers, Faculty Director & Lecturer-in-Law, MLS in Cybersecurity, Risk & Governance, Boston College Law School


Kevin is the Faculty Director and Lecturer-in-Law for the Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Cybersecurity, Risk & Governance at Boston College Law School. Previously, Kevin founded and directed the Master of Science (MS) in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Programs at Boston College, where he served as an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Boston College Law School and in Boston College鈥檚 Carroll School of Management鈥檚 Business Law and Society Department. Along with his teaching at Boston College, Kevin is a Cybersecurity Research Affiliate at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Lecturer for MIT Sloan鈥檚 Executive Education Program 鈥 鈥淐ybersecurity Governance for the Board of Directors.鈥 He also taught courses at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was the Deputy General Counsel to the Superintendent.

With more than 25 years of combined cybersecurity, data privacy, business, law enforcement, military, national security, higher education, and teaching experience, Kevin has worked as an analyst and an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense, and law firms in Boston and Washington, D.C., as well as the general counsel for an international software company based in Seattle, Washington. Outside of his work at BC Law, Kevin is an expert witness and consultant with the Analysis Group and serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for Boston College High School, a Director for the Board of Reading Cooperative Bank, and a Cybersecurity Advisor for HYCU, Inc. (Backed by Bain Capital Ventures), Acium, Inc., and CyberSaint Security. Previously, Kevin served as a member of the Boston College Law School Business Advisory Council (2018-2023) and served as the Panel Lead (2016-2017) for the Collegiate Working Group for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE).听

Kevin, a Navy Veteran, regularly provides expert commentary regarding technology, data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber and national security for local, national, and international media outlets.


BCCS 2025 ARCHIVE

Boston College Law School |听Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | 8:45 a.m. EST
BCCS 2025 was a one-day conference that focused on the disciplines of emerging technologies, operations and enforcement, and real life cyber and national security experiences involving risk, compliance, policy, threat trends, preparedness, and defensive strategies. Also included were sponsors鈥 exhibitions and exceptional networking opportunities.

ABOUT

  • Keynote Address: Brett Leatherman,听Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cyber Division

  • Expert Speakers and Panelists from:听FBI, Google, Boston Celtics, The Kraft Group & Affiliates, Boston Red Sox, Boston College Law SchoolBain Capital Ventures, Hinckley Allen, Blue Mantis, HYCU, FINRA, DOJ

Past Conferences

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