The IT Director's Playbook
The IT Director's Playbook
Podcast Description
A podcast for the people who keep K-12 schools running. Real conversations with tech leaders about what’s working in school IT—911 compliance, intercom upgrades, emergency response, and simplifying your tech stack.
No theory. Just honest talk from folks in the trenches.
Practical tips, a few laughs, and real solutions.
Powered by Ambit Solutions—serving 64% of Alabama public schools.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show covers essential topics relevant to school technology operations, with specific episodes highlighting 911 compliance, intercom upgrades, emergency response strategies, and simplifying tech stacks for educational institutions. For example, the premiere episode discusses the evolution of K-12 IT through the experiences of Patrick Robinson, emphasizing the importance of building robust IT teams and the value of mentorship in cultivating future tech leaders.
A podcast for the people who keep K-12 schools running. Real conversations with tech leaders about what’s working in school IT—911 compliance, intercom upgrades, emergency response, and simplifying your tech stack.
No theory. Just honest talk from folks in the trenches.
Practical tips, a few laughs, and real solutions.
Powered by Ambit Solutions—serving 64% of Alabama public schools.
In this episode, we sit down with Chad Penson, IT Director at Neshoba County Schools MS, for one of the most honest and powerful conversations we’ve had on the show yet.
Chad shares his unconventional journey into K-12 technology leadership—from becoming a father in high school and repairing computers after class, to leading one of Mississippi’s largest school campuses and rebuilding an entire district network after a devastating cyberattack.
We talk about building strong relationships with superintendents, creating an in-house IT culture, surviving ransomware attacks, learning through failure, and why humility matters more than pretending to know everything.
Chad also opens up about the emotional toll of cybersecurity incidents, the importance of Mississippi’s K-12 tech community through METLA and MECA, and the leadership lessons he’s learned over nearly three decades in education technology.
Real stories. Real lessons. Real IT leadership.
Powered by Ambit Solutions
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