UC Tech News is excited to launch the UC Tech Leaders Q&A Series in 2026—a series designed to spotlight the voices shaping technology across UC.
April Sather has recently been recognized as one of the Female Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch in California, highlighting her role in shaping security, privacy, and resilience in higher education. Read the full article on CISO Whisperer to see April alongside other women leading cybersecurity across California’s most influential organizations.
In 2025, Sather was a CISO Connect A100 Award winner, and she was an ORBIE Award finalist in 2024.
What is Your Name?
April Sather
What is Your Title? UC Location?
Chief Information Security Officer, UCOP, and Interim Systemwide Cyber Defense Officer, UCOP
What Are Your Top IT/Security Priorities in 2026?
• Securely enable artificial intelligence and robotic process automation
• Ensure UCOP-managed systems and staff are resilient to fraud
• Promote broad awareness of security by design principles
• Be brilliant at the basics – continuous improvement of core processes
What Emerging Tech Excites You for Higher Ed?
AI presents a tremendous opportunity for Higher Ed to improve administrative efficiency, accelerate research, personalize learning, and equip students, faculty and staff with the skills and tools needed to securely and responsibly leverage this powerful technology for good. I feel that we have an obligation to impart AI competency. In a time of growing disruption and uncertainty, sending graduates out into the world without this skillset would be doing them a disservice.
What Emerging Tech Worries You?
Quantum computing. While quantum is still largely experimental today, it’s time to start planning for a post-quantum world and putting a plan in place to replace legacy encryption algorithms with ones that can withstand its power tomorrow. This transition will be especially essential to defend against attacks that harness both quantum and AI.
How Do You Balance Innovation with Security?
Given UCOP’s unique position in the system, the data and funds we are charged to protect, and the services we are responsible for delivering, our risk appetite is low. However, when use cases for applying innovative technologies to create value emerge, we are there to securely enable them. In fact, securely enabling innovation is one of the most rewarding parts of my role. A recent example is robotic process automation. Not only is the solution secure by design, but we also took this opportunity to create a robotic process automation security framework that can be applied to future use cases and toolsets.
What Principles/Values Shape Your Leadership?
As a leader, I focus on empowering my team, fostering ownership, and creating an environment where people can do their best work. My focus is on outcomes over outputs. I feel it is important to create space and autonomy for my team to experiment, evolve processes, and challenge the status quo. I also emphasize the importance of continuous learning and adaptability. I have a bias for action and delivery, supported by well-informed decision-making. A self-confessed optimist, I am energized by our current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment. I believe in our collective capacity to make a positive impact, regardless of circumstance.
What Books Are You Currently Reading?
The Singularity is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil and Radical Candor by Kim Scott.
What’s Your Favorite Thing to Do Outside of Work?
Travelling internationally, visiting botanical gardens and museums, and spending time with my family.
Thank you for the conversation, April!
April Sather
Chief Information Security Officer, UCOP, and Interim Systemwide Cyber Defense Officer
UC Office of the President
Tech Leader Spotlights
UC Tech News is excited to launch the UC Tech Leaders Q&A Series in 2026—designed to spotlight the voices shaping technology across UC. The UC tech community values hearing directly from its leaders, and this series aims to be both inspiring and informative.
Are you a tech leader at UC? We’d love to hear from you! To participate, please complete the short Q&A form and please include a photo.
