Community College Conference

About Dave Adkins

I was born and raised in upstate New York and still live there. I went to Syracuse University for a BS in Telecommunications, but did not quite stick to the standard four year plan. I took a year off and went on the road as a drummer in a top-forty band. After college, I continued to play and also did a tour as the Technical Director for an Ice Show (yes – skaters!). Our biggest show was for President Carter at the White House the Christmas before he left office. After getting married, I worked in a number of technology companies designing, consulting, and implementing computer systems and networks. In 1991 I finished an MBA with a concentration in Information Technology. My wife was in law school, so it was the perfect time to go back to school. After this round of graduate school, we had two kids (now 16 and 18 – boy and girl), and I went to work for New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) in 1993. In the new millennium, my wife got elected as a local judge, I finished a PhD in Information Science and moved up the ladder to become the Director of Information Technology for NYSUT. I am an adjunct professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the undergraduate program and have also taught in an evening MBA program. I also have been active lately giving "Cyber Safety" workshops for parents of teens. I enjoy volunteering as a Board member for several local organizations and recently dusted off my drums and started playing again.