BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Cristian Balan of Plattsburgh, N.Y., has been named the new director of the Computer & Digital Forensics program at Champlain College. Balan joined the Champlain faculty in July and now steps up to direct a nationally recognized program that was built by founding director Gary Kessler.
Kessler will now focus his attention full time on the Champlain College Center for Digital Investigation, a US Department of Justice-funded center at the college, which has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
Balan is the owner and operator of a computer networks administration and security consulting business and he has extensive experience with the New York law enforcement community. He is also the chief of the Vermont Army National Guard Computer Network Defense Team.
Balan has served as faculty member and distance learning coordinator at several colleges, including Clinton Community College, SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State University. He has also trained computer emergency response teams for several years at the National Guard Technical and Readiness Center at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. Balan is a member of Infragard, an FBI-sponsored professional organization, and a member of the National Guard Association of Vermont.
Since joining Champlain College, Balan has taught digital forensics and network security courses. He has also been instrumental in program management and leading initiatives in the continuous improvement of both the on-campus and online curricula, said Dr. Don Haggerty, interim dean of Champlains Division of Information Technology & Sciences.
Balan holds a bachelors degree in mathematics, a masters in secondary education and a certificate of advanced studies in school administration from Plattsburgh State University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in information security. He is a bilingual, native-born Romanian, who is also knowledgeable in Spanish, French and Italian.