Bay Path University Taps Sean O’Brien to Lead Cybersecurity Programs

Sean O’Brien

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University announced that Sean O’Brien has been named program director for its undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs.

O’Brien joins Bay Path with more than two decades of experience in cybersecurity, privacy, and higher education. He is the founder of Yale Privacy Lab and an associate research scholar at Yale Law School, where he has taught courses in digital security, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.

He is also the creator of the zero-knowledge collaboration platform PrivacySafe and has held leadership positions at global, security-focused firms, including ExpressVPN. His work spans secure app and infrastructure deployment, bug bounty and VDP management, IAM administration, and endpoint management of cryptocurrency assets.

O’Brien’s approach to information technology is backed by deep experience with sensitive systems such as student records, legal databases, and encrypted email infrastructure. His hands-on technical background is complemented by his work with legal teams, risk managers, and compliance officers across the public and private sectors.

He is a lifelong educator, delivering remote classes to large cohorts of students and professionals before joining the faculty at Bay Path University. He has successfully delivered curriculum across a wide variety of areas in IT, from the Hacking and Cybersecurity program at the Lawfare Institute to the Cybersecurity for Business Leaders program at the University of Oxford and the AI Risk Management workshops at Ivy Cyber Academy.

O’Brien honed his skills in data science, threat research, and cloud computing through leadership roles at privacy-focused blockchain firms, including Tari Labs. As an active CISSP at ISC2 and a member of IEEE SA Open, he continues to bridge technical fluency with legal and regulatory insight while he contributes to standardization and open-source communities. His technical work emphasizes penetration testing and software supply chain with special attention to privacy law, global compliance frameworks, and the practical challenges of the connected world.

“I am honored to join Bay Path University and excited to support a new generation of students entering the cybersecurity field,” O’Brien said. “Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical discipline: it’s a cornerstone of business, law, and civil society. Bay Path’s mission and commitment to accessible, career-focused education align perfectly with my own values as an educator and an advocate for proactive security practices.”

The cybersecurity programs at Bay Path, delivered both online and on campus, prepare students for in-demand careers in areas such as ethical hacking, incident response, and digital forensics. Under O’Brien’s leadership, the programs will expand offerings in AI risk management and open source security, areas where he has led international workshops and initiatives.