Tennessee Voices, Episode 332: Brett Goldstein, special adviser to Vanderbilt's chancellor

The Tennessee Voices podcast brings readers conversations with authors of insightful and compelling guest columns.

David Plazas
Nashville Tennessean
  • David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee.

Technology has made the world ever more complicated.

The world wide web, social media, ransomware and now artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT have transformed humanity.

This environment has spurred innovation but has also created grave new threats both to personal security as well as national security.

On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Brett Goldstein shared his expertise on these matters.

He has a background in computer science, criminal justice and government, and has served in key roles in the private and public sector, including, OpenTable, the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Department of Defense and University of Chicago.

Brett Goldstein

Today, he is special adviser to Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and was a speaker and organizer of a summit on modern conflict and emerging threats in 2022. Another summit will take place in the spring.

We discussed privacy, cybersecurity and reputation in a world where people are posting their food choices and intimate thoughts.

He also offered counsel to citizens on how they can control their digital footprint as best they can in a world where technology companies make consumers their product and accounts get routinely hacked.

Although work dominates his life, he has found time to do beekeeping, brisket smoking and preparing the perfect cup of coffee.

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About Tennessee Voices

The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.

Watch past episodes:Tennessee Voices videocast

Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.

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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.