The Charlotte Jewish News- October 2026- Page 12
Keeping Shalom Park Connected
Mathew Gandron, director of technology, Foundation of Shalom Park
By Terri Beattie
On any given day at Shalom Park, hundreds of people rely on technology without necessarily thinking about it. Employees log into their computers, guests connect to Wi-Fi, organizations communicate across the campus, security systems operate in the background, and meetings and celebrations depend on technology to run smoothly.
Behind the technology that keeps Shalom Park connected are Mathew Gandron, director of technology, and Lexxus Rogers, information technology specialist, with Foundation of Shalom Park( FSP). Together, they bring expertise in network infrastructure, cybersecurity and customer service to a sophisticated technology environment that connects Temple Beth El, Temple Israel as well as the agencies and organizations across Shalom Park.
Managing Technology at Scale
Gandron came to FSP with extensive experience designing, managing and troubleshooting complex technology environments. He earned a Bachelor of Technology in Network Administration from SUNY Alfred, with professional work spanning server and network administration, cybersecurity, systems management and the development of technical documentation and operating procedures. His interest in information security began in college, where he competed in offensive and defensive cybersecurity competitions.
Prior to his role with FSP, Gandron worked for Advance2000, where he directed the global technology infrastructure for Walt Disney Imagineering. As WDI Technical Team Lead, he managed systems and users across the United States, Asia-Pacific and Europe. His work included overseeing cloud and virtualized environments and managing major infrastructure projects. Among those projects was establishing a Shanghai network circuit that required coordination among teams and vendors in the United States and Asia. He also participated in a major single-sign-on project involving more than 2,500 users across the United States, Asia and Europe.
Gandron later joined WorkSmart as a senior consultant, where he oversaw on-premises and cloud-based technology solutions, advising clients on their evolving technology needs. That combination of hands-on technical knowledge and experience managing large-scale, multiuser environments now informs his work at Shalom Park.
As director of technology,
Gandron oversees campus computer infrastructure, public and guest Wi-Fi, business applications, telephone systems, event technology, and the technology that underpins security and safety systems.
Where Technology Meets People
Rogers brings a complementary set of skills to the technology team, particularly in cybersecurity, security operations and customer support. She earned an Associate of Science in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from Full Sail University and holds both the CompTIA Security + certification and ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity credential. Her training spans cloud networking, information security, cybercrime, incident response
Gandron and Rogers are responsible for approximately 150 network users and 150 computers, in addition to servers, firewalls, network switches, software platforms, telephone systems and other equipment. In this capacity, they work closely with security, facilities management, finance and event management, reflecting the extent to which technology touches nearly every aspect of campus operations.
Their role extends to meetings, programs, community gatherings and family celebrations, helping ensure each has the technology needed to run smoothly. When Technology Works Most visitors will never see the servers, switches, firewalls or miles of connections behind
Lexxus Rogers, information technology specialist, Foundation of Shalom Park
and network technologies. Before joining FSP, Rogers gained another perspective particularly valuable at Shalom Park: understanding how technology, security and people intersect. She spent seven years with Allied Universal Security, where she served as a security sergeant and became a primary escalation point for operational and access-control system issues. She later worked in security dispatch, monitoring operations through real-time tracking systems and coordinating incident response.
Earlier in her career, Rogers worked in high-volume customer support, strengthening the problem-solving and communication skills she now brings to her role at Shalom Park. That customer-service background is particularly relevant because technology at Shalom Park is ultimately about serving people. Rogers helps staff troubleshoot computers, monitors, printers, phones, and software while also helping maintain the broader technology infrastructure across campus. A Connected Campus The significance of their work extends beyond any individual server, computer, or application. The infrastructure they maintain enables Shalom Park to operate as one interconnected campus. it all. They will simply experience a campus where the technology works. And for Gandron and Rogers, that is precisely the point.
The Foundation of Shalom Park, a 501( c)( 3) nonprofit organization, owns and manages the properties and facilities that support most of the Jewish organizations located on the central campus of Shalom Park. These include Temple Israel, Temple Beth El, the Levine Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, Jewish Family Services, Temple Israel Religious School, Temple Beth El Religious School, Consolidated High School of Jewish Studies, Charlotte Jewish Preschool, Charlotte Jewish Day School, the Center for Jewish Education, Hebrew Cemetery Association, B’ nai Brith Youth Organization, NC Hillel, and The Charlotte Jewish News. For more information about the Foundation of Shalom Park and its mission, please visit www. Shalom- Charlotte. org