EDUCAUSE Board Appoints Diana Oblinger President and CEO

The EDUCAUSE Board of Directors has announced that Diana G. Oblinger, vice president of EDUCAUSE, will become president and CEO of the association effective January 1, 2008. Oblinger succeeds Brian L. Hawkins, who has led EDUCAUSE since it was formed in 1998.

In making the announcement, John E. Bucher, chair of the board and chief technology officer at Oberlin College, said, “Diana Oblinger brings an impressive breadth and depth of experience to this critical leadership position—as an innovative leader and dedicated professional at several institutions; as a longtime active contributor to key higher education organizations, including EDUCAUSE; and as a forceful voice for change and advancement in the profession. Diana will bring vision and energy to moving EDUCAUSE into its second decade of realizing the mission of ‘advancing higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.’”

Oblinger has served as an EDUCAUSE vice president since 2004 and leads the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Prior to joining EDUCAUSE, she held positions in academia and business. She served as vice president for information resources and chief information officer for the 16-campus University of North Carolina system, and was a faculty member at Michigan State University and a faculty member and academic administrator at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has been the recipient of both outstanding teaching and research awards. Oblinger is currently an adjunct professor of adult and higher education at North Carolina State University. Her corporate experience has included senior positions at IBM and Microsoft. Internationally known for her expertise in information technology and higher education, she has authored or edited numerous books and articles and is a popular keynote speaker. Oblinger holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees from Iowa State University. Read her full profile.

In accepting the appointment, Oblinger said, “I am honored to be asked to serve the information technology profession and higher education in this new capacity. There are opportunities for EDUCAUSE leadership in policy, professional development, cyberinfrastructure, learning technologies, and much more. IT is critical to all of higher education, so we have a broad and growing agenda. As the association moves into its second decade, I look forward to working with our members, staff, and friends to ensure that EDUCAUSE meets our community’s needs and is the first and most trusted source for IT in higher education.”

Speaking of the qualities that the EDUCAUSE Board of Directors looked for, David L. Smallen, search committee chair and vice president for information technology at Hamilton College, explained that “The EDUCAUSE president must be a thought leader and spokesperson on information technology issues in the higher education community who works in collaboration with the executive team, the staff, and the board to create, maintain, and monitor a comprehensive set of programs, services, and policy directions for the benefit of EDUCAUSE members and for the broader higher education community. We found that Diana Oblinger fills that bill many times over.”

Outgoing EDUCAUSE President Brian L. Hawkins announced in November 2006 that he planned to step down in order to give the board ample time for a thorough search and an orderly transition of leadership. “I have great confidence that Diana Oblinger will provide excellent leadership and will do an outstanding job in taking EDUCAUSE to the next level,” he said. “I have worked with Diana for more than 15 years and know she will represent the profession extremely well, and will be sensitive to the needs of the entire membership. I wish her the very best in this important role.”

EDUCAUSE has grown to more than 2,200 member institutions and organizations and provides an array of programs and services for members. Professional development opportunities for IT staff at all levels include online and in-person seminars, conferences and workshops covering a wide-range of IT topics, and management and leadership development programs. The EDUCAUSE Policy Program in Washington, DC, alerts member institutions to changes in federal law, regulation, or practices that might impact colleges and universities. EDUCAUSE sponsors major research programs, the Core Data Service and the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, which help institutions assess their practices relative to peers and provide insight into emerging issues. Special initiatives such as the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative focus on leading-edge teaching, learning, and technology practices. The EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Security Task Force is a focal point for information and resources on computer and network security.

About EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. The current membership comprises more than 2,200 colleges, universities, and educational organizations, including 250 corporations, with 17,000 active members. Learn more about EDUCAUSE at www.educause.edu.