2025 Leadership Award Recipient

Helen Norris

CIO and Vice President for Information Technology (retired), Chapman University

The 2025 EDUCAUSE Leadership Award recognizes Helen Norris for her extensive career in higher education, providing exceptional leadership to the institutions she served and to the information technology community and championing professional development and the nurturing of individuals from all backgrounds.

Helen Norris is a former CIO and Vice President for Information Technology at Chapman University, where she was responsible for leading the university’s IT organization and the university library until she retired in September 2025. Helen joined Chapman in 2014 after holding technology leadership roles at California State University, Sacramento, and the University of California, Berkeley. At Chapman, Helen transformed the IT group into a highly respected enterprise-level organization; updated numerous systems and the campus infrastructure into state-of-the-art, cloud-based technologies; implemented a world-class security and privacy program; and led the university’s AI initiative.

In 2022, Helen appeared as an expert witness on cybersecurity in the education sector before the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. She is a frequent speaker at technology conferences on the topics of technology leadership, AI, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and data analytics. Helen is passionate about elevating the role of women and underrepresented groups in IT and has acted as a mentor and sponsor for numerous individuals both at Chapman and in the broader community.

Helen has been a highly engaged EDUCAUSE member for many years. She served as board chair for two years, is a faculty member at the EDUCAUSE Executive Leaders Academy, and is a frequent speaker at the annual conference. In addition, Helen previously served on the board of the National Endowment for Financial Education. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of EdTech Connect and on the board of the Society for Information Management. She participates in the Data and Tools Advisory Board of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System and on the board of STEM Advantage. She is a member of the Executive Council of the American Cancer Society-Orange County and volunteers as an advisor to the Empowher Institute.

Originally from Ireland, Helen earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics, with honors, from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and a master's degree in computer resource management and business administration, with distinction, from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. She also holds a certificate in project management. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Woman of Distinction award from Chapman in 2024 and a SoCal CIO Orbie Award in 2023. She was also named a Higher Ed Technology Social Media Influencer by EdTech Magazine in 2021.

Helen is married with two adult daughters and five grandchildren, and resides in Orange, California.

This EDUCAUSE Award is sponsored by Moran Technology Consulting, Mission Partner.