SDSU's New CIO Named
Jerry Sheehan will begin his position at SDSU on July 1.
Sheehan, who currently serves as Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Montana State University, begins his appointment at SDSU on July 1, 2019.
“Sheehan’s work and the work of his team will serve the educational, research, administrative and service missions of our university,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre.
In collaboration with SDSU leaders and stakeholders, Sheehan will be charged with advancing campus-wide information technology infrastructure developments and technology transformation across the university. Through this charge, Sheehan will ensure efficient deployment of stable, reliable, and secure technology infrastructure and systems.
"It is a privilege and an honor to join San Diego State University and to serve the students, faculty and staff. This is such an important moment in the university’s growth and evolution,” Sheehan said.
"As Chief Information Officer, I look forward to working with the Aztec community to grow collaborations and partnerships that will fuel the innovation the leaders of tomorrow demand,” he said. “Our information technology can and will enable transformative change by supporting the creativity of our campus community in classroom learning and in scientific discovery, and also through local and global engagement.”
At Montana State University, Sheehan provided leadership, oversight, management and strategic planning for the university's information technology infrastructure. Sheehan holds extensive expertise related to all facets of information technology and security, particularly campus data networking and systems, web infrastructure, user support and learning technology.
Sheehan also gave appreciation to the search community and SDSU’s information technology community for their contributions to the search process. "I am eager to join the campus and begin working alongside each of you to build our tomorrow.”
Prior to Montana State University, Sheehan served as chief of staff at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology and is therefore well-informed of the California higher education ecosystem and campuses in other state systems. He has also held leadership and management positions in information technology at Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sheehan has master’s and bachelor of science degrees in political science from Eastern Illinois University.
Jerry Sheehan will report to the Office of the President and serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. He replaces Rick Nornholm, who has served as Interim CIO and Chief Technology Officer.
“Nornholm has provided dedicated support to our campus community for more than 22 years,” de la Torre said. “I appreciate his commitment to ensuring an effective transition in a role that benefits every facet of students, faculty and staff work and studies at SDSU.”
