CIO Leadership Team

John M. RathjeJohn M. Rathje

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Education:

M.S., Computer Science, Central Michigan University
B.S., Physics, Central Michigan University

Responsibilities:

The Vice President of Information Technology and CIO provides leadership for all institutional information technology endeavors, and oversees both strategic planning and operational service activities for educational, research, administrative and information security infrastructure efforts. He is responsible for leading the university’s information technology in support of the vision and priorities set by Kent State’s six-year plan, A Strategic Roadmap to a Distinctive Kent State.

He reports directly to the senior vice president for finance and administration, and serves on the President’s Cabinet.

Contact Information: CIO@kent.edu, (330) 672-4704

 

Direct Reports

Robert Eckman

Robert Eckman HeadshotRobert Eckman, Chief Information Security Officer

Information Security

Education:
B.A., Political Science, University of Akron
MBA, Technical Focus, University of Phoenix
CISSP Certification
PMP Certification 
 
Responsibilities:

Provides leadership for the creation and implementation of information security strategies and the security of the university’s digital assets. The department is also responsible for informing the university community about regulations around data protection (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR) and effective stewardship of all university information and data, ensuring that we all do our part to protect the personal information of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. 
 
Contact Information: reckman@kent.edu, (330) 672-9641

Michel Nahas

Michel Nahas HeadshotMichel Nahas, Chief Data Officer

Data Management and Analytics

Education:
Master of International Management, Thunderbird School of Global Management
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
 
Responsibilities:

Provides leadership for the governance, integration and reporting of all university data. The department is tasked with building a framework to enable the use of data to help make informed decisions and will work with Mary Parker, the VP of Enrollment Management to assist with the use of data to increase enrollment. 
 
Contact Information: mnahas2@kent.edu, (330) 672-8820

Sameer Jaleel

Sameer JaleelSameer Jaleel, Interim Executive Director

Systems Development and Innovations

Education:
BBA, Information Systems, Kent State University
MS, Information Architecture and Knowledge Management, Kent State University

Responsibilities:

Provides leadership for design, development, and testing new and innovative software applications that are used extensively by the Kent State community.

Contact Information: sjaleel1@kent.edu, (330) 672-1388

Andrea Nunley

Andrea Nunley, Executive DirectorAndrea Nunley, Executive Director

Enterprise Application Management

Education:
B.A., Business and Computer Science, Kent State University
PMP certified

Responsibilities:

The Enterprise Application Management team supports enterprise software and applications that are used university-wide and are responsible for university business. Our customers are students, faculty, and staff at all campuses. The supported application portfolio is broad and includes many systems, with the Banner ERP, the University's Learning Management System, and CRM as major components. Also included in scope are Marketing Cloud and Electronic Signatures (DocuSign). In addition to supporting the applications, this team provides development services for Banner and the related bolt-on applications and third-parties, the Slate CRM, Blackboard, Canvas, Salesforce, and Document Imaging.

Contact Information: anunley@kent.edu, (330) 672-1312

James Raber

James Raber, Interim Executive DirectorJames Raber, Executive Director

Support, Infrastructure, and Research Technology

Education:
B.S., Computer Science, Kent State University
M.Ed., Instructional Technology, Kent State University
Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Kent State University

Responsibilities:

Provides leadership for the Network and Infrastructure teams, Classroom Technology, Federated Desktop Support, Help Desk, Training and Outreach, Research Technology, and other related initiatives. The overarching goal of the department is to deliver an exceptional customer experience in regard to technical support and service requests.

Contact Information: jaraber@kent.edu, (330) 672-1927

Barbara Boltz

Barbara Boltz, Director 

Education:

B.S., Business Administration - Accounting, Kent State University

MBA, Business Administration, Kent State University

Responsibilities:

Provides leadership and support for projects and initiaties that advance the mission of the university and the division.

Contact information: bboltz@kent.edu, 330-672-1306

John Holik

John Holik, DirectorJohn Holik, Director

IS - Finance and Business Operations

Education:
B.S., Business Administration – Accounting, The University of Akron
Certified Management Accountant certification from the Institute of Management Accountants

Responsibilities:

Provides leadership for the Division of Information Services in financial planning reporting and analysis, procurement, and human resource functions. Our objective is to provide timely financial insight, decision support, and efficient handling of the business operations of IS, to support the division in carrying out its mission.

Contact Information: jholik1@kent.edu, (330) 672-3939

Holly Slocum

Holly Slocum, Director 

Process Evaluation and Improvement

Education:

B.S., Business Administration - Management Information Systems, Kent State University

Responsibilities:

The Process Evaluation and Improvement team focuses on process improvement and process automation. Our team of Business Systems Analysts are skilled in facilitating process analysis and problem solving activities to help departments streamline processes. This group also oversees the Lean Kent State Office. Our team of Application Support Analysts are well versed in tools for collaboration and automation to help departments realize efficiencies in their everyday work. PE&I is also responsible for division communications.

Contact information: hslocum@kent.edu, 330-672-3708

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