Search for the Next Chief Information Officer

interest in Chapman University and the position of Vice President and Chief Information Officer. 2 The Search Chapman University seeks an experienced, collaborative, and forward-looking technology executive to serve as its next Vice President and Chief Information Officer. The Chief Information Officer will join Chapman at a moment of significant institutional momentum and will lead the university’s technology strategy, operations, and transformation. Reporting to Marie Williams, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs in the Division of the Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President, and serving as a member of the President’s senior leadership team, the CIO will be responsible for the full portfolio of academic and administrative technology. Chapman has an extraordinary trajectory, dedicated leaders, a strong technology foundation, a comprehensive Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) team, and a close-knit community prepared to support its bright future. Building on these strengths, the CIO will further advance an integrated, service-oriented, and forward-thinking technology environment that supports academic excellence, operational effectiveness, innovation, and an exceptional experience for students, faculty, and staff. The next CIO will connect systems and data across the university, establish a clear enterprise technology roadmap, continue to shape responsible AI adoption, and develop the organization and operating model required to support Chapman’s ambitions. 3 About Chapman Founded in 1861, Chapman University is an exciting and evolving institution that combines the resources of a growing research university with the scale and personalized experience of a mid-sized, student-centered campus. Located in the heart of Orange County, Calif., Chapman enrolls nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and maintains a 12:1 student- to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from more than 100 areas of study offered through 11 schools and colleges, spanning the arts, business, education, health sciences, humanities, and professional disciplines. The university’s picturesque Orange Campus is steps from restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques, just 15 miles from the beach, 30 miles from the business and cultural centers of Los Angeles, and about 80 miles to scenic and bustling San Diego. The Rinker Health Science Campus in nearby Irvine is home to Chapman’s health science graduate programs. It is strategically situated within a major hub of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 institution with high research activity, Chapman embraces an interdisciplinary and highly personalized approach to teaching, learning, scholarship, and research. The university emphasizes experiential learning, providing students with opportunities to work directly with distinguished faculty, including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, published authors, National Medal of Science recipients, and Academy Award winners. Chapman has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been recognized as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Supported by an endowment exceeding $1 billion, one of the fastest-growing in the nation with approximately two-thirds dedicated to student scholarships, Chapman continues to fulfill its mission of providing an education of distinction that prepares students for inquiring, ethical, and productive lives as global citizens. Backed by a global alumni network of over 80,000 graduates, the university has experienced significant momentum in recent years, reflected in its strongest-ever U.S. News & World Report ranking, among the fastest-rising national institutions in the country. For more information, visit chapman.edu/about. 4 About This Moment The CIO will join Chapman at a unique and exciting time as a bold new leadership team forms in support of President Matt Parlow to continue the university’s strong momentum and advance the personalization and special sense of place that distinguishes the Chapman experience. This is a deeply collaborative leadership team that values student success, excellence, and innovative ideas and approaches – and enjoys rolling up their sleeves and working with one another. Over the years, Chapman has experienced rare strength and continuity in leadership, including in IS&T, where the recently retired CIO spent a decade building a technological foundation that the incoming leader can optimize, enhance, and integrate more fully. 5 Matt Parlow has served as Chapman University’s 14th president since September 2, 2025, and holds the Donald Bren Presidential Chair in Law. Over his 13 years at Chapman, Parlow has played a pivotal role in propelling the institution toward national prominence as both an administrator and a scholar. As Executive Vice President, Chief Advancement Officer (EVP/CAO), and Parker S. Kennedy Chair in Law, he drove transformational growth while leading the historic fundraising initiative “ Inspire: The Campaign for Chapman University .” This campaign seeks to raise $500 million by 2028 and grow the university’s endowment to $2 billion by 2038. Under his leadership, Chapman surpassed $400 million in 2025—well ahead of schedule—providing resources that strengthen academic excellence, support student success, and deepen community engagement. An innovative leader with a strong sense of community, Parlow brings an ambitious vision for Chapman’s future. Under his direction, the university is poised to reach new academic heights by fostering expansive interdisciplinary collaborations that push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation, while preparing students for success in a rapidly evolving workforce. Deeply committed to the student experience, he works to foster robust engagement among students, faculty, and the broader community, ensuring that Chapman continues to provide the distinctive, hands-on learning opportunities that set the university apart. As the need for civil discourse grows nationwide, Parlow is also dedicated to making Chapman a place where challenging conversations are embraced and free expression is protected. This commitment to free speech, academic excellence, and community is emblematic of Parlow’s strong belief in the power of education as a force for good. Before serving as EVP/CAO, Parlow was the Dean and Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law at the Dale E. Fowler School of Law. As the school’s second-longest-serving dean, he achieved financial stability, welcomed some of the strongest incoming classes in its history, and oversaw three consecutive years of record graduate employment. His leadership elevated the school’s U.S. News & World Report ranking by more than 20 spots, while his fundraising established new professorships and expanded key curricular areas that foster innovation and student achievement. Parlow’s career in higher education also includes serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School, where he taught Property, Land Use, and Professional Sports Law (with Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig). He also taught at Chapman’s Fowler School of Law from 2005 to 2008 and has twice been recognized as Professor of the Year at Chapman and Marquette. Prior to his academic career, Parlow was an associate with the Los Angeles firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Pamela Ann Rymer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Parlow holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A., magna cum laude , in History from Loyola Marymount University. Leadership 6 A seasoned higher education leader with a background in operations, fundraising, and the law, Amy Rogan-Mehta is an Executive Vice President and the Chief of Staff at Chapman University. In her role, Amy serves as a chief adviser to the President and oversees a broad portfolio of units that contribute to Chapman’s strategic direction, operations, student experience, and external visibility. These areas include Athletics, Career and Professional Development, Enrollment Management, Enterprise Risk and Safety, the Hilbert Museum of California Art, Human Resources, Information Systems & Technology, Institutional Compliance, Marketing and Public Affairs, and Student Affairs. In addition, Rogan-Mehta facilitates collaboration and alignment across Chapman’s schools and departments to achieve institutional vision and goals; helps to lead board relations with the Board of Trustees, Board of Governors, and the President’s Cabinet; and serves as a liaison to various committees of the Board of Trustees. She also led the presidential transition and chaired the Presidential Transition Advisory Committee. Throughout her career, Rogan-Mehta has led her teams to unprecedented success. As Senior Vice President of University Advancement at Chapman, she helped the division reach new heights, including recruiting a record number of employers to interview Chapman students for jobs in back-to- back years, engaging a record number of alumni with Chapman, and consistently closing each year under budget. In addition, Rogan-Mehta played an instrumental role in helping Chapman raise more than $400 million toward its $500 million comprehensive campaign goal. Before joining University Advancement, Rogan-Mehta served as Associate Dean for Administration at Chapman’s Dale E. Fowler School of Law, where she supervised the entire administration, including the areas of career services, operations, admissions, marketing, events, and student affairs. During her time there, the Fowler School of Law matriculated the strongest classes in the school’s history and set back-to-back records in graduate employment. In addition, Rogan-Mehta led efforts to build a culture of engagement and volunteerism— especially through the creation of the Center for Student Engagement—and adopted best practices for recruiting talented staff and administrators. Prior to joining Chapman, Rogan-Mehta served as Associate Dean for Student Development at Marquette University Law School. Rogan-Mehta is a licensed attorney and previously practiced at the Milwaukee firm of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Earlier in her career, Rogan-Mehta worked as a social worker and therapist in a variety of health care and social service organizations. She has remained an advocate for those experiencing mental illness, serving on the board of directors of health care and community mental health organizations. Rogan-Mehta holds a Bachelor of Science in social work, cum laude , from Saint Catherine University, a Master of Science in social work from Columbia University, and a JD from Marquette University Law School, where she graduated first in her class. Leadership 7 Marie Williams serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs at Chapman. She was appointed in June 2024, bringing to the role more than 25 years’ experience as a strategic communications and marketing leader and higher education administrator. At Chapman, Williams is a trusted adviser to executive leadership who is responsible for leading a portfolio that includes Strategic Marketing and Communications, the Office of Community Relations, and Information Systems and Technology. Williams has served in strategic roles throughout her career across industries and contexts, including higher education, healthcare, corporate, and agencies. Most recently, she was Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications at the University of Colorado Denver, where she led the team responsible for activating the university’s 2030 strategic plan, increasing its brand awareness, improving its reputation, and enhancing its engagement with key stakeholders. Williams also served as vice president of Marketing and Communications at Saint Joseph’s University, where she initiated the institution’s first-ever in- house-led rebranding and repositioning effort to make the university more contemporized and reflective of its high quality, supported planning for the university’s $300 million Soar comprehensive campaign, and served on key councils and working groups in support of presidential priorities and the university’s growth. Prior to Saint Joseph’s, she was Senior Vice President at Edelman, the world’s largest independent communications and public affairs firm, where she led a practice area in Edelman NY’s Public Affairs group, which saw significant growth under her leadership and attracted and maintained a diverse multi-million-dollar client portfolio. This included higher ed clients such as Columbia, Yale, New York University, and the University of Virginia; educational technology companies and startups; financial services, fintech, and cyber-related organizations; and non- profit organizations such as PBS and the United Way. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American Marketing Association and the Public Relations Society of America. Leadership 8 Information Systems & Technology Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) supports the full breadth of Chapman’s academic, research, administrative, and residential environments, with capabilities spanning client and classroom technology, enterprise and research infrastructure, enterprise applications, data services, project management, cybersecurity, training, and finance and operations. The nearly 80-member organization provides day-to-day technology insights, solutions, and support to students, faculty, and staff while also enabling teaching and learning, research computing, enterprise systems, data and analytics, and university-wide technology initiatives. Its organizational structure is traditional, and its teams combine deep institutional knowledge with specialized expertise across core platforms, infrastructure, security, service delivery, and emerging technologies, creating a broad and well-established technology function that supports both the university’s daily operations and its continued evolution, balancing reliability with innovation. Learn more at the IS&T website. 9 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: • Enterprise strategy and governance. Develop a multi-year technology strategy, portfolio, proposed investment framework, and decision- making model aligned with university priorities and leveraging opportunities to optimize and maximize systems, processes, and practices. • Executive partnership and communication. Serve as a trusted advisor, communicate business value clearly, and provide technology recommendations that help to inform and advance institutional decisions. • People and organization leadership. Develop an integrated, high-performing IS&T organization with strong accountability and expectations, clear career pathways, and a shared Chapman purpose. • Applications, architecture, and integration. Establish enterprise architecture standards, guide ERP and platform decisions, improve integration, interoperability, identity, and lifecycle management. • Data and analytics. Create a modern data strategy and governance model that improves quality, common definitions, access, analytics, and decision support. • Cybersecurity, privacy, and resilience. Partner with the CISO and university leaders to manage risk, strengthen controls, and sustain preparedness and business continuity. • Digital experience and service delivery. Advance reliable, responsive, user-centered services for faculty, staff, students, researchers, and residents. • Financial and resource stewardship. Manage operating budgets, capital budgets as appropriate, vendors, managed services, project delivery, sourcing, and transparent prioritization aligned with institutional priorities. • Artificial intelligence. Lead responsible AI strategy, governance, adoption, training, and enablement across academic and administrative environments. Role of the Chief Information Officer The CIO is Chapman’s senior technology leader and a strategic partner to the President, senior leadership, deans, administrative leaders, faculty, and students. The CIO will define and execute a unified technology strategy that aligns with Chapman’s institution-wide priorities and advances the university’s academic mission, student experience, research ambitions, operational effectiveness, and institutional scale and caliber. The role requires a leader who can translate technical choices into institutional outcomes, facilitate decisions across a range of constituencies, and act consultatively and decisively when alignment, performance, or risk requires clear direction. 10 CREATE AN ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY AND GOVERNANCE MODEL Chapman could benefit from a clear, institution-wide technology vision, strategy, and operating plan that connects academic, administrative, research, and student priorities. The CIO will lead a collaborative and consultative planning process, establish transparent decision rights, and create a portfolio model that balances mission, risk, capacity, cost, and measurable value. Governance must be consultative enough to reflect the university’s culture, yet disciplined enough to resolve competing priorities and prevent technology adoption from fragmenting further. The CIO will define standards, intake processes, architecture review, and performance measures that make decisions easier to understand and execute. CONNECT SYSTEMS, DATA, AND DECISIONS The university has capable systems and valuable data, but many platforms operate effectively within individual units rather than as a coordinated enterprise. This is largely the result of Chapman’s incredibly fast and impressive growth over the last few decades: Systems and operations have not kept pace with the pace of institutional momentum and evolution. The CIO will prioritize integrations across core academic and business functions, reduce duplicate processes, and establish shared data definitions and ownership – in consultation with executive and senior leadership. In the near term, Chapman sees an opportunity to further strengthen access to trusted, actionable information across the university, enabling leaders to make informed decisions with greater consistency and confidence. Over time, the university envisions a more connected digital ecosystem that enhances institutional insight, supports personalized service, and creates a seamless experience across the student and employee lifecycle. As the digital ecosystem is matured, the CIO should examine and provide thinking on how AI, as appropriate, could help Chapman move from a focus on report production toward greater capacity for timely insight and decision support. DEFINE THE FUTURE OF ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND ARCHITECTURE Chapman’s enterprise application environment is anchored by Oracle/PeopleSoft and Salesforce, alongside a broader portfolio of systems supporting the university’s academic and administrative functions. The CIO will evaluate the application landscape in the context of institutional priorities, evolving business needs, platform capabilities, user experience, and long-term sustainability, and will propose a thoughtful roadmap for modernization and investment. Over time, the CIO will help Chapman make informed decisions regarding its enterprise platforms and technology architecture, balancing innovation with operational continuity, financial stewardship, implementation risk, and organizational readiness. This will require clear communication of strategic options and tradeoffs to executive and senior leadership, with an emphasis on sequencing investments in a way that supports the university’s norms and long-term goals. BUILD A PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN, PEOPLE-CENTERED IS&T ORGANIZATION The previous technology leadership established strong relationships and steps toward a service-oriented culture. The next CIO must honor that foundation while advancing the organization toward stronger enterprise thinking and clearer standards, metrics, accountability, and innovation. This may require thoughtful changes to ways of working and corresponding change management. The CIO will be visible and accessible, know the team, and develop leaders who lead with a Chapman-first mindset and values system. Chapman’s culture rewards leaders who are collaborative, humble, and willing to get down to work. The CIO must also re-engage and retain talent through a period of change and a fully campus-based work model. Key Opportunities & Priorities 11 STRENGTHEN CYBERSECURITY, PRIVACY, AND INSTITUTIONAL RESILIENCE; SUPPORT COMPLIANCE The university has a strong core of security capabilities, a CISO-led program, and conducts regular preparedness exercises. The next CIO will ensure that cybersecurity remains integrated with architecture, data, AI, vendor management, identity, privacy, research, and business continuity. The CIO will also have a strong understanding of all compliance issues impacting technology and data generally, specifically to higher education, and will work closely with those leaders and functions that are responsible for managing compliance. Because universities operate with multiple constituencies, effective risk management depends on partnership and influence as well as policy and practices. The CIO will help the university understand risk, establish practical standards, improve visibility into tools and applications being used outside IS&T, and sustain a culture that supports innovation without compromising institutional trust. ELEVATE SERVICE DELIVERY AND LIFECYCLE PLANNING Chapman’s front-line technology operation is a meaningful service that influences the day-to-day experience for all constituents as they encounter Chapman through various contexts, including classrooms, laboratories, living spaces, workspaces, and co-curricular events. The CIO will preserve that high-touch culture while introducing clearer service measures, consistent processes, proactive communication, and continuous improvement. The goal is to make it easier for faculty, staff, and students to understand what IS&T provides, how priorities are set, and what service experience they can expect, while consistently meeting that standard. The university also needs a disciplined lifecycle plan for classroom, facilities, and office technology. STEWARD INVESTMENT, CAPACITY, AND ENTERPRISE VALUE Chapman has one of the stronger planning environments in higher education and has historically made prudent technology investments and adoptions. At the same time, operating demand has grown faster than recurring capacity. The CIO will create and present transparent investment cases for consideration, prioritize the work that matters most, and make deliberate choices in consultation with executive and senior leadership about internal capability, managed services, vendors, and timing. Success requires fluency with both operating and capital budgets, disciplined portfolio management, and the ability to explain costs, tradeoffs, risk, and value to executive and senior leadership. LEAD RESPONSIBLE AI STRATEGY, GOVERNANCE, AND ADOPTION AI represents both a significant opportunity and an area of continued focus for Chapman. The university has already established a solid foundation through thoughtful and measured adoption, faculty-led dialogue and some classroom integration, trainings, a cross- functional advisory committee, and emerging policy development. Building on this momentum, Chapman has an opportunity to further define an enterprise approach to AI that supports responsible tool adoption, academic and administrative use cases, internally developed solutions, security considerations, and ongoing governance. Key Opportunities & Priorities 12 Qualifications & Characteristics LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT • At least a decade of progressively responsible technology leadership in a complex, service- intensive organization, including enterprise-wide accountability as a CIO, deputy or associate CIO, divisional technology leader, or equivalent executive. • A record of developing and executing technology strategy, modernizing an operating model, and translating institutional priorities into clear plans, investments, measures, and outcomes. • Demonstrated success leading sizable teams and strategically managing operating and capital budgets, project portfolios, vendors, managed services, and competing demands. • The ability to preserve operational stability and trusted service while introducing standards, accountability, performance measures, new capabilities, and organizational change. • A strong talent leader who develops people, welcomes a range of perspectives, and fosters a culture of learning and high performance. • A visible, accessible, institutionally aligned leadership style characterized by integrity, humility, follow-through, shared credit, and a willingness to engage directly in the work. INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION: • Experience serving as a trusted advisor to a president, cabinet, board, or comparable executive leadership team and contributing beyond the boundaries of the technology function. • Sophisticated interpersonal and diplomatic skills; a commitment to consultation and collaboration balanced by the judgment and courage to advise and manage with a Chapman-first mindset. • The ability to build credibility with executive and senior leadership, deans and other leaders, faculty, students, researchers, and technology professionals whose needs, vocabulary, and decision rights differ. • Exceptional written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain architecture, cost, risk, capability, and tradeoffs in terms of academic mission, student experience, operational value, and institutional strategy. 13 Qualifications & Characteristics OPERATIONAL QUALITIES • Experience creating service management practices, user-centered support, operational measures, project discipline, change management, and continuous improvement in an environment where reliability is critical. • Strong institutional, financial, and functional judgment, including capital planning (as appropriate), total-cost analysis, business cases, vendor and contract management, sourcing, and the ability to make disciplined choices when capacity is constrained. • Sound judgment, composure, and clarity in high- risk or high-visibility situations, along with the ability to move between long-term strategy and urgent operational decision-making. • An appetite for innovation combined with pragmatism about timing, readiness, cost, support, and risk; a willingness to use cloud, AI, and other tools where they create value. • A bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced degree is preferred. • Experience in a higher education and/or an academic medicine setting preferred. 14 Location & Compensation Located in Orange in the heart of Southern California’s Orange County, Chapman University benefits from a location that combines a distinctive small-town setting with access to one of the nation’s most dynamic metropolitan regions. Orange is a city of approximately 138,000 residents situated about 32 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Old Towne Orange Historic District, commonly known as the Orange Plaza, is located just steps from campus and serves as the city’s walkable downtown. The Orange Plaza is centered around historic Plaza Park and surrounded by cafés, restaurants, boutiques, and community events. The district spans roughly one square mile and is the largest historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in California, with the state’s second-largest concentration of historic buildings dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Beyond the immediate neighborhood, Chapman is very accessible to Southern California’s defining attractions, such as the beaches of Newport, Huntington, and Laguna, which are roughly 20 minutes away. Other major destinations, such as Disneyland and Angel Stadium, are about 10 minutes from the Orange Campus. With approximately 277 sunny days a year, annual average daytime temperatures in the mid-70s, and convenient access to Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, and mountain communities such as Big Bear Lake, Orange County offers an appealing quality of life and a vibrant regional setting that makes Chapman an attractive place to live and work. The anticipated salary range for this position is $325,000– $375,000, with a generous benefits package and relocation support available as needed and appropriate. 15 Nominations & Inquiries Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. Visit kornferry.com for more information. Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Alyse Egol Senior Client Partner E. Alyse.Egol@KornFerry.com Natura De Pinto Principal E. Natura.DePinto@KornFerry.com Ethan Corriveau Associate E. Ethan.Corriveau@KornFerry.com Chahat Singh Project Coordinator E. Chahat.Singh@KornFerry.com Chapman University is an equal opportunity employer that provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of their protected characteristics. All qualified applicants and employees are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. This document has been prepared based on the information provided by Chapman University. The material presented in this leadership profile should be relied on for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and information provided by Chapman would supersede any conflicting information in this document.