Chief Information Officer

Joliet Junior College; Joliet (IL); On-site; USD 135,000 - 203,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative community college seeks a transformative Chief Information Officer to lead technology modernization and enhance the student experience. This role requires a visionary leader capable of strategic planning and effective communication, fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholders. The CIO will oversee a significant operational budget, advocate for IT's role in academic success, and ensure robust information security practices. Join a forward-thinking institution dedicated to serving a diverse student body and driving educational excellence through technology.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in IT leadership roles.
• Deep understanding of trends in information technology in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Develop a strategic plan for technology across JJC.
• Bolster information security and modernize IT infrastructure.

Skills

Leadership in Information Technology

Strategic Planning

Budget Planning

Information Security Management

Data Management

Education

Advanced Degree in IT or Related Field

Job description

Search for the Chief Information Officer

THE SEARCH

Joliet Junior College, the first, public community college in the United States, seeks a transformational, creative leader to serve as the next Chief Information Officer.

Founded in 1901, Joliet Junior College (JJC) provides a student-centered, career-enabling education to 27,000 students. Located just 40 miles outside of Chicago, JJC is an innovative and accessible institution, dedicated to student learning, community prosperity, cultural enrichment, and inclusion. The student population at the college is diverse in every sense of the word, representing a cultural plethora of gender, ethnic, racial, age, and socioeconomic status diversity. In 2023, JJC was designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with 34% of the student body identifying as Hispanic / Latina / o. The College delivers quality lifelong learning opportunities empowering diverse students and the community through academic excellence, workforce training, and comprehensive support services.

The Chief Information Officer joins the college at a moment when the College is poised for technology transformation and modernization. President Clyne Namuo has a background in technology leadership, and investments have been made across JJC to develop technology infrastructure and modernize enterprise architecture. The CIO is tasked with driving innovation. Collaboration and relationship building will be key to the success of the CIO, and there will be an emphasis on building political will and partnerships underscored by communication and transparency with JJC community members. Technology should enhance the student experience at JJC, and students are the heart of the College. The CIO will be tasked with considering how IT can support the student experience across a richly diverse student body, and serve the broader academic mission of the College. To be successful, the CIO will be expected to address a number of opportunities and challenges, listed below, and outlined in detail beginning on page four of this document :

Develop a strategic plan for technology across JJC

Advocate for the role of IT across the College

Bolster information security across the College

Evaluate and modernize IT infrastructure across campus Effectively lead, organize, and invigorate the IT staff

Joliet Junior College has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search and to help identify outstanding candidates. All inquiries, applications, and nominations for this opportunity should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.

JJC offers pre-baccalaureate programs for students planning to transfer to a four-year university. A comprehensive community college, JJC provides occupational education leading directly to employment, adult education and literacy programs, workforce development services, and student support services.

America's first public community college began in 1901 as an experimental postgraduate high school program. It was the "brain child" of J. Stanley Brown, Superintendent of Joliet Township High School, and William Rainey Harper, President of the University of Chicago. The college's initial enrollment was six students. Today, JJC serves more than 27,000 students in credit classes and noncredit courses.

Established in 1973, the Joliet Junior College Foundation – a separate 501c3 - has been instrumental in providing financial assistance to students pursuing their academic goals at Joliet Junior College. Over the past 50 years, the Foundation has seen remarkable growth, with total assets surpassing $36 million and $18.5 million in endowments. The Foundation awarded $1,000,522 in donor-funded scholarships to students in the 2023-24 school year. The substantial amount awarded positions the JJC Foundation as one of the leading entities among Illinois community college foundations, emphasizing its commitment to fostering educational advancement and access.

Students at JJC have the opportunity to earn more than 180 degree and certificate programs across nine pathways : Agricultural Sciences & Veterinary Technology; Architecture, Manufacturing, & Automotive; Business, Finance & Information Technology; Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism; Health, Public Safety, & Human Services; Liberal & Fine Arts; Social & Behavioral Sciences; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM); Workforce Training.

Joliet Junior College has established itself as a statewide leader in dual credit enrollment, reporting a record 23.93% increase in dual credit enrollment hours from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023. This is the first milestone since the Fall 2022 introduction of the an aggressive dual-credit that encourages the 40,000 high school students in Illinois Community College District 525 to earn 12 college credits for $12 per credit hour by 12th grade.

Leadership

JJC is directly governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees, all of whom are elected from within the district for six-year terms. A student representative, elected annually by the student body, is a non-voting member of the Board. The officers of the Board are chairman, vice chairman and secretary, all of whom are elected by their peers for a one-year term.

President Clyne Namuo

Dr. Clyne Namuo joined JJC in July 2022 as the institution’s 10th president. He has set forth an aggressive agenda for JJC which includes; the 12x12x12 dual credit initiative, expansion of the College’s presence into neighboring Grundy County, support for first-generation students through the Namuo Family Scholarship and the Roots & Branches storytelling project.

Namuo holds a doctor of philosophy degree in higher education strategy from the University of Arizona’s Center for the Study of Higher Education, a master’s degree in information systems from San Diego State University, and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Hawaii.

Dr. Yolanda Farmer is the inaugural Executive Vice President (EVP) at JJC. She serves as the strategic institutional partner for the college president and provides leadership for the Academic Affairs, Finance & Administrative Services, Information Technology, and Student Development divisions.

Prior to her time as EVP, Dr. Farmer served as the Vice President for Student Development for nine years, championing many initiatives to advance accessible and diverse student services and resources. Dr. Farmer has held many respected positions in the State of Illinois, such as the dean of Student Services at Moraine Valley Community College, director of Minority Student Affairs at JJC, and assistant dean of students at DePaul University.

Dr. Farmer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from DePaul University.

ABOUT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology at Joliet Junior College is a mission critical division that enables the academic and administrative work of the campus to flourish. Modernization of the IT infrastructure is a strategic priority of the President. The College is currently undergoing large transitions from on premises to cloud technologies. At the forefront of these initiatives is a side-by-side ERP system migration; in 2022 the College migrated finance and HR to Workday, and in 2024 a decision was made to implement Ellucian Colleague as the student information system, which the next CIO will be responsible for deploying.

In the last two years, JJC has deployed Canyon GBS to support with AI Solutions and data infrastructure across campus. As the College moves to a cloud-based environment, ensuring that data is clean, secure, and accurate is key to developing a successful environment for data utilization.

The College’s information technology division includes 40 staff across IT, several with deep, historical perspective of the College. While a separate unit, the JJC iCAMPUS is a close partner to IT and supports the online learning and educational technology components of the College.

The IT staff are represented by the Technical Office Support Staff Council of Joliet Junior College, a union with the College American Federation of Teachers.

THE ROLE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

As a member of the College’s executive leadership team, the CIO participates in and contributes to overall College business strategy development, bringing a current knowledge and future vision of leveraging information and technology in business model design, business process re-engineering, products and services development, and support for competitive advantage. The CIO reports to and works closely with the Executive Vice President, and collaborates with other campus leaders, including the President’s cabinet, senior leaders across the college, deans of the colleges, and department leaders. The CIO currently has four direct reports, including the Senior Director of Information Security; Director, Enterprise Applications; Director, Project Management and Enterprise Architecture; and Director, Technology Support and Media Services.

Through collaboration across the College, the CIO envisions, establishes, and advances college-wide

IT strategies, policies, and standards. The CIO must be an effective and compelling leader within the broader campus community, establishing the strategic vision, opportunities, and costs to senior administration and sharing with the campus community the division's capabilities, recommendations, policies, and decisions.

The CIO is responsible for the $10.6 million operational budget for IT in addition to the annual budget for the acquisition of hardware and software purchases / replacements, technology support, media services and telecommunications, as well as the management and deployment of student technology fees. With an eye toward fiscal stewardship, the CIO will review and recommend all contracts for the purchase, lease, and maintenance of hardware and software, services and communications equipment to meet the computing needs of the College.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The CIO will be expected and empowered to :

Develop a strategic plan for information technology across JJC

Joliet Junior College is continuing to grow enrollments, bucking national trends, and technology should be at the forefront of driving strategy across the College. The CIO will develop an achievable but cutting-edge set of goals outlined in a strategic plan for technology across campus, ensuring the proper mechanisms and supports are in place to empower the JJC community to leverage technology as a driver in the work of the College. The CIO should not leverage innovation without purpose; they should be aware of best practices and national trends and have a keen understanding of how technology can be utilized to increase efficiency, reduce redundancies, and enable the mission of JJC.

JJC serves a diverse population in every sense of the word, and the CIO should consider how technology can continue to serve and enhance the experience of all students, staff, and faculty. Technology should be deployed to enhance every community member’s experience.

Advocate for the role of IT across the College

The CIO will be the executive leader and advocate for the role of technology at JJC, playing a key role in the President’s cabinet. The CIO will underscore a culture of transparent communication with the JJC community around the work of IT, and engage the community in feedback and vision building for IT. Building these relationships will ensure that IT strategies are in lockstep with what best serves the community of JJC and the strategic priorities of the leadership.

As JJC commits to the side-by-side ERP model of Colleague and Workday, the CIO will endeavor to advocate for support and resources for IT, and highlight the accomplishments of the IT staff. This will be an expansive project, and will require a CIO adept at communication, problem solving, change management, and collaboration.

Bolster information security across the College

JJC is keenly focused on maintaining a robust, effective information security program. The CIO will provide leadership, oversight, and direction of the College’s cybersecurity strategy, audit, risk, and compliance efforts while ensuring the protection of information assets. With the threat landscape evolving and expanding every day, the next CIO will bring a proven track record of managing organizations to high security standards. At the same time, the CIO must understand the principles of privacy and rights to access.

Evaluate and modernize IT infrastructure across campus

As a leading technology executive, the CIO will engage in evaluating the current state of the IT infrastructure across campus and offering cost-effective solutions for modernization and efficiency of the IT apparatus to meet the needs of the campus. The CIO will provide oversight for the design, development, operation and support of IT systems and programs, including enterprise architecture management, application management, security and risk management, and infrastructure and operations support management.

JJC has engaged consultants in taking a close look at the effectiveness of the IT infrastructure across campus. There are opportunities to establish IT infrastructure across campus where there has been none, such as partnering with Student Development in considering implementing a CRM to serve the needs of students across campus.

Effectively lead, organize, and invigorate the IT staff

The CIO will partner with HR and the IT leadership team to develop an IT "people strategy" that aligns with the business and IT strategy, ensuring the IT staff are organized in a manner that best supports the split ERP model and drives efficiency. An adept recruiter and manager, the CIO will continually seek leading-edge and innovative solutions to the recruitment, development and retention of the IT workforce.

The CIO will be a leader with a passion for fostering professional development pathways and opportunities for growth. The CIO will be a dedicated manager and partner to the IT staff, with a willingness to lead by example, a commitment to seeking resources for professional growth, and an eye for an organizational structure that utilizes the talent across IT at JJC. The CIO will be a cheerleader for the IT staff, voicing their accomplishments and growth across the JJC community.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

This position requires a leader with broad technology knowledge. A service-oriented leader and listener, the CIO will have a record of building and leading high-performing teams, establishing and sustaining productive working relationships with a range of constituencies, and achieving results through collaboration and influence. The successful candidate will understand the importance of recruiting, developing, and leading a diverse and vibrant workforce.

The successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications, skills, experience, and personal qualities :

• A deep understanding of trends in information technology and issues in higher education is essential, as is demonstrated effectiveness in planning and innovative leadership experience in the information technology field.
• Exceptional leadership skills, effective influencing and negotiation skills with the ability to drive organizational change. Excellent analytical, strategic conceptual thinking, IT strategic planning and execution, and organization design and development skills with deep understanding of current and emerging technologies.
• Demonstrated successful experience in integrating information systems, resources, and services in support of academic and / or administrative functions.
• Demonstrated ability to further the goals of computing, information, and instructional technologies to support the teaching and research of the faculty and the learning outcomes of students.
• Expertise in budget planning and financial management. Ability to identify and leverage resources internally and externally to enhance capabilities that drive digital business.
• Strong administrative, interpersonal, collaborative, and team leadership skills are also required, as is a commitment to the highest ethical standards.
• Demonstrated commitment to the college's core values of respect and inclusion, sustainability, integrity, collaboration, humor and well-being, innovation and quality.
• Ten years of increasing and broad-based responsibility in IT or a related field.
• An advanced degree is preferred.

Compensation

The anticipated salary range for the role is $135K-$203K (midpoint 169K).

APPLICATIONS, NOMINATIONS, AND INQUIRIES

Confidential inquiries, nominations / referrals, and applications (including resumes and letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be sent electronically to the Isaacson, Miller executive search team via the link below.