Cunningham Named IUP Chief Information Officer

Todd Cunningham, who has nearly three decades of experience in higher education information technology, most recently as executive director of Information Technology Services at IUP, has been named IUP's chief information officer.

Cunningham, of Indiana, fills the position formerly held by Bill Balint, who retired from IUP in August.

"As CIO, Todd is responsible for the strategic direction of IUP's IT Services in support of our aim toward being exceptionally student-centered and our teaching and research mission," IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans said, in making the announcement about Cunningham's new position.

"He is well known in the university community for his leadership, teamwork, expertise in sound IT governance practices, strong organizational skills, and commitment to service and to advancing the university on all fronts," she said.

"I am fully confident in Todd's ability to be an effective, collegial, and inspirational leader for IT Services; his willingness to continue to be a key contributor in important university initiatives; and his ability to meet and forecast the needs of the university and our students, now and in the future," Luetkehans said.

As CIO, Cunningham will provide executive-level technical oversight of the university's migration toward the common Student Information System being implemented across all the universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. This collaboration is designed to support cross-registration and academic sharing among State System universities and other technological innovations while ensuring data security.

"It is with great excitement that I embrace both the challenge and the opportunity presented to me as IUP's next CIO," Cunningham said. "I am deeply honored to have the confidence of Dr. Luetkehans. Her trust in my abilities is not only a personal validation but also a cornerstone for our collaborative and transparent efforts moving forward."

"I am incredibly thankful for my IT Services colleagues, past and present," he said. "Their expertise and commitment drive our successes. Their constant pursuit of improvement inspires me daily. Together, we will continue to excel and maintain our reputation as technology leaders."

Cunningham, who began work at IUP in 1996, has been a leader in numerous key university projects and committees, including the University-Wide Retention and Persistence Committee and the University Planning Council, where he was a part of the leadership group responsible for the development and current ongoing implementation of the IUP Strategic Plan.

As a member of the COVID-19 Response Committee, he was charged with facilitating a swift transition to a fully remote workforce and remote learning. The success of this work resulted in IUP receiving the prestigious 2020 Pittsburgh Tech Council Top COVID Pivot Award.

Cunningham was also the project and product manager for IUP's comprehensive multifactor authentication platform, ensuring secure access for employees and students.

Early in his IUP career, he successfully led the merger of the centralized Technology Services Center organization with the decentralized Academic Technology Services organization, integrating the college technology managers into the centralized organization of IT Services.

Since that time, he orchestrated reorganizations within the IT Services organization to adapt to evolving university needs and enhanced service delivery. He continues to review functional business processes, leveraging available tools and technologies to identify and recommend improvements for the benefit of IT through data-driven decision-making for the university community, especially opportunities that benefit students.

In his role as executive director of IT Services, he participated in the management of a multi-million-dollar budget and a team of 40 professionals, encompassing various areas including IT infrastructure, enterprise systems, cloud solutions, and teaching technology.

He is the recipient of the 2022 Research Support and Service Award from the School of Graduate Studies and Research and has been an invited presenter at professional conferences.

Cunningham is a graduate of Duquesne University.

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