Dive Brief:
- Dr. John O'Brien was announced Tuesday as the new president and CEO of Educause by the organization's board of directors.
- O'Brien is the senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and he has also served as North Hennepin Community College president, Century College chief academic officer and acting president, and MnSCU associate vice chancellor of instructional technology, in addition to spending time as faculty at the University of Minnesota and other institutions.
- Outgoing Educause President Diana G. Oblinger plans to step down May 31, with O'Brien officially taking the reins the following day.
Dive Insight:
With more than 2,400 member institutions and corporations globally, Educause is higher ed's largest technology association — and Oblinger has led it for the last decade, moving from vice president to president and CEO in 2008. She'll be leaving big shoes for O'Brien to fill, having overseen significant growth in international participation, membership, new programs, and influence, according to a release. Additionally, she is credited with the creation of the Educause Learning Initiative and the Next Generation Learning Challenges, both of which aim to improve the use of tech in classrooms in different ways.
O'Brien is no stranger to these sorts of initiatives himself, having spearheaded the Minnesota "Students First" program that sought to improve student e-services across 31 institutions. Given his track record, he should be well-prepared to take Educause to the next level.