Name: New York/New Jersey Higher Education IT Leadership Summit 2025
Start: 2025-10-15T08:00
Location: New Jersey Institute of Technology - Central King Building

Overview

2025 New York/New Jersey Higher Education IT Leadership Summit: Planning for the Future of Technology in Higher Education

Colleges and universities in New York and New Jersey, like those across the country, are at a transformative moment. As they adapt to shifting demographics, evolving student needs, and changing funding models, the role of technology has never been more essential—or full of opportunity. IT leaders are uniquely positioned to help their colleges and universities thrive by enabling innovation, advancing data-informed decision-making, and improving institutional and student outcomes.

The 2025 Higher Education IT Leadership Summit brings together senior technology and institutional leaders for a day of strategic exchange, peer learning, and collaborative exploration. The Summit agenda reflects the priorities identified by the Advisory Board, offering a balance of strategic insight and practical relevance. While the full agenda will span a range of leadership and operational topics, the Summit is grounded in the issues top of mind for today’s higher education CIOs. These include building digital trust; data and technology governance; modernizing systems; IT organizational models and decision-making structures; aligning AI and data strategies with institutional priorities and mission; navigating the evolving cybersecurity and risk landscape; and strengthening the IT staff talent pipeline. A key focus of this year’s summit is the opportunity—and necessity—to take a fresh look at legacy infrastructure, systems, and policies that have evolved over time. Aligning these foundational elements with today’s institutional strategies is critical to ensuring that IT remains affordable, agile, and sustainable for the future.

These priorities—whether addressed in sessions, panels, or conversations throughout the day—will shape the dialogue and can lead to meaningful relationships afterwards. This Summit is a platform for fresh thinking and actionable solutions. Attendees will leave informed, inspired and equipped to elevate IT as a driver of institutional agility, academic excellence, and long-term success in a dynamic digital landscape.

Participants are encouraged to come ready to share their real-world challenges, engage actively in sessions, and contribute to a collaborative, solution-focused environment.

Who Should Attend
Senior and emerging IT leaders in higher education including, CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, Deputy CIOs/CTOs, IT Directors, System Managers, and those leading digital transformation, infrastructure, and learning technology initiatives.

Summit Objectives
• Foster Collaboration: Connect locally with higher ed IT leaders to exchange strategies, insights, and best practices in a face-to-face, peer-driven environment.
• Showcase Innovation: Explore real-world examples of how technology is transforming teaching, learning, and campus operations.
• Develop Leadership: Gain practical guidance and peer insights to grow leadership skills and advance both career and institutional goals.
• Tackle Top Challenges: Dive into critical topics like AI, system modernization, cybersecurity, privacy, cloud scalability, and managing limited budgets.
• Explore What’s Next: Discover future trends in higher ed tech and how they’ll shape IT strategy, workforce needs, and institutional success.

Why Attend
• Designed for You: Free for higher education professionals. Sized for meaningful engagement—limited to 60 invited attendees.
• Local & Convenient: Held in-state to eliminate costly travel and time away.
• Expert Insights: Hear directly from thought leaders, colleagues, and practitioners on pressing IT challenges and innovations.
• High-Value Networking: Build lasting connections with peers, partners, and potential collaborators in a focused, in-person setting.

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Brian Cohen

Vice President, Center for Digital Government and Center for Digital Education

Brian Cohen is the vice president of the Center for Digital Government and Center for Digital Education, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government and education. Prior to joining the Center, Brian was vice chancellor and University CIO for the City University of New York (CUNY).
As the vice chancellor and University CIO at CUNY, Brian directed the Office of Computing and Information Services (CIS), developed and managed the enterprise IT vision, strategy and day-to-day technology operations of the University. His areas of focus included academic and business systems, cloud strategies, IT policies and procedures, cybersecurity, project management, IT resiliency and disaster recovery and network and telecommunications.
Brian also served in leadership roles with the City of New York. Among his many accomplishments, Brian developed the City of New York’s e-Government strategy, implemented the City’s award-winning nyc.gov website and managed the City’s effort to address the Y2K technology challenge.

Walead Abdrabouh

Director, Information Systems and Business Intelligence, Stockton University 

Walead Abdrabouh is the Director of Information Systems & Business Intelligence at Stockton University. With twenty-five (25) years in higher education, Abdrabouh has served as an IT Director, software designer, and AI researcher. Abdrabouh holds a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University, an M.B.A. from Stockton University, and is a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) candidate in Organizational Leadership, with a research focus on "Pedagogical Responses to Generative AI in Higher Education". Abdrabouh has a passion for community advocacy, equitable access to technology, and exploring the impact of AI on pedagogy in higher education.

Allison Dean

Account executive, Pathify 

Allison is a passionate higher education professional dedicated to improving student success through the use of technology. She aims to partner with leaders across campus to create efficiencies within the day-to-day work.  Ultimately, this partnership enhances assessment practices, promotes student success and creates confidence in long-term sustainability and growth of campus initiatives. 
Allison spent over eight years on campus working directly with students through roles as an academic advisor and learning specialist over a variety of student success and retention initiatives. From running Summer Bridge, tutoring, mentoring and FYE courses, her work is  driven by academic success, self-advocacy and learning skills. 
Over her career, she made the pivot from being in front of the classroom teaching study-skill strategies to working behind the scenes partnering with campus administrators at various colleges and universities through technology.  Ultimately, our collaboration and partnership should create a positive impact across an entire campus community.

Adam Eckhard

Director of Systems Engineering/Public Sector, Fortinet, Inc. 

Adam Eckhard is a Director of Systems Engineering with Fortinet responsible for Public Sector accounts in the Northeast. He has provided strategic solutions and in-depth technical knowledge in order to design, implement and secure enterprise environments across all market segments. Adam joined Fortinet in 2004 and brings 20 years of IT security experience.

Adrienne Garber, JD, M.Ed.

Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education, Dell Technologies 

Adrienne Garber is a Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education at Dell Technologies. She is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has been involved with Dell Technologies in various capacities since July 2019.
Adrienne has been improving teaching, learning and technology in higher education for the past 20 years. She has an extensive background in instructional design, faculty development, program assessment, and education technology project management.
At Dell, she supports strategy development for higher education leadership in five keys areas: student and institutional success, teaching and learning, research, security, and IT infrastructure. She also has experience designing and building esports and gaming spaces on college campuses for Alienware, Dell’s award-winning gaming hardware brand.

Emma Knape

Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology 

My name is Emma Knape and I am a Mechanical Engineering student with a background in Supply Chain and Logistics. I currently serve as the Drivetrain Lead for NJIT's collegiate Baja SAE racing team, Highlander Racing, and am the Newark College of Engineering's Social Media Content Manager.

Garrett McAlister

Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Westchester Community College, SUNY 

Garrett McAlister serves as Vice President and Chief Information Officer at SUNY Westchester Community College, where he leads the college’s strategic and operational technology initiatives. With over 30 years of experience in information technology across both higher education and the private sector, Garrett brings a forward-thinking, service-driven approach to digital transformation, cybersecurity, and innovation. In addition to his administrative leadership, Garrett is an adjunct professor of cybersecurity and an active member of the Westchester County Government Cybersecurity Task Force and the Higher Education IT Strategy Leadership Council.
His prior industry experience includes senior IT leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Comdisco, SunGard, Quest Diagnostics, and Thomson Reuters. Garrett holds a B.S. in Computer Information Systems, an M.S. in Management Information Systems, a Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security Studies. He is also a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy, the SUNY CIO Leadership Academy, and the Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) program at Rutgers University’s Public Technology Institute.

Richa Singh

Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Richa Singh, a data enthusiast and an alumna of NJIT. Currently working as Data Modeler at NJIT with 3+ years of professional work experience.

Suman Taneja

Deputy Chief Information Officer, Hunter College, City University of New York 

Suman Taneja has extensive experience in IT strategy, software development, commercial-off-the shelf (COTS) implementation, Cyber-security, process re-engineering, and organizational change management. His expertise lies in harnessing technology to drive business innovation and improvement. His approach combines innovation with practicality, ensuring that technological advancements translate into tangible benefits. Suman has successfully managed complex technology projects in Education, Healthcare, Utility, Distribution and Financial Services industries, as well as in State and Local government. 
Suman joined the City University of New York (CUNY) in 2006 as the Project Director of CUNYfirst, the largest ERP implementation for Higher Education in North America. From 2017 to 2022, as Executive Director of Technology Strategy at CUNY, Suman oversaw a portfolio of strategic IT initiatives with a focus on student success, productivity, and service improvements. He is currently working as the Deputy Chief Information Officer at Hunter College.
Prior to joining CUNY, Suman worked for IBM Corporation for 30 years, rapidly rising through the technical, marketing and consulting ranks to the position of Partner and Practice Lead in IBM Business Consulting Services. During his career at IBM, Suman led various quality circles focused on process and customer service improvements. He won several distinguished awards at IBM for excellence in customer service, productivity improvements and team building. These awards, given to a select group of IBMers, include the Customer Champion Award, National Director of the IBM Achiever’s Forum, Management Excellence Awards and Professional Leadership Award. 

View Speakers

Agenda

Wednesday, October 15
8:30 am Eastern	Registration and Continental Breakfast Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)
9:00 am Eastern	Opening Remarks Agile Strategy Lab (L-70) Brian Cohen, Vice President, The Center for Digital Education
9:15 am Eastern	Reimagining the Digital Campus — Meeting Student Expectations Agile Strategy Lab (L-70) Today’s students arrive with consumer-grade digital expectations: seamless, mobile-first, and highly personalized. How can institutions redesign the “digital campus” to match these expectations? This session will explore student perspectives, the technology investments institutions are making, and how CIOs can partner with academic and student affairs leaders to improve the overall student digital experience. Key Session Take-Aways Attendees Will Leave With: A clearer picture of how students’ consumer-grade expectations are shaping the idea of a “digital campus” Examples of technology investments institutions are pursuing to enhance the student digital journey An understanding of how CIOs can collaborate with academic and student affairs leaders to improve digital experiences Ideas to begin bridging the gap between student expectations and current institutional capabilities Moderator: Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education Walead Abdrabouh, Director, Information Systems and Business Intelligence, Stockton University Allison Dean, Account executive, Pathify Pooja Goel, Associate Vice President for Enterprise Applications & Associate Chief Information Officer, New Jersey Institute of Technology Dilawar Grewal, Assistant Vice President and CIO, Hostos Community College Emma Knape, Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology Richa Singh, Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology
10:15 am Eastern	Networking Break Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)
10:30 am Eastern	Shared Services, Collaboration, and the Future of Infrastructure Agile Strategy Lab (L-70) With IT costs rising and demand for new capabilities uneven across institutions, collaboration is becoming essential. This session will look at how higher education leaders in NY and NJ can work together on shared services, data centers, cloud strategies, and emerging compute needs. Panelists will share examples of successful collaborations, what’s holding others back, and what the path forward looks like for regional consortia. Key Session Take-Aways Attendees Will Leave With: A better appreciation of the potential value of shared services and regional collaboration to manage costs and expand capabilities Insights from real-world examples of institutional collaboration on infrastructure, cloud, and computing needs Awareness of the organizational, financial, and cultural barriers that commonly slow or block collaboration Initial considerations for exploring partnerships or collaborations that could fit their own institutional context Moderator: Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education Angela Chen, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, University of Delaware David Michael Chun, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Montclair State University Adam Eckhard, Director of Systems Engineering/Public Sector, Fortinet, Inc. Adrienne Garber, Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education, Dell Technologies Garrett McAlister, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Westchester Community College, SUNY
11:30 am Eastern	Governance 2.0: Reimagining IT Governance for Today’s Higher Education Landscape Agile Strategy Lab (L-70) Over the years, colleges and universities have built layers of IT policies, procedures, and decision-making structures, often in response to immediate needs, crises, or compliance pressures. The result is frequently a patchwork of informal and formal governance models that struggle to keep pace with today’s realities: rapid technological change, heightened cyber and data demands, AI adoption, and evolving leadership priorities. This collaborative workshop session will invite Summit attendees to rethink IT governance for today’s higher education environment. Together, participants will explore how to transform legacy governance into a more cohesive and strategic “Governance 2.0” framework—one that clearly defines ownership and decision-making authority, encourages inclusive and transparent input, elevates governance awareness across the institution, and aligns IT governance with mission, strategy, and institutional priorities. Key Session Take-Aways Attendees Will Leave With: A view on the limitations of legacy governance models in today’s fast-changing technology landscape Perspectives on alternative approaches to clarifying ownership, decision-making authority, and transparency Strategies for engaging more stakeholders and elevating governance awareness across the institution Practical ideas to begin modernizing governance so it better supports agility, accountability, and alignment with mission and strategy Moderator: Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education Gamin Bartle, Chief Information Officer, William Patterson University
12:30 pm Eastern	Lunch and Networking Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)
1:30 pm Eastern	CIO Strategy Playbook: The Next 3–5 Years Agile Strategy Lab (L-70) What should be in every CIO’s strategic playbook for the next five years? This extended 90-minute session will unpack priorities such as driving innovation, aligning AI to institutional missions, modernizing operating models for efficiency, and rethinking shared services and infrastructure investments. A special focus will be placed on identifying viable AI use cases, moving beyond experimentation to scalable, mission-driven applications in student success, research, and operations. Panelists will share how they are reframing their IT roadmaps to anticipate rising costs, evolving technology demands, and heightened expectations from leadership. To close, participants will engage in a collaborative table exercise where they will translate these insights into actionable strategies. Each table will work together to identify one “play” they believe should be in every CIO’s strategy playbook, grounded in their own campus context. The session will conclude with a quick report-out of these takeaways, creating a peer-driven set of ideas attendees can immediately bring back to their institutions. Key Session Take-Aways Attendees Will Leave With: Key themes to consider for a CIO’s strategy playbook, including AI alignment, innovation, and operating model adjustments Awareness of common investment challenges and approaches to making the financial case for technology priorities A sense of why foundational systems (ERP, BI, reporting) remains central to innovation and transformation Examples of AI use cases across student success, research, and operations that show promise for scaling A peer-generated idea or “play” from the interactive exercise that can serve as a starting point for their own strategy conversations Moderator: Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education Suman Taneja, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Hunter College, City University of New York
3:00 pm Eastern	Wrap Up and Closing Remarks Agile Strategy Lab (L-70) Brian Cohen, Vice President, The Center for Digital Education
3:30 pm Eastern	End of Conference Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.

New Jersey Institute of Technology - Central King Building

355 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 596-3000

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New Jersey Institute of Technology - Central King Building

Advisory Board

Education Representatives

Walead Abdrabouh
Director
Information Systems & Business Intelligence
Stockton University

Gamin Bartle
Chief Information Officer
Information Technology
William Paterson University

Angela Chen
Vice President
Information Technologies
University of Delaware

David Michael Chun
Chief Information Officer & Vice President
Montclair State University

Pooja Goel
Associate Vice President for Enterprise Applications & Associate Chief Information Officer
Information Services & Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Dilawar Grewal
Assistant Vice President & Chief Information Officer
CUNY

Garrett McAlister
Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
SUNY Westchester Community College

Michele Norin
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Rutgers University

Jennifer Smith
Associate Vice President of IT Operations
The New School

Made Possible by Our Corporate Sponsors

Registration Information / Contact Us

Event Date: October 15, 2025

Open to higher education institutions only.

Registration - Free

If you represent a Private Sector organization and are interested in Sponsorship Opportunities, please contact Heather Earney.

This event is open to all individuals who meet the eligibility criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or any other protected class. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants.

Contact Information

Need help registering, or have general event questions? Contact:

Jasmin Tetzlaff
Center for Digital Education
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 932-1308
E-mail: jtetzlaff@erepublic.com

Already a sponsor, but need a hand? Reach out to:

Mireya Gaton
Center for Digital Education
A Division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 296-2617
E-mail: mgaton@erepublic.com

Want to sponsor and stand out? Reach out to explore opportunities!

Heather Earney
Center for Digital Education
A Division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 365-2308
E-mail: heather.earney@erepublic.com

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New York/New Jersey Higher Education IT Leadership Summit 2025

Overview

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Brian Cohen

Vice President, Center for Digital Government and Center for Digital Education

Walead Abdrabouh

Director, Information Systems and Business Intelligence, Stockton University

Allison Dean

Adam Eckhard

Director of Systems Engineering/Public Sector, Fortinet, Inc.

Adrienne Garber, JD, M.Ed.

Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education, Dell Technologies

Emma Knape

Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Garrett McAlister

Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Westchester Community College, SUNY

Richa Singh

Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Suman Taneja

Deputy Chief Information Officer, Hunter College, City University of New York

Agenda

Wednesday, October 15

8:30 am Eastern

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

9:00 am Eastern

Opening Remarks

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

9:15 am Eastern

Reimagining the Digital Campus — Meeting Student Expectations

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

10:15 am Eastern

Networking Break

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

10:30 am Eastern

Shared Services, Collaboration, and the Future of Infrastructure

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

11:30 am Eastern

Governance 2.0: Reimagining IT Governance for Today’s Higher Education Landscape

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

12:30 pm Eastern

Lunch and Networking

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

1:30 pm Eastern

CIO Strategy Playbook: The Next 3–5 Years

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

3:00 pm Eastern

Wrap Up and Closing Remarks

Agile Strategy Lab (L-70)

3:30 pm Eastern

End of Conference

New Jersey Institute of Technology - Central King Building

Advisory Board

Education Representatives

Made Possible by Our Corporate Sponsors

Registration Information / Contact Us

Event Date: October 15, 2025

Contact Information

Venue

New Jersey Institute of Technology - Central King Building

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Room Block

Map and Directions

Event Parking

Director, Information Systems and Business Intelligence, Stockton University 

Director of Systems Engineering/Public Sector, Fortinet, Inc. 

Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education, Dell Technologies 

Student, New Jersey Institute of Technology 

Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Westchester Community College, SUNY 

Deputy Chief Information Officer, Hunter College, City University of New York 