Ohio Higher Education IT Leadership Summit 2026
Overview
Where higher education IT leaders shape what’s next.
The Ohio Higher Education IT Leadership Summit is an exclusive, invite-only gathering for CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and senior IT leaders from higher education institutions across the state. Focused on today’s most critical priorities including cybersecurity, infrastructure, data strategy, AI, and digital learning, this one-day summit delivers actionable insights, real-world strategies, and valuable peer connections. Attendees will engage with peers, exchange ideas, and explore innovative approaches that support institutional goals and drive student and organizational success.
Who Should Attend: Senior IT leaders, technology managers, and academic innovators responsible for shaping and advancing IT strategy within higher education institutions.
Speakers
Adrienne Garber, JD, M.Ed.
Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education, Dell Technologies
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.
Agenda
Thursday, October 22 |
|
8:00 am Eastern |
Registration and Continental Breakfast |
8:30 am Eastern |
Welcome and Opening Remarks |
8:45 am Eastern |
Systemic Risk Under Pressure: Leading Through a Campus Cyber CrisisCyber disruptions can quickly affect vendors, identity systems, communications, and essential campus services. Using a scenario that begins with compromised credentials and escalates into a vendor outage and possible data exposure, panelists will examine incident command, executive notification, legal coordination and recovery priorities. The discussion will identify the information leaders need, the tradeoffs they must escalate, and the preparations required to sustain payroll, learning, public safety and student services during an institution-wide crisis and maintain confidence.
|
9:45 am Eastern |
Networking Break |
10:00 am Eastern |
From Experiment to Institutional Value: Transferable AI Use CasesHigher education leaders need AI use cases that solve meaningful problems and can transfer across institutions. Speakers will examine implementations spanning enterprise operations, departmental work, teaching, learning, and research. Each example will address the problem selected, institutional priority, required data and infrastructure, implementation partners and path from pilot to adoption. The discussion will compare measurable value, total cost, human impact, governance, replication barriers and the conditions another institution would need to adapt each use case.
|
11:00 am Eastern |
The Economics of AI: Funding Experiments, Scaling Value and Managing RiskAI investments introduce variable costs, uncertain benefits, and rapidly changing technology choices. Panelists will compare pilot funding, subscription and consumption models, institutional infrastructure, public cloud services, and centralized or departmental approaches. They will examine total cost beyond licensing, including integration, data preparation, security, training, support, and exit expenses. The discussion will also address how leaders measure value, establish investment stages, manage a portfolio of experiments, and decide when an initiative should stop, continue, or scale.
Adrienne Garber, JD, M.Ed., Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist for Higher Education, Dell Technologies |
12:00 pm Eastern |
Lunch and Networking |
1:00 pm Eastern |
AI Without the Wild West: Building the Campus Operating ModelHigher education institutions are moving quickly from isolated AI experiments toward institution wide adoption. This interactive session will examine how colleges and universities are developing practical operating models for responsible AI use, including governance structures, decision rights, security requirements, use case review, training, and accountability. Through guided peer discussion, attendees will exchange approaches for balancing innovation with institutional risk and explore what is needed to move AI initiatives from experimentation to secure, scalable, and sustainable adoption.
|
2:00 pm Eastern |
The Enrollment Imperative: How Technology Can Strengthen Access, Retention and Workforce RelevanceEnrollment pressures require colleges and universities to rethink how technology can support access, retention, student success, and stronger connections to workforce needs. This session will explore how institutions are using data, digital engagement, automation, analytics, and student facing technologies to identify barriers, improve the student experience, and support learners from recruitment through completion. Panelists will discuss practical strategies for strengthening enrollment and retention while helping academic programs remain responsive to evolving workforce expectations.
|
3:00 pm Eastern |
Closing Remarks |
3:15 pm Eastern |
End of Conference |
Tinkham Veale University Center at Case Western Reserve University
11038 Bellflower Road
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 368-5681
Tinkham Veale University Center at Case Western Reserve University
Advisory Board
Education Representatives
Jim Burke
Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Services
John Carroll University
Micah Cooper
Associate Vice President for Technology & Chief Information Officer
Information Technology
Cedarville University
Bradley Grimm
Assistant Vice President and Division Chief Information Officer
Information Technology
Miami University
Wesam Helou
Chief Information Officer
Information Services and Technology
Cleveland State University
Miroslav Humer
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
[U]Tech
Case Western Reserve University
Gurvinder Rekhi
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Information Technologies
University of Dayton
Pankaj Shaw
Executive Director
Ohio Academic Resources Network
Standish D. Stewart
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Services
Cuyahoga Community College – Jerry Sue Thornton Center
Registration Information / Contact Us
Event Date: October 22, 2026
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:
Sherri Tidwell
Center for Digital Education
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 932-1382
E-mail: stidwell@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