ASU Deputy CIO Chris Richardson joins the Arizona Department of Education as Interim CIO

UTO is sharing some exciting news about one of our leaders. Our own Chris Richardson  has agreed to take on an interim role at the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) as their Chief Information Officer through the end of the calendar year. His role there begins Monday, June 28, 2021.

ADE is the State agency tasked with overseeing Arizona's K-12 public education system, and it comprises 600+ staff across four state offices working to serve Arizona's students, families, educators and school communities.

“I am looking forward to working with the Arizona Department of Education leadership and IT team in their path to continue modernizing their technology capabilities as ADE satisfies their mission: Equity for all students to achieve their full potential," shared Chris.

"Digital Transformation is a team sport and many of the things I've learned here at ASU will be directly applicable to this new role: the effort to set a clear IT vision and strategy, the power of collaboration, the deep understanding of functional processes not just technical processes, and the intentional focus on an inclusive culture.”

Chris will still be employed with ASU and UTO looks forward to him returning to his post here in January 2022.

Given his tremendous skill set and track record around product leadership, smart infrastructure and mobility -- to name a few key areas -- Chris will take the ADE to a whole new level as their interim CIO. Furthermore, this is a great opportunity to foster unprecedented collaboration between ASU and ADE with him at the helm. 

"I'm grateful to ASU for allowing me the opportunity to help advance another organization while augmenting my own skills as a leader," said Chris. "It also makes me proud to see such a strong example of the third aspect of ASU's charter 'assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.'”

Please join us in extending a hearty congratulations to our colleague, Chris!