With over 15 years of cumulative work experience, Patty is currently the CIO for Babson College, a role she has played for the last 11 years at three different colleges and universities. Beginning her journey in the legal field, she carries experience in software consulting, project management, and information security. She also worked as the director of a PMO office and an Information Security Officer, which led her to the role of a CIO. Patty is also a Board Member at NERCOMP (Northeast Regional Computing Program), and a member of the Workday CIO Advisory Council.

In a recent conversation with the Global Woman Leader Magazine, Patty speaks about the role of emerging technology in educational sector, emphasizing a lack of equitable access to technology. She also underlines the evolution of next generation ERPs and importance of sustainability and environmental consciousness. Read through the article to know more.

How can organizations effectively harness emerging trends and innovations in educational technology to create a seamless and engaging learning experience for students, faculty, and staff, while ensuring priority integration of diverse educational technologies in our increasingly interconnected world?

Keeping up with the latest technology is essential for faculty, staff and students. Faculty who teach in this area need to use new technologies that are influencing the world, such as AI and generative AI, and they need support from their IT teams, which makes good collaboration very important. Faculty work directly with students, but making sure that our communities have the right technology to improve student outcomes is vital job for IT professionals.

At Babson, we support faculty and student needs by providing new and emerging technology. For example, we've been working on a predictive modeling project with the Math department. Post-COVID, students in the United States are struggling with math and STEM courses. We proposed a predictive model to the math faculty, and, in collaboration with our advising staff, we successfully used the model to predict which students would struggle early on. We are now working to expand our pilot, ensuring we support the right populations and leverage the technology properly. Partnerships are essential for this. Additionally, with any emerging technology in higher education, it's crucial to conduct quick pilots to assess success or failure. If it fails, move on quickly. If successful, grow the pilots until the technology is production-ready.

As technology continues to advance, how do we balance the need for innovation with the imperative of maintaining legacy systems, particularly in the context of enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms?

In an ideal world, you want to move away from complex legacy ERP systems that require significant support. If you can move your ERP to a cloud-based SaaS model, it allows you to refocus internal resources on more innovative work. It is also important to balance technology with risk and security. It's important to stay updated on current technology trends and understand the associated risks. Recently, we began exploring AI technology for our faculty, staff, and students. As we rolled out the AI technology, we became aware of the risks of open versus closed systems. Shortly after starting a pilot of this technology about a year ago, we realized the importance of educating our faculty, staff, and students, and providing both the proper technology and guidance on risk and security.

We chose a closed AI system and educated our community on the differences between open and closed systems, highlighting the security risks and the potential for proprietary information leaks with open systems. Balancing these aspects is essential, whether it's for an ERP, a CRM system, or emerging technology like AI.

In the context of project management, what methodologies or approaches have you found most successful in driving large-scale technology initiatives to successful completion while minimizing risks and disruptions?

It's crucial to maintain a strong PMO (Project Management Organization) capable of efficiently tracking projects using standard methodologies. Our PMO team consists of six members overseeing over a hundred projects annually. We utilize tools like Smartsheets for project tracking and emphasize proper communication, collaboration, and meeting minutes. Addressing risk factors and project concerns promptly is also essential, along with ensuring projects remain within budget. Regular meetings are held to monitor deliverables and budget adherence, allowing for swift adjustments if deviations occur. Our approach aligns with established methodologies commonly taught in PMP certification courses.

As organizations strive for inclusivity and accessibility, how do leaders ensure that the technology solutions implemented cater to diverse needs and enable equitable access to education and resources?

Let’s discuss equitable access first. In higher education, there are many trends indicating a lack of equitable access to technology. It's important for leaders to ensure organizations can purchase the proper site licenses so that all faculty, staff, and students have access. For example, when we first started looking at AI, we wanted all students, faculty, and staff to have equal access to this cutting- edge technology. By leveraging one of our existing site licenses, we found technology that provided the latest and greatest to our campus community in a secure manner. Aligning with organizations that have comprehensive site licenses ensures equitable service for all.

Catering to diverse needs is another important point. When implementing technology, it's crucial to consider the user base and use diverse data sets for analytics or modeling. It's essential to have a human in the loop to review the data, ensure its accuracy, and minimize bias, striving for equity. Additionally, having a diverse team is vital, as different perspectives enhance the software during review, testing, and production.

In the increasing importance of sustainability and environmental consciousness, how must leaders incorporate eco-friendly practices into the technological infrastructure and operations of educational organizations?

There is great new technology that can enhance sustainability. Automating lights to turn on and off based on room occupancy and managing temperature controls to adjust levels when rooms are unoccupied can significantly help with sustainability. This requires a partnership between IT, facilities, and faculty to achieve sustainability initiatives and goals, such as carbon neutrality. It's a collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive plan for the institution and determine how to reach those goals.

With the constant evolution of Next Generation ERPs and other enterprise systems, how do we ensure a smooth transition while minimizing disruption and maximizing user adoption across various stakeholders?

In transformational projects like ERPs or CRMs, effective communication, change management, and stakeholder engagement from inception through implementation are crucial. Change can be challenging, and having a dedicated change management professional to listen to stakeholders' needs, offer guidance, provide training, and ensure user requirements are met in the new systems is essential. It's important to communicate the value of the changes, emphasizing the improved experience for students, faculty, and staff, while acknowledging the difficulty of change and providing support throughout the process.

What messages would you like to share with our readers?

The technology field offers fantastic opportunities for women and women leaders, spanning project management, security, software, ERP, CRM, analytics, AI and more. I encourage those interested to consider it as a profession and network with other leaders to find the best path forward.