José C. Rodriguez, an accomplished technology leader whose career epitomizes the value of working across academic disciplines, will be Pomona College’s next vice president and chief information officer. He starts January 4.
Currently chief information officer at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee,
Rodriguez brings to Pomona more than 25 years of experience in university administration and academic research as well as strategic planning and operations.
At Rhodes, he has worked to bolster tech support for faculty and enhance security. He has extensive experience in Workday implementation processes and at managing computing clusters grants from the National Science Foundation. His academic background reaches from undergraduate and graduate studies in the biological sciences to his work guiding the technology to support language teaching for more than a dozen languages.
“José’s accomplishments in technology leadership, his many years working with a wide range of academic fields and his ability to partner with faculty to advance learning make him the right person to help Pomona move forward in the tech realm,” says Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr.
Rodriguez noted his excitement about joining a community devoted to deep intellectual engagement across fields of study.
“I can’t wait to get to know the ITS staff and the other Claremont IT leaders, exploring where I can support them and innovate together,” says Rodriguez. “I’m also honored to be working with such a terrific leadership team under President Starr.”
At Rhodes, Rodriguez has served on presidential committees focused on areas from academics to health and safety to financial issues. Most recently, he played a central role in carrying out Rhodes’ temporary shift to remote learning during the pandemic.
An entomologist by training, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and his master’s degree at Washington State University. Rodriguez started his career working in a molecular biology lab at Emory University. Working under a researcher interested in technology, Rodriguez carved his career path between academic research and technology.
He worked in support of health sciences and then the humanities in the College of Arts & Sciences. Along the way, he helped launch Emory’s Language Center, directing the technology to support teaching for more than a dozen languages. He last served as director of information technology for the university’s Candler School of Theology before coming to Rhodes in 2018.
As Pomona’s new vice president and CIO, Rodriguez will develop technology strategy in support of the College’s key strategic initiatives, while leading the division of Information Technology Services (ITS). He will serve on President Starr’s executive team.
“We’re thrilled to welcome José to our College community. We have no doubt he will serve as a collaborative leader at Pomona and within The Claremont Colleges,” says President Starr. “Thank you to Maria Watson and the entire committee for successfully completing a national and competitive search.
“I also want to thank Janet Russell for leading our ITS team during this very challenging time. She and her team were instrumental in Pomona’s transition to remote learning during the pandemic and equipping outdoor classrooms as we returned to campus,” adds Starr.