ASU’s University Technology Office will soon have a new leader to continue the University’s technological improvements.
University Technology Officer and Vice President Adrian Sannier will be leaving his position at ASU on April 9 to go to Pearson eCollege as the education technology company’s vice president of product.
Max Davis-Johnson is the interim chief information officer at the University Technology Office and will be taking Sannier’s place until a permanent decision is made.
Davis-Johnson came to the University about five years ago, a few months before Sannier, and the pair worked closely together the whole time Sannier was at ASU.
“He’s left us in a very good position,” Davis-Johnson said. “We’ve been able to advance technology since Adrian [has been here].”
The office’s mission has always been to keep everything running correctly, but Sannier did more than that, Davis-Johnson said.
“When Adrian came here, not only did he do that, but he started laying new track,” Davis-Johnson said.
This included advancing technology at ASU.
Leah Lommel, the senior director for development at UTO, said in an e-mail that Sannier has done a lot for ASU’s technology system, considering when he arrived it was on the “brink of complete failure.”
“Adrian provided vision on some large-scale initiatives, such as MyASU, that [have] improved students’ experiences extensively,” Lommel said.
ASU will hold a reception for Sannier on April 8 to acknowledge his services.
Sannier couldn’t be reached for comment, as he won’t return from vacation before he transitions to his next position.
There are a few reasons why Sannier left ASU, Davis-Johnson said.
“He’s accomplished a lot here and I think he really wants to influence technology in education,” he said.
Davis-Johnson said Sannier’s new position will give him more of an opportunity to work with the K-12 education level.
“He’s a real strong believer in the use of technology in education,” he said.
There has not been an official job posting for Sannier’s position yet, and the recruitment process generally takes three to six months for a national search.
“Certainly I hope to be considered as a candidate for that position,” Davis-Johnson said. “I’d like to think that I’d be a qualified candidate.”
Davis-Johnson said he was the deputy university technology officer prior to his current position and worked internally in the operations of UTO while Sannier worked on more external affairs.
As the interim CIO, Davis-Johnson is now working on external issues.
“When I say external [I mean] engaging some of our partners or potential partners and also trying to think a little bit more strategic as far as directions for UTO,” Davis-Johnson said.
Davis-Johnson has directed technology projects like PeopleSoft, which is an administrative and student information system that allowed for the development of MyASU.
“I’ve been involved in all of our major initiatives over the last five years,” Davis-Johnson said.
The University Technology Office won’t be idle, even without a permanent replacement, he said.
“Certainly there might be a tendency to sort of wait until a new person came in, but we can’t do that,” Davis-Johnson said. “We can’t afford to wait. We are going to continue to advance.”
Efficiency and reducing costs will be a focus as the office moves forward, as well as advancing certain types of technology, he said.
“Certainly we’re going to continue to make progress on adding features to MyASU and eAdvisor,” Davis-Johnson said.
Ray Jensen, associate vice president for University Business Services, interacted with Sannier on a professional level and knows Davis-Johnson as well.
“I think [Davis-Johnson]’s a very appropriate choice,” Jensen said.
Jensen said he is mostly focused on getting support that is needed for his department as its leadership changes.
“It’s an important position to the University, and I know that Max will get the support that he needs from the University while he fills that interim role,” he said.
Reach the reporter at reweaver@asu.edu
