Harvard Business School appoints Elizabeth Clark chief information officer

Harvard Business School (HBS) announced the appointment of Elizabeth Clark to the role of chief information officer, effective Jan. 3, 2022. She will oversee a talented group of information technology (IT) professionals committed to helping advance the teaching, learning, research, and administrative mission of HBS.

“HBS is a large and complex organization and technology plays a critical role in enabling the work of the School,” said Angela Crispi, executive dean for administration. “Beth is an accomplished IT leader with deep experience in higher education, IT strategy and governance, and program design and implementation. We have been fortunate to see her leadership abilities up close over the past decade and we are thrilled to have her take on this important role.”

Clark joined HBS in 2012 as managing director of educational technology services. In the intervening years, she has spearheaded initiatives ranging from the successful implementation of several enterprise technology solutions — including Canvas, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zoom — as well as ongoing IT operational improvements to enhance service to the HBS community. Most recently, as deputy CIO, she led the development and deployment of hybrid and virtual classroom models that enabled crucial pedagogical flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also played a critical role in establishing and driving forward HBS IT strategy with an emphasis on delivering value to HBS while strengthening IT security and compliance efforts. She intends to continue being a steadfast advocate for increasing diversity and inclusion in the HBS IT and Harvard University IT communities. She takes the helm at important juncture for the School as it lays out a roadmap to extend and deepen digitization and digital transformation.

Before coming to HBS, Clark was director of instructional design and e-teaching services for Boston College, where she stood up the university’s academic technology practice, developing a robust portfolio of technology systems, services, and programs, and corresponding staffing structures.

Clark holds a PhD in higher education administration from Boston College, a master of social work from Boston University, and a bachelor of arts from the University of Massachusetts. She regularly speaks on topics including IT in higher education, change management, and women in IT, and she has published on women in IT and diversity in higher education.

She recently shared her thoughts on her new role in this Q&A.