Information Technology Services (ITS)

How long have you been working in higher education and with the University of Toronto?

I have worked in the higher education and information technology field for 37 years, including seven at U of T.

Tell us about your career path and how you ended up at the U of T as the Chief Information Officer.

My career in higher education began at the University of Guelph where I was a graduate student. I learned a lot about teaching and research, especially in the social sciences and economics. I learned how to use the mainframe computer in my undergrad, was good at statistical computing and I was doing research data management before we called it that. During that time, I had great mentors like Louis Christofides, Ron Elmslie and Mike Ridley. Interesting that, out of the Guelph IT department, there were four of us who have since been CIOs at Queen’s University, McMaster University, U of T, University of British Columbia, Cornell University and Northwestern University. It must have been something in the water.

That experience at Guelph inspired me to pursue the CIO role at Queen’s, which was my alma mater. You can’t pass up the chance to contribute to your alma mater. Then, in 2017, the opportunity to be CIO at U of T came up and, at first, I wasn’t sure about leaving Queen’s and Kingston (I still live there), but then I realized the opportunity this presented. U of T is an amazing institution where the bar is high, and you are inspired every day. I am so grateful for my time spent at U of T.

One of your favourite features in ITS’ In the Loop newsletter is the IT@UofT People Profile. Can you share with us one of your talents or interests outside of work?

I have canoed almost all the major provincial parks in Ontario except those on James Bay – from Frontenac to Algonquin, Lady Evelyn/Temagami, Missinaibi, Killarney, Wabakimi, Quetico and Woodland Caribou. A few of these trips involved loading canoes onto the Canadian (train) and getting off at mile markers in the middle of nowhere at a river or lake. I am hoping to do more of that in retirement.

What have you learned in your role that you will take with you on your journey?

Working in higher education, you are learning every single day – it’s what keeps you energized. I feel I have evolved and matured in my ability to listen and engage with people. I am much better at building relationships, and I feel I am more patient.

What are you proud of achieving alongside your colleagues here at U of T?

That is tough – the team has done so much. I am proud of the work we have accomplished in advancing U of T’s technological infrastructure, fostering innovation and supporting the academic mission. Specifically, The IT@UofT vision and those partnerships or the Information Security strategic plan stand out. And of course, the pivot through COVID.

My top achievement is using my position at U of T to push for our involvement in CanSSOC and ON-CHEC and the national approach to information security – attracting resources, but also doing collectively what we can’t do alone. I could only have done this from U of T.

You frequently speak about your peers in the Candian University Council of CIOs (CUCCIO). Tell us more about what those relationships mean to you.

This is something I will really miss. I have never had a group like this. We share openly and provide therapy for each other (lol). New CIOs from the private sector can’t believe it, but quickly embrace the culture. Sometimes being a CIO in higher education can be challenging and you want to pull your hair out (I am a case in point). Instead, within this group, there is always someone who has time to talk to you, share advice and share in your challenge.

This past year my peers awarded me with CUCIO’s CIO of the Year award. That was very humbling as there are so many amazing leaders in Canada. I learned so much from them, and they are more like family than colleagues. I will miss them a lot.

What will you miss the most about U of T and ITS?

No doubt the people: staff, faculty and the students. I will miss the start of the school year – it brings so much energy to the campus.

What exciting adventures do you have planned during your retirement?

Hopefully, lots of travel. But two of my boys recently bought houses and I look forward to helping them with renovations – that brings me great joy. When they were kids, we worked on our house in Guelph where we built a timber frame addition on a house built in 1872. Now the table is turned.

There is also a rumour that I will be a ‘farfar’ (grandfather) come January – something I am very excited about.

What is the most fun memory you have of your time at U of T?

Are you kidding – there is no fun for a CIO 😉. While at U of T, the Toronto area University CIOs (including retirees like Bob Cook and Bob Gagne) would occasionally go out for dinner. These were always great fun. That reminds me, I need to call the group together before I leave.

If you could have had a different career, what would it have been?

Well, this is becoming a tell all. When I was a kid, I used to take the GO train into the city from Pickering and spent hours at the ROM. I always wanted to be an archaeologist and was totally enthralled with dinosaurs before it was a popular thing. During my undergrad I got to spend two summers working on Fort Frontenac in Kingston – it paid around $3 an hour and I was broke but hooked. At the end of my undergrad I had student debt, interest rates were in double digits and job prospects were poor, so I looked at Wilfred Laurier University and U of T anthropology. At the end of the day, I received a call from David Prescott at Guelph offering me a TA to do a master’s in economics, which was the money I needed – not a lot, but it was more than tuition. It was the beginning of my IT career, and I have no regrets.

P.S. – a few summers ago I got to work revealing tombstones in the basement of the church at Kingston’s lower burial ground where we suspect Molly Brant is buried – a very important figure in our history. I am still hooked.

What are your hopes for the IT@UofT community in the years to come?

I want to see IT@UofT thrive and continue to build out the relationships between all the various IT units on campus. There is so much great talent here that if we all aligned on a shared vision we could achieve so much.

Resources are always tight in a public institution and the current fiscal challenges are more significant than any I have seen in my 37 years. I think U of T is well positioned, but we can’t afford to duplicate efforts. Alex Usher nailed it in a recent blog entitled “No-one is coming to save us”.