UVA Names Kelly Doney as Next Chief Information Officer

The University of Virginia announced on Wednesday the appointment of Kelly P. Doney to serve as its next vice president and chief information officer.

Doney brings decades of experience in higher education, technology and management consulting, most recently serving as vice president and chief information officer at Villanova University. At UVA, Doney will be responsible for oversight of areas including the planning and delivery of central information technology applications, infrastructure, support, information security and policy, and research computing.

“I am thrilled to welcome Kelly Doney to the University of Virginia and eager to collaborate with her to develop and implement an enterprise technology vision that enables our entire University community to thrive in the years ahead,” Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer J.J. Wagner Davis said. “Kelly brings an impressive depth of technology and leadership experience, and an engaging, team-based approach that places great value on building relationships. I’m excited to welcome her to Grounds.”

Doney’s responsibilities at Villanova in many ways align with what the CIO role entails on Grounds. At Villanova, she manages a team of 120 people responsible for IT services ranging from research computing and information security to academic technologies and the administrative computing systems (including human resources, finance and the student information system), infrastructure (including wired and wireless networks, storage and phones), as well as business intelligence and analytics. She and her team developed an IT strategic plan that aligns with strategic priorities, and obtained the Villanova Board of Trustees’ approval to expand the university’s information security program, including an enhanced backup program that improves protection against cyber threats such as ransomware attacks.

“I’m honored and humbled by the opportunity to contribute to the work of an institution like the University of Virginia,” Doney said. “I look forward to supporting and collaborating with the entire University community to use technology in ways that enable the institution to best pursue its missions of educating students, conducting meaningful research and providing world-class patient care.”

A committee led by Assistant Vice President for Compliance Gary Nimax and Vice Provost Anda Webb conducted the nationwide search for the new CIO.

Prior to her time at Villanova, Doney served as vice president of digital transformation at Ellucian Inc., a Reston-based provider of software and services to the global higher education market. She previously was associate vice president for enterprise applications at Georgetown University, and has served in IT management and consulting roles at several other organizations, including Deloitte Consulting and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Doney earned her bachelor’s degree in music and psychology from Ithaca College, and a Master of Science degree in experimental psychology from Syracuse University. She completed post-master’s graduate work at Rice University.

She begins work at UVA on Aug. 14. Doney succeeds Interim Vice President and CIO Dana German, who has served in that role since Jan. 1.

“Dana German deserves a huge ‘thank you’ from the leadership team, and from the entire University community, for filling this important interim role, and doing so with such skill and grace,” Davis said. “Her experience in our organization allowed her to provide seamless and dependable leadership, and I am truly grateful for her service.”

German moved into the interim CIO position when former Chief Information Officer Virginia Evans announced that she would step down from the role she had served in since 2014. With Doney’s arrival, German will return to her prior role as deputy CIO.

When she arrives, Doney will lead a sophisticated technology enterprise that efficiently and securely provides IT services to a University community that has more than 28,000 employees, 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students, a growing medical center and a robust research enterprise.