Stephen Hess

CIO, University of Utah and Utah System of Higher Education

Steve Hess, Ph.D., was reappointed as The University of Utah's chief information officer (CIO) in 2015. He also serves as the CIO of the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).

Dr. Hess has had a longstanding career focused on media and technology in higher education, devoting a large part of his career to making educational resources accessible online. Hess has more than 47 years of service with the University of Utah and was CIO from 2007 to 2011. During that time, he was responsible for milestone developments in campuswide information technology strategy and operations and oversaw the Office of Information Technology, Administrative Computing Services, Instructional Media Services and the Center for High Performance Computing. Hess directed the creation of the Utah Education Network, bringing 40 school districts together, along with state libraries and state government, to build a network of online resources for faculty and students. He was also the assistant commissioner of higher education and the CIO for the entire Utah System of Higher Education.

Dr. Hess holds a doctorate in educational administration, with an emphasis in higher education and information technology, from the U.