SC State University has announced the hiring of Travis Johnson as the new Chief Information Officer (CIO). Johnson will lead the University Computing and Information Technology Services (UCITS) department on campus. After an extensive search and a series of interviews, he was selected as the most qualified candidate to fulfill the university’s technological objectives.
As CIO, Johnson will focus on keeping the university’s technology up to date, overseeing the technology infrastructure of the university and educating faculty, staff and students about the safe and correct usage of technology and software. He plans to emphasize the importance of cyber-security and proper use of all technology, which will help keep the campus community safe and productive.
“I believe the university is on solid ground. The leadership is supportive of building an even stronger technology infrastructure, and I am excited to lead the UCITS team as we fulfill the university’s mission. I am committed to supporting the delivery of quality education to SCSU students,” Johnson said.
He previously held key positions as an information technology professional at several South Carolina and North Carolina institutions, including Voorhees College and Johnson C. Smith University. Johnson’s skills have propelled him to leadership positions where he has served as director of Information Technology at Denmark Technical College and CIO at Benedict College and Newberry College.
“I look forward to contributing to SC State’s status as not only a premier HBCU in the Southeast, but a premiere university, overall, in the Southeast. I want to make sure we access cutting-edge technology and use it in a cutting- edge way,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s view of SC State as a premiere institution includes his awareness of how technology influences all facets of the university, including student success and retention. He is interested in using his versatility and skills to assist student support and retention offices, particularly during the pivot the university has made to remote learning for fall 2020, due to COVID-19 safety precautions.
Johnson is enthusiastic about building relationships across campus and beyond, and welcomes communication with faculty, staff and students.
In addition to working in higher education, Johnson is a former board member of the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board. He also worked for former South Carolina State Rep. Joseph “Joe” Neal of the Ways and Means Committee, and former President Barack Obama’s South Carolina primary presidential campaign from 2007 to 2008. His political career expanded from numerous counties in South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana.
Johnson is a native of Aiken, South Carolina and an alumnus of Claflin University, ’05. In addition to his degree in computer science, he has earned multiple information technology certifications and is completing his master’s degree in information technology/database management.
For more information, contact Chaundra Mikell Yudchenko at cmikell1@scsu.edu.
