Steven.Burrell@nau.edu | Curriculum Vitae
Personal Mission
Live well, love all, serve others above self, and do good things.
Dr. Burrell’s personal mission aligns closely with his professional life, which has been to advance the mission of higher education, creating access and opportunity for all students and helping them navigate pathways to greater prosperity for their families; enabling discovery and sharing of new knowledge; creating high-performing service organizations; fostering a culture of innovation that brings forth new capabilities that yield greater efficiencies and effectiveness; and developing future leaders who will enthusiastically and thoughtfully show us the way forward. Throughout his journey, he has come to understand and appreciate that all technology stories are stories about people.
Biography
Dr. Steven Burrell is a thought leader, author, strategist, and futurist with more than four decades of higher education technology leadership experience, serving as CIO at five different institutions until his recent retirement from Northern Arizona University.
Professional Journey and Leadership
His tenure in leadership has been marked by:
- Institutional Strategy: Leading the development and execution of complex state-wide and institutional policy, plans, and initiatives around technology services.
- Digital Transformation: Championing access to higher education, technology, community development, and the creation of national infrastructure to foster innovation and transformation.
- Mentorship and Education: A cornerstone of his career is his deep involvement in fostering opportunities, support, and advocacy for emerging IT professionals in higher education to reach senior leadership roles. His roles as a founding member and mentor of the Next Leaders Fellowship (NLF), a Faculty Member and Mentor for EDUCAUSE programs like the Leadership Institute, and his participation in the Internet2 Community Leadership and Culture Initiative and the Vantage Leadership Lounge are just a few ways he works to ensure a strong leadership pipeline for higher education.
Strategic Leadership and Advisory Roles
Beyond his institutional CIO roles, Dr. Burrell is a sought-after advisor who bridges the gap between educational needs and industry innovation. His influence is felt across the public, private, and non-profit sectors:
- Arizona Governor’s Taskforce on AI: Dr Burrell was invited to participate in Governor Katie Hobb’s taskforce to advise on the adoption and adaptation of AI policy and resources Arizona.
- Indigenous Nation Technology Planning: Dr. Burrell served the Navajo Nation in helping identify strategies and approaches to advancing technologicaldevelopmentand supporting the development of digital infrastructure for the nation. During COVID he was instrumental in creating internet access for students and people of the Navajo, Hopi, and Havasupai communities. His leadership in the Sun Corridor Network organization resulted in the State of Arizona’s funding of a state-wide fiber network connecting rural Arizona communities, bridging the digital divide and creating opportunity and resilience for a digital economy
- Global Industry Advisory: He has provided critical guidance to the world’s leading technology providers, serving on the International CIO Advisory Boards for both Microsoft (2018–2026) and Salesforce (2017–2024) among other firms during his career.
- Statewide Policy and Shared Services: Dr. Burrell serves as a Senior Advisor to the California Higher Education Collaborative Services (CHECS), fostering collaboration across California’s public higher education segments. He also serves as a member of the Arizona Governor’s AI Taskforce, advising on state-level policy and the societal impacts of artificial intelligence.
- Regional and Research Infrastructure: He has been a key contributor to the advancement of high-speed research networking, serving as a member of the Sun Corridor Network (SCN), Arizona’s Research and Education Network. Furthermore, he has been actively involved with Internet2 (I2), participating in the community that drives the nation’s largest and fastest research and education network to support advanced scientific discovery and innovative teaching.
Author of The Smart Campus Manifesto and The CIO Job Profile and Performance Model
Dr. Burrell is the author of The Smart Campus Manifesto: Transforming IT and OT for the AI-Enabled Sustainable Smart Campus. In this seminal work, he defines the “sentient campus”—an antifragile living ecosystem capable of sensing, learning, and responding through the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT).
He also authored The CIO Job Profile and Performance Model, a comprehensive framework for developing, hiring, and evaluating IT leaders.
Thought Leadership and Key Publications
A prolific writer and speaker, Dr. Burrell has consistently contributed to the body of knowledge in higher education technology.
His thought leadership has been featured in major industry publications and research frameworks and is a frequent speaker at conferences and gatherings.
- Keynote Address: New Mexico Technology in Education. “Leading the AI Revolution: Strategies for Human-Centric AI Transformation at Every Institution”
- Strategic Frameworks and Blueprints: He authored the “Digital Campus Blueprint: The Framework for Improving Service and Faculty Use of Technology While Reducing Costs” for EDUCAUSE, providing a roadmap for institutional efficiency.
- Organizational Research: His doctoral work, “The Effects of Recognition on the Propensity to Leave of Information Technology Staff,” offers critical insights into workforce retention and management.
- Featured Leadership Profiles: His innovative approach to IT leadership has been profiled in Toggle Magazine, specifically detailing how he led Northern Arizona University to adopt a “bold, frontier-town IT spirit” to drive digital transformation.
- Technology Trends: He has authored chapters on governance and service satisfaction, including contributions to the “Inside the Minds” series by Thomson Reuters/Aspatore.
- Advocacy and History: A long-standing advocate for technology in service of the community, he presented on interactive television networks for rural health and education to U.S. Senator Bob Dole as early as 1990.
Current Focus
Now an independent author and consultant, Dr. Burrell supports institutional leaders through the significant transformation of today’s campuses. When not helping institutions imagine the future, he enjoys playing the guitar and native American flute and outdoor activities.
Educational Foundation Dr. Burrell holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Education Administration and an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from Georgia Southern University. He also holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from Plymouth State University and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science from Sterling College. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management and a certified ITIL Foundations professional.
See Dr. Burrell’s Curriculum Vitae for a full list of publications, presentations, workshops, and collaborations.