The University of Louisville has named Karlis Kaugars, PhD, as its new vice provost for information technology services and chief information officer. Subject to approval of the university’s board of trustees, Kaugars will begin his service April 1.
A strategic information technology (IT) leader, Kaugars brings 30 years of experience working in several IT leadership roles. He comes to UofL from the University of Rhode Island, where he has served as chief information officer and senior advisor to the vice president for administration and finance. Kaugars’ professional experience also includes work in IT leadership roles at several institutions of higher education.
At UofL, Kaugars will oversee Information Technology Services (ITS) and work with executive and senior leadership teams as well as ITS governance committees to set the unit’s strategic vision, establish and maintain policies and provide IT services across the university.
“Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and one of our key tasks in the coming months will be to develop a strategy and approach to keep the university at the forefront of IT nationally,” said Kaugars. “I am excited to engage with academic and administrative units across the university to learn about key technology needs and how we in IT can best support the university’s strategic initiatives.”
Brad Andersen who has served as interim CIO since the fall of 2022 will begin transition planning with Kaugars to prepare for this April 1 start date, at which time Andersen will return to his role on the ITS leadership team as director of enterprise systems.
“I am thrilled to be joining the UofL community,” said Kaugars. “As a top-tier research institution with a focus on empowering social mobility, coupled with a high-performing IT function, few other institutions are better positioned to take advantage of IT to accelerate progress in our strategic goals. During my campus visit, I was impressed by the culture of UofL – purposeful and driven, yet doing so within a culture of collegiality, collaboration and kindness. It is truly a unique opportunity, and I look forward to working with everyone here for many years to come.”
