Opening General Session Keynote
Sunday, November 6, 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Dr. O'Brien's Video Message for STEMtech Participants
Dr. John O'Brien serves as the President and CEO of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. The current membership comprises over 1,800 institutions and 300 corporations.
Throughout his 25-year career in higher education, O’Brien has deeply engaged with the IT and educational technology sectors. Most recently, John served as Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), the fifth largest higher education system in the country. In this position, he was dedicated to ensuring student success and implemented strategic changes to help MnSCU adapt to the changing needs of higher education.
Prior to this role, O’Brien served as President of North Hennepin Community College (NHCC) from 2010 to 2013. Before joining NHCC, he was Director of MnSCU's "Students First" initiative, a systemwide effort that redesigned online systems to better meet students' needs related to searching for a college or university, program or course, as well as applying for admission, registering for courses, and viewing or paying tuition bills. O’Brien's past experience also includes four years at Century College serving as Chief Academic Officer and subsequently as Acting President. O’Brien also served as Associate Vice Chancellor of instructional technology at the MnSCU system office.
In addition to his experience as a higher education executive, O’Brien is an award-winning teacher at the college and university level. He was a faculty member at Normandale Community College, Augsburg College, the University of Minnesota, the University of St. Thomas, and Augustana College (South Dakota). John was on the EDUCAUSE Quarterly editorial board for four years, has published in EDUCAUSE publications, was the MnSCU system contact for the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR), and coordinated and promoted the system's participation in the Core Data Service (CDS).
Deeply committed to serving the community, O’Brien recently served on or is a member of the boards of the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth, the NorthStar STEM Alliance, the HealthForce Minnesota Executive Alliance, the Learning Network of Minnesota, the ARC of Minnesota, the Lutheran Social Services Foundation, and Minnesota Campus Compact.
O’Brien holds a bachelor's degree in English and English Education from Augustana College, a master's degree in Anglo-Irish Literature from the University of Dublin (Trinity College), and a doctorate in English from the University of Minnesota.