New York University

Don Welch is Vice President for Information Technology and Global University CIO at New York University. A former Army officer and cybersecurity leader, he brings extensive experience spanning IT strategy, security, innovation, higher education and organizational leadership.

Experiences that Shaped Leadership

My most influential leadership experience was my first, as an infantry platoon leader. I led soldiers from different backgrounds and with different abilities in an environment that was not always easy. I learned to recognize each person’s strengths, develop their abilities, and find the right role for them within the team.

That lesson continues to shape how I lead today. Although I have held many different roles throughout my career, my time as a platoon leader was where I grew the most as a leader.

Aligning Technology, Innovation and Security

Effective technology strategy begins with understanding the university’s mission and engaging with people to learn how they work and think. It also requires communicating what technology makes possible so the institution can make informed decisions about its direction.

Whether in budget presentations or informal discussions, the goal is to help people understand the implications of the strategic trade-offs we must make.

Security, privacy, and responsible use are foundational to innovation. Without them, technology initiatives may fail in the long term or create significant problems. In critical situations, these principles must take priority.

“Leadership, in many ways, is more important than the people who are getting the work done”

At the same time, we need an environment that encourages experimentation. We must ensure that experimental projects do not move into production and become permanent parts of the university’s technology environment without appropriate scrutiny. Successful innovations must be evaluated and deployed with security, privacy, and responsible use built in from the outset.

Building Strong Technology Teams

One of the most important things is hiring people who share core values, including integrity, teamwork, and commitment to the institution’s mission. We do not need everyone to be the same, but we do need people who put the institution’s mission ahead of their own interests.

Strong teams also depend on effective leadership at every level. In many ways, the quality of leadership throughout an organization is just as important as the work being done.

I try to support that development by serving as a leadership coach. Every other week, I send an email with a leadership tip to IT leaders across the university. I also hold monthly “Ask Me Anything” sessions and use other opportunities to communicate the culture I want to build.

Leadership development requires a multifaceted approach. When leaders do not treat their people well, we must address the problem directly or support those responsible for doing so. Disciplining people is not always pleasant, but we owe it to everyone in the organization to address harmful behavior and work to correct toxic leadership.

The Future of Higher Education and Leadership

AI and cybersecurity will have a significant impact on higher education, particularly at research universities. These institutions are large and complex, and many have allowed individual IT teams considerable autonomy. With the advent of frontier AI models, vulnerabilities will be discovered and exploited much faster than we are accustomed to. We will need to patch systems more quickly, be more restrictive about what we expose to the internet, and take greater risks in how we respond to cyberattacks.

I believe the negative effects could outweigh many of the positive impacts. As with previous technological shifts, we will need to limit the risks while taking advantage of new capabilities.

I have seen several major transitions throughout my career, from slide rules to calculators and graphing calculators, and later to personal computers, smartphones, and the web. Each changed education in significant ways. Our challenge now is to understand how AI will affect higher education, mitigate its negative consequences, and use its capabilities to become more effective at educating and developing our students.

For aspiring technology leaders, my advice is to pay close attention to the leaders you encounter. Learn from both their strengths and their shortcomings, and think carefully about the kind of leader you want to become. Ultimately, be the leader you would want to work for and lead others in the way you would want to be led.