New chief technology officer to guide university's IT strategy

Matt Riley will join the University of Oregon on Sept. 17 as the new chief technology officer.

Riley comes to the UO from the University of Montana, where he served as chief information officer for five years. In that role, he provided vision and strategic direction for information technology. Riley will continue that work in Eugene, assisting Jessie Minton, chief information officer and vice provost for information services.

Matt Riley “We are very excited to have Matt join us here,”  Minton said. “With his deep background in technology leadership in higher education, Matt will be invaluable in aligning IT with the university’s strategic research, academic and student success goals.”

As the chief technology officer, Riley will develop technology strategy and road maps for services to more effectively guide UO’s technology. He will also have operational responsibility for the technology infrastructure team in Information Services, which operates the university’s network, telephone and radio systems, digital storage, and servers

“This role is unique in higher education, and it comes at a very exciting time for the University of Oregon,” Riley said. “I look forward to contributing in meaningful ways to achieving UO’s goals, and I am eager to work with Jessie Minton and the rest of the IT community at UO, where we are truly in position to succeed for Oregon’s students, faculty, researchers and staff.”

Riley said he will lead with client goals and IT goals in mind. 

“While technology is a great enabler for our education and research missions, it’s also incidental to the process,” he said. “IT must never be for the sake of IT but rather add value in all that we do to support the university. Most of all, I aim to help others be successful.”

Prior to his role at Montana, Riley directed IT at Stanford University’s School of Humanities and Sciences for seven years. He previously held several professional and leadership roles at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.

Riley received both his bachelor’s degree in business and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Redlands. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.