Longtime public sector IT leader brings decades of experience to Center for Digital Education research and advisory institute
FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, March 15, 2022 — Brian Cohen,
longtime CIO of the City University of New York (CUNY), will serve as Vice President for the Center for Digital Government (CDG) and Center for Digital Education (CDE), e.Republic’s national research and advisory institutes on IT policy and best practices for state and local governments and education institutions.
Cohen brings decades of experience and a wealth of expertise in both government and education IT. For nearly two decades, he served as vice chancellor and university CIO for CUNY, directing the Office of Computing and Information Services to manage the enterprise IT vision, strategy and day-to-day operations of the nation’s largest urban public university.
Brian has been a driving force in public sector IT for more than 20 years, and a constant source of inspiration for us at e.Republic as we strive to help make government and education better”
Cohen has also held key leadership roles within the New York City government, including deputy commissioner in the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), executive director of the city’s E-Government Office — where he implemented the city’s award-winning nyc.gov website — and as the executive director of the city’s Year 2000 (Y2K) Office.
“Brian has been a driving force in public sector IT for more than 20 years, and a constant source of inspiration for us at e.Republic as we strive to help make government and education better,” says CEO Cathilea Robinett. “I’m thrilled he has chosen us for the next chapter of his career and cannot wait to see the innovative ideas he brings to our public sector audience and industry partners.”
In his new role, Cohen will drive new strategic initiatives for CDE and help lead CDG’s Digital Communities program, a network of leading CIOs and technology professionals from large and mid-sized cities and counties. The program encompasses the Digital Cities and Digital Counties benchmark surveys, the Government Experience awards, national summits and more.
Cohen says he looks forward to helping government and education IT leaders overcome challenges during an era of major disruption, opportunity and desire for change.
“Public sector leaders have faced tremendous challenges during the pandemic, but this experience has resulted in a better connection between IT and leadership, and a greater understanding of the role technology can play in improving constituent and student services,” he says.
Over the course of his public sector career, Cohen led the deployment of state-of-the-art, cost-effective technologies in areas as disparate as university registration to emergency management. At CUNY he served as the executive leader of the IT Steering Committee, Co-Chair of the University’s IT Accessibility Task Force, and a member of the Chancellor’s cabinet and many university councils, including the Council of Presidents. He was consistently formally recognized for providing outstanding support to students.
“This is a critical time for government and education institutions as they look to build on modernization initiatives that they launched during the pandemic to provide better services and transform their operating models,” Cohen says. “I’m thrilled I can lend my expertise to help them further their missions.”
