New OU IT CIO

On September 30th, 2024, OU IT welcomed its new Chief Information Officer, Nishanth Rodrigues. Rodrigues has over 20 years of strategic IT leadership experience and is coming from the University of Mississippi.

"I'm looking forward to learning more about the culture of Oklahoma and OU. Become familiar with people and make friends, and essentially, I'm here to have a good time as part of the OU IT team," Rodrigues said.

In Nishanth's previous role as CIO at Ole Miss, he led the institution in strategic digital transformational initiatives, supported the growth of university research, and helped prepare and position the university to deliver an improved faculty, staff, and student experience.

"My perspective on the first 90 days is to learn and understand what we're doing, how we're doing, why we're doing it, and become part of our IT culture and acclimate to it. So, I'm not here to change the culture; I'm here to adapt to what our institution and department are and then work together toward OU initiatives," Rodrigues said.

"So what are the things that the institution's charging us with? Some of those are being written or yet to be written. So maybe we can help craft that story for our institution and do our part to set the path and objectives forward for OU to be competitive. "

Rodrigues looks forward to meeting and engaging with the different teams and roles within OU IT.

"People may wonder who I am, what to expect of me, or how to engage with me. I'm absolutely easygoing. So you'll learn that only by interacting with me," Rodrigues said. "Let's have a casual conversation. I'm all about having a good time and getting work done, in that order, because we only accomplish things by working together well, and we work together well by getting to know each other well."

Rodrigues holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor of Applied Science from Davenport University. Don't be mistaken; he is not all academics.  

"I like to race cars; I have a car I put on the track and race and a motorcycle. I also have a black belt in Taekwondo, and I like to compete and challenge myself," Rodrigues said. "I'm a closet video gamer if I have time. Once upon a time I was ranked in the top 20 in the country for Street Fighter."

Rodrigues has moved to Oklahoma with his wife and daughter.

"My wife Mary works in marketing and social media for a bank in Oxford, Mississippi, she'll continue that and work remotely," he said "And I have a 12-year-old daughter Celestina who has already started gymnastics here."

OU IT is incredibly appreciative of Chris Kobza for his leadership as Interim CIO over the past five months, helping to maintain service and support continuity during our search process.

OU IT is excited to welcome Nishanth to his new chapter here at the University of Oklahoma!