Speaker: Jean Madden-Hennessey

Jean Madden-Hennessey is the Director of Information Technology/CIO at the University of Saint Joseph. She has provided oversight and vision for the University’s technology initiatives for the past 16 years. Jean holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Hartford.

Speaker: Jesse Lunt

Jesse Lunt is the Network Services Manager at University of Saint Joseph. He has been with the University for 5 years and has served as project lead for many University-wide technology projects including the relocation of the University Data Center and the implementation of the VoIP system which went live in March 2013. Jesse has held many technical certifications including CCNA, CCNP, Network Plus, MSCE and is currently CISCO certified for VoIP.

Speaker: Karen Warren

Karen is Director of User and Technical Services at Wesleyan University. In her unique role, Karen has oversight for both the front end user support operations including Desktop Support and student Helpdesk and the back end technical support team comprised of network administration, data center, and system administrators. Bridging the divide between these mutually dependent, but often at odds groups is challenging and always interesting. Karen and her team provide the foundational support for all other IT operations in the University and provide strategic input regarding systems and infrastructure. Currently, Wesleyan is undergoing a network refresh which will substantively improve bandwidth across campus providing the needed support for future initiatives such as Coursera and the burgeoning use of HD media on campus.

Since joining Wesleyan, Karen has been an active member in NERCOMP. She hosted her first SIG in May 2010 on desktop virtualization and has since presented at two annual conferences as well as participated in two other SIGs including a panel for the 2012 Women in Technology Leadership SIG. For the past two years, Karen has served on the Annual Conference program committee and this year, Karen is leading the online program committee team. Additionally, Karen co-leads the virtual workshop project for NERCOMP bringing low-cost online only content to help the organization expand its reach and engage constituents who are underrepresented in the traditional SIG model. This effort has thus far been extremely effective with 135 sites participating.

In 2012, Karen participated in the NITLE Innovation Studio, a new initiative comprised of project teams employing entrepreneurial and design theory strategies. Karen and her teammates continue to run the only remaining project, Collegiate Collaborations, a community site aimed at reducing the fear and uncertainty of engaging in cross-institutional collaborations. The group has been invited back this year to speak at the 2013 NITLE Symposium in April.

Prior to coming to Wesleyan, Karen spent 15 years at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, CT where she was IT Director for 10 of those years. Karen focused much time on the importance of broadband access and two-way video installing the school’s first system in 1999. She and a colleague at Gallaudet University organized a conference on two-way video in Deaf education, an initiative that led to 3 conferences over 6 years. She has spoken at numerous conferences on the topic and participated on a panel at the FCC on the importance of ERate to broadband in schools.

Recently, Karen initiated Wesleyan’s membership in National Center for Women in Information Technology Academic Alliance program to help Wesleyan encourage young women in the field of technology.

Karen is energized at the prospect of participation on the NERCOMP board. The organization has been a vital resource for her and she looks forward to helping shape its future particularly the increasing role of online interactive programming. Technology’s ever-changing nature and rapid growth make communities such as NERCOMP vital to success both together and at individual institutions.

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