Demers Named Chief Information Officer
Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner announced Monday, May 11, that she has appointed David Demers as the college’s new chief information officer. Demers, who will assume his new role at Buffalo State on July 1, is currently the chief operating officer of the American Women’s College, an all-online degree program for women managed by Bay Path University in Massachusetts.
As the chief operating officer of the American Women’s College since its inception in 2013, Demers has served as the principal designer and architect of an innovative online learning environment, Social Online Universal Learning (S.O.U.L.), which combines robust learning analytics with student demographic data to inform adaptive, social learning opportunities for students as well as proactive advising and early intervention strategies. The S.O.U.L. initiative was recently awarded $3.5 million in funding through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) First In The World competition through the U.S. Department of Education.
“I am excited to have David Demers join our Buffalo State community,” Conway-Turner said. “He brings nearly 20 years of experience and leadership in the ever-changing field of computer technology and information systems, including his background in developing and executing technology budgets, his assessment of campuswide technology needs, and his leveraging of virtualization strategies."
“Additionally, Dr. Demers has a successful track of collaborating across all campus divisions and an expertise in understanding all aspects of technology resources,” Conway-Turner added. “I look forward to his vision and leadership as we continue to improve appropriate technology at Buffalo State that advances student learning and provides support for faculty and staff.”
Prior to his appointment as COO of the American Women’s College, Demers was the vice president for academic and administrative technology at Bay Path from 2009 to 2013, where he provided strategic vision and oversight of technology resources to support teaching and learning, student information systems, telecommunications and business systems. As Buffalo State’s chief information officer, he will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet and oversee the areas of Computing and Technology Services, Instructional Technology, and E. H. Butler Library.
“I am honored to have been chosen to join the Buffalo State community to serve as chief information officer,” Demers said. “I feel tremendously fortunate to be joining Buffalo State during this time of exciting transition and joining President Conway-Turner and her executive staff to help define the ongoing evolution of this dynamic institution. I very much look forward to working together with the highly talented and dedicated faculty and staff at Buffalo State to continue the mission of expanding access and fostering student success through innovation and the strategic application of information and instructional technologies. This is a remarkable opportunity and I cannot wait to get started!”
From 2005 to 2009, Demers was the director of instructional technology and online learning at Sacred Heart University. He also held administrative posts at the University of Connecticut Health Center (2001–2005) and the University of Hartford (1999–2001). Additionally, Demers was an assistant professor of biology at Springfield Technical Community College from 1996 to 1999.
Demers has a long history of scholarship having published articles in the International Journal on E-Learning, Family Medicine, and Gene, as well as textbooks and electronic resource guides for W.W. Norton & Co. and Allyn & Bacon.
Demers completed his B.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1995) at the University of California at Riverside where he pursued research interests in the field of cell and molecular biology.