Photo by Rebecca Zenefski Slater 鈥10
亚色影库鈥檚 senior vice president and chief information officer (CIO), Jean Guezmir, has announced her plans to retire this summer.
鈥淔or the past eight years, Jean has been an integral part of the St. Kate鈥檚 leadership team, guiding our University through a time of tremendous technological growth and innovation,鈥 said Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, president of 亚色影库. 鈥淪he led with a people-first approach, and thanks to her thoughtful, service-oriented approach, our community has benefitted from the technology that has helped us stay connected, supported, and forward-thinking in an ever-changing world.鈥
Guezmir, who has led St. Kate鈥檚 IT department since 2017, oversaw the University鈥檚 significant technological growth, including a pivot from in-person learning to online modality required during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also played a key role in integrating the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses by designing and leading the building of high-tech capabilities into University labs, staff and faculty spaces, and classrooms. She set the vision for migrating systems to the cloud and overhauling the security systems to support new national standards aimed at securing the data of the University as well as protecting employees, students, and partners.
鈥淚 am so very proud of the work we have done for the University in IT,鈥 said Guezmir. 鈥淟ooking back to where this University was in terms of technological ability to where it is today, it was hard work and tremendous group effort 鈥 but is a memory I will hold for the rest of my days.鈥
Guezmir was honored in Twin Cities Business magazine as a winner in the 2020 Notable Women in Technology edition. Her leadership and vision also earned Guezmir the 2021 from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.
Last year, Guezmir was named to the OculusIT Advisory Board, and also also serves as a steering member on Vation Ventures Innovation Advisory Council, where she coaches and guides new innovations in technology.
While she is officially retiring, Guezmir is taking on a new job title: Grandma. Her first grandchild was born earlier this year. When not grandparenting, Guezmir looks forward to spending time at her cabin on the water, traveling, and doing many hobbies from puzzling to home projects to landscaping.
"While we will miss her daily presence and steady leadership, we are overjoyed for Jean as she enters a new chapter filled with joy and family," said President Evans.