Dear HSU Colleagues,

The national search for a Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Humboldt State University, a process that included input and participation from a wide variety of individuals across campus, has concluded. With this message, I am very pleased to announce that Bethany Rizzardi has been appointed as HSU’s permanent CIO. Bethany has fifteen years of service in the IT field, including six years managing IT teams in Higher Education. Bethany possesses valuable perspective and tremendous experience having worked in various technical and non-technical roles at HSU, including Director of Information Systems, Project Coordinator, Help Desk Coordinator, and tech support for the College of Natural Resources and Sciences. Bethany has taught Business Technology, Computer Science, and Mathematics as a lecturer at both HSU and College of the Redwoods.

 In January, 2018, Bethany agreed to serve as interim CIO, undertaking the leadership role for the Information Technology Services (ITS) team at HSU. During that time, she made a point to connect with the campus community, incorporating campus feedback to improve IT services. Bethany co-created a faculty advisory committee and launched faculty and student feedback surveys. Under Bethany guidance, despite declining budgets, ITS obtained over $500,000 to update classrooms and labs, aligning faculty feedback with student success pillars outlined by the Graduation Initiative 2025. Bethany steered ITS through a 10% budget reduction with the aim of protecting services for faculty, staff, and students in order to meet campus needs while continuing to maintain realistic workloads for the ITS staff.

 Bethany has demonstrated her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. One example of her advocacy efforts is her work to make HSU the first campus in the CSU to allow students to choose to display their preferred gender pronouns on the class roster; her work on behalf of HSU served as an example of an option for students that is now being adopted system-wide. Both on-campus and at the system level, Bethany leads efforts to encourage women to join the IT field. She is an active member of the CSU IT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, where she continues to work to deepen ITS’s understanding of what it means to support a diverse campus. 

 Before joining HSU, Bethany worked for the Eureka City Schools and for an international non-profit organization. Bethany is a proud HSU alumna holding both a Master of Business Administration degree, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Humboldt State University.

Bethany’s vision for ITS to serve as a valued campus partner has allowed her to develop collaborations, foster relationships, and help connect the work of ITS to the mission and vision of the campus. Bethany brings proven skills in facilitation, leading projects, and managing change. I am confident that Bethany will excel in her permanent role. Please join me in welcoming Bethany Rizzardi as the new CIO for Humboldt State University!

Lisa Bond-Maupin
Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Humboldt State University