Grambling State names Jay J. Ellis Chief Information Officer
Grambling, La. – August 15, 2022 – University officials announced today that Jay J. Ellis, CISM has been named Chief Information Officer at Grambling State University (GSU). Having served recently as the Director of Infrastructure Services for Prairie View A&M University, Ellis brings over 20 years of experience in Information Technology with expertise in information security governance, program development management, incident management, risk management, and joint IT support consulting services for private sector companies for the United States military throughout the Middle East. Ellis has been recognized as a Change Agent and Innovative-Centric Strategist with expansive knowledge of emerging technologies proven to improve operations.
“We welcome Mr. Ellis as Chief Information Officer to the GSU family,” said President Rick Gallot, Jr. “Mr. Ellis has higher education technology experience along with developing innovative divergent strategies to address complex projects, business scenarios, challenges, and opportunities that will prove beneficial for GSU’s digital future.”
Previously, Ellis was appointed to the Lonestar Education and Research Network Technical Advisory Group (LEARN), a non-profit organization of 43 organizations of public and private institutions that connects its members and affiliated organizations to statewide resources.
“As CIO, his scope of responsibility will include strengthening Grambling State’s network infrastructure with management oversight of the information technology for the entire institution,” said Dr. Penya M. Moses, Chief Operating Officer.
As the leader of the development of the IT blueprint, Ellis will work to reduce manual processes and mitigate risk by strengthening internal controls, expanding technology capabilities, building and managing a portfolio of technology projects, and allocating the resources for successful implementation.
“I am excited to be a part of GramFam and I believe that my experience in incorporating system designs, integrations, and operations with Cybersecurity best practices will further enhance the future of Grambling State University for the benefit of the faculty, students, and staff technology experience,” said Ellis.
Ellis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix and holds certifications recognized by VMware, Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA, Amazon Web Services, and ISACA, as a certified information security manager.