Biography

Astrud Reed, Community of Practice Manager, Data & Information Management, Office of Information Technology, University of California, Irvine

Astrud Reed is an education innovator, creative strategist, and systems thinker with more than two decades of experience in research universities. Her work bridges organizational strategy, data and AI literacy, learning innovation, emerging technologies, and institutional change. Drawing on her background in organizational structure, change management, and operational improvement, she specializes in identifying opportunities to strengthen how people, processes, and technologies work together.

At UC Irvine, Astrud leads community of practice and learning initiatives that advance data-informed decision-making, digital literacy, and institutional innovation. Her work includes the award-winning UCI Compass MAPSS (Metrics & Analytics Promoting Student Success) and DataGPS programs, as well as MAPSS Academy: The Future of Work Microlearning Skills Series, a student-focused initiative designed to develop data and AI literacy, critical thinking, and the practical skills needed to navigate an AI-enabled workforce. Her approach emphasizes accessible learning, responsible technology adoption, and the development of adaptable skills that remain valuable as technologies evolve.

A passionate researcher and educator, Astrud actively explores the rapidly evolving AI landscape, with particular interests in AI innovation, capabilities and limitations, governance, ethics, accountability, and the societal implications of increasingly autonomous systems. Her research examines not only what emerging technologies can accomplish, but also how their claims should be evaluated, their risks understood, and their development and adoption guided by evidence, transparency, and meaningful human oversight. She is especially passionate about translating complex AI developments into accessible learning experiences that empower others to question assumptions, evaluate evidence, think independently, and engage confidently and responsibly with emerging technologies.

Astrud serves as UCI's EDUCAUSE Ambassador and as Director of the Community of Practice Subcommittee for the EDUCAUSE Student Success Analytics Community Group. She is also a member of the Unizin Teaching and Learning Leadership Team, contributing to cross-institutional collaboration on teaching, learning, and emerging technologies. She co-authored the EDUCAUSE Review article "Framework for Student Success: Analytics Rubric Launches at UC Irvine."

Currently pursuing an Executive MBA at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business, Astrud brings together organizational leadership, strategic analysis, creative experimentation, and a passion for learning design. She is particularly interested in how higher education can prepare individuals and institutions to navigate technological transformation thoughtfully, cultivate intellectual curiosity and critical inquiry, and build environments that support responsible, meaningful, and sustainable innovation.