Cynthia Golden is an Executive Strategic Consultant at Vantage Technology Consulting Group, joining the firm in 2024. She most recently served as Associate Provost and as Executive Director of the University Center for Teaching and Learning, and a center associate in the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. She came to Pitt in 2009 after serving for over eight years as vice president of EDUCAUSE. She previously held CIO and senior IT leadership roles at Duquesne University, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon University.
In 2023 Cynthia was recognized by EDUCAUSE with the Leadership Award, the association's highest recognition for individual achievement.
Along with UMBC CIO Jack Suess, she currently co-hosts the EDUCUASE podcast "The Integrative CIO." In recent years she has been active in professional leadership development and directed the Senior Directors Seminar and the Senior Leadership Roundtable at EDUCAUSE, was a faculty member in the EDUCAUSE New IT Mangers program, and was a faculty member in the OLC Institute for Engaged Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL.)
She is a frequent presenter at conferences, author of numerous articles and monographs, and author and editor of the book Cultivating Careers: Professional Development for Campus IT. She served on the Board of Directors of the New Media Consortium, the IMS Global Learning Consortium, the Seminars on Academic Computing, the Northeast Regional Computing Consortium, and CAUSE, and served as a member of many professional and association committees throughout her career. She is a proud alumna of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a Master of Science in Information Science. (updated 9/2024)
This episode explores how effective technology leadership often grows from unexpected experiences rather than planned career paths. Through stories of growth, change, and self-discovery, the conversation highlights the importance of curiosity, relationships, and people-centered leadership in helping young leaders navigate complexity and create meaningful impact.
This conversation examines how higher education leadership is adapting to artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need to balance risk and experimentation while preparing institutions and students for rapid technological change.
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