Biography

Dr Noreen Barajas-Murphy is an accomplished leader in higher education technology and innovation. Currently a Higher Education Ambassador at CDW, she supports the organization’s capacity to advance educational missions through strategic, technological solutions. Previously, Noreen held leadership roles driving influential initiatives at InStride, EDUCAUSE, and as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Postsecondary Initiative.

As Principal of Academic Partnerships at InStride, Noreen spearheaded research on workforce trends across industries to guide the development of career-focused education pathways. At EDUCAUSE, she served as Horizon Project Director, forecasting strategic technology trends expected to impact higher education through the internationally published Horizon Report. Noreen has directed national programs focused on enhancing student success through technology as part of the multi-million dollar Digital Courseware Post-Secondary Success Initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This program identified and shared best practices for leveraging innovative digital courseware to improve outcomes for underrepresented students.

As a campus leader, Noreen served as director for several federally funded Title V Hispanic Serving Institution grants totaling over $8 million. Overseeing all aspects from strategic planning to compliance, she managed the $5.2 million "Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers Today Through Technology" grant, increasing the number of teachers from underrepresented populations.

She has researched and presented nationally on effective online teaching and learning strategies, P3s (Public-Private Partnerships), and workforce development initiatives focused on increasing the relevance of career education within higher education curricula.