Hi, my name is Steve Athanas.

If you only read one paragraph about me, read this one. I serve as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at UMass Lowell, where I lead technology that supports everything from the datacenter to the classroom. I’m a technology geek with deep infrastructure roots, an MBA who genuinely enjoys the business side of the house, and a lifelong learner who still believes the best part of the job is helping people do their work better. I previously served as President of the global VMware User Group, I’ve been recognized as a VMware vExpert for a bunch of years, and I’m also a bit of a serial volunteer. I currently serve on the board of The Wish Project as treasurer, and I’ve spent time doing personal financial coaching in my community as well. Most important to me, though, I’m a husband, a father, and a guy trying to live and lead with integrity.

Professionally, I’ve spent more than two decades growing through leadership roles in IT, and I still enjoy the work every bit as much as I did when I first got into it. At UMass Lowell, that means leading enterprise IT in support of teaching, learning, research, and administration. It also means keeping one eye on what’s next, whether that is modern infrastructure, better user experience, stronger service, or helping the university make smart and practical use of AI. Mostly, it means staying focused on what matters: making the university a great place to learn, teach, and conduct research.

My leadership style is pretty simple. IT should be a strategic partner, not just the folks you call when the printer is jammed or the system is slow. I care about making technology useful, usable, and aligned with the mission. I believe in solving real problems, not just deploying shiny things, and I take a lot of pride in building teams that are technically strong, service oriented, and trusted by the people they support.

I’m also a double River Hawk, with both my BSBA in MIS and my MBA from UMass Lowell. That connection matters to me. So does the chance to help a place I care deeply about continue to grow, adapt, and serve students well. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to speak, write, and share ideas with peers across higher education and the broader technology community. My work has appeared in or been featured through outlets and events including CIO Review, EdTech, EdScoop, EDUCAUSE, TechTarget, VMworld, Dell Technologies World, ACUTA Boston, Campus Technology, EACUBO, and IAEM. That kind of knowledge sharing has always mattered to me, which is a big part of why this site exists in the first place.

This site is where I write about leadership, technology, higher education, AI, teams, service, and the messy but rewarding work of trying to make things better. Some posts are about strategy. Some are about people. Some are about the lessons you only learn after something breaks, somebody surprises you, or life hands you a story too useful not to share.