Isaacson, Miller Tapped by Dartmouth College for CIO Search
October 19, 2026 – Boston-based Isaacson, Miller has been retained by Dartmouth College to lead in its search for a chief information officer. Becca Kennedy is leading this search with Kristen Andersen and Ryan Smillie.
The CIO will oversee enterprise technology, cybersecurity, research computing, enterprise systems, and business transformation while providing strategic guidance on technology governance, resource allocation, operational resilience, and emerging technologies. Reporting to provost Santiago Schnell, the CIO will lead Dartmouth’s Information, Technology & Consulting (ITC) organization and serve as the institution’s senior technology strategist, aligning technology investments, operations, and innovation with Dartmouth’s academic, research, and administrative priorities.
The successful candidate will be a relationship-oriented leader who thrives in a decentralized environment. They will bring the ability to align diverse stakeholders around shared priorities, communicate effectively across technical and non-technical audiences, and build trust through collaboration, transparency, and sound judgment. In collaboration with the Dartmouth community, the CIO will establish a clear technology vision, guide organizational change, and foster a culture of innovation, service, and continuous improvement while ensuring that technology decisions remain firmly grounded in Dartmouth’s priorities.
The next CIO will bring significant experience leading complex technology organizations, ideally within an academic or research environment. They will have a demonstrated record of technology strategy, organizational transformation, financial stewardship, and talent development, coupled with the executive presence and collaborative leadership style necessary to advance Dartmouth’s technology needs in partnership with faculty, staff, students, and trustees.
Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the American Association of Universities and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions with a rich scholarly tradition. It educates 4,400 undergraduates and 2,100 graduate students with 937 faculty across the arts and sciences and four graduate and professional schools: the Geisel School of Medicine, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, the Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business.
Provost Search
Isaacson, Miller also recently recruited Mr. Schnell as provost of Dartmouth College. John Muckle, Becky Piper, Stephen Kalogeras, and Ethan Thomas led the search. “Santiago Schnell is a brilliant, multidisciplinary scientist, a humanistic and humane thinker, and a talented administrator with deep experience of what it takes to lead a world-class research university,” said Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth. “I am looking forward to having him as a colleague and partner and am delighted to welcome him to Hanover.”
“Santiago won us over from day one. He is a world-class scholar and a joyful and passionate leader who knows how to help higher education institutions thrive,” said Brendan Nyhan, the James O. Freedman presidential professor and professor of government, who chaired the advisory search committee. “He has a proven record of success and innovation. I can’t wait to see what he can do at Dartmouth.”
Related: Isaacson, Miller Leading President Search for Virginia Tech
A nationally recognized search firm focused on recruiting transformational leaders for mission-driven organizations, Isaacson, Miller has conducted thousands of placements over more than three decades. More than half of the firm’s work has been in academia, involving university presidents, college chancellors and deans. The firm has filled top leadership posts at Wellesley College, Washington State University, Miami University, Howard University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth, NYU, Virginia State University, and the University of North Carolina, among others.
Finding Mission-Driven Leaders
John Isaacson, the firm’s chair, founded Isaacson, Miller in 1982. He has led searches in many areas of the firm’s practice. Mr. Isaacson has helped the firm develop its cumulative knowledge of the craft of search and has attended, with increasing interest, to the missionary purposes of institutions, the political and economic disciplines of specialized markets, and the emotional and intellectual learnings that leaders acquire in a committed working life.
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Ms. Kennedy has over 20 years of experience recruiting leaders in higher education and nonprofit organizations. She specializes in administrative and operational leadership positions, including research administration, technology transfer and commercialization, compliance and privacy, finance, human resources, and equity and inclusion. Ms. Kennedy particularly enjoys recruiting individuals into newly created positions.
Ms. Andersen joined Isaacson, Miller as a senior associate in 2021 and her work has focused on higher education leadership roles. Her notable placements include dean of the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University, vice provost for enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill, dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh, provost and dean of the College at the College of the Holy Cross, and dean of Newcomb-Tulane College at Tulane University.
Mr. Smillie joined Isaacson, Miller in 2021. As a managing search coordinator, he oversees the logistical and administrative aspects of a search, ensuring a smooth experience for both clients and candidates. He supports Donna Cramer and Phillip Petree, co-leads of the firm’s human services practice, and he has extensive experience supporting leadership searches in the firm’s higher education, community and economic development, and arts and culture practices, both nationally and internationally.
Related: Why Universities Have Stepped Up Efforts to Involve Search Firms
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
