Dr. Monique Sendze
Dr. Monique Sendze is a dynamic and accomplished technology leader serving as Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at California State University, Chico. With over 25 years of experience across multiple sectors, she brings deep expertise and strategic vision to her role at Chico State.
As VP/CIO, Dr. Sendze oversees the university's central IT unit, providing leadership across Academic, Administrative, and Research Technology services spanning Cloud and Infrastructure Services, Creative Media and Technology, Enterprise Applications and Data Services, Information Security, Technology Equity, Office of Digital Accessibility, Project and Change Management Office, Business Process Automation, IT support Services and User Experience, AI Enablement, and Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics. Her leadership approach centers on innovative, agile solutions for learning, teaching, research, and data-driven decision making, with a strong commitment to a centralized, risk-focused, and equitable IT operation.
Dr. Sendze holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Organizational Development, and a Master of Science in Information Technology Management — credentials that sharpen her ability to drive organizational change, culture development, and technology leadership at the enterprise level. Prior to Chico State, she served as CIO and Deputy Chief Operating Officer at the Colorado School of Mines and has held executive roles including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology and Innovation Officer across state and local government and the private tech industry.
Her leadership has earned national recognition, including the MetricStream 2025 Visionary Award for innovation in cybersecurity risk and GRC, a finalist nod for the 2021 CIO of the Year ORBIE Award, and the 2016 Info-Tech CIO Award for Outstanding Achievements in IT Business Vision.
Beyond technology, Dr. Sendze is passionate about organizational development, talent management, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Her rare combination of an educator's mindset and deep technological acumen makes her an invaluable leader for Chico State and the broader higher education community.
Jerry Sheehan
Jerry Sheehan is a higher education technology executive with more than 30 years of experience leading information technology, strategic planning, operations, and organizational transformation initiatives at public universities and nonprofit organizations. Throughout his career, he has focused on leveraging technology to improve student success, strengthen institutional effectiveness, and support workforce development.
Sheehan has held executive leadership positions at San Diego State University, the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and Montana State University. As Vice President and Chief Information Officer at San Diego State University, he led major initiatives in student systems modernization, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and student success, including replacing a decades-old student information system and leading an award-winning partnership with Haiku that used gamified cybersecurity training to create workforce development opportunities for students. He had previously served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Montana State University, where he implemented co-curricular engagement technologies to support retention and student success, upgraded campus networks, and consolidated email systems Jerry currently serves as Chief Information Officer at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
Sheehan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University and completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the School of Sciences with San Diego State University.