麻豆原创

Each candidate will take part in an open forum in person on the Pocatello campus. All are welcome to meet the candidates and ask questions. Feedback opportunities will be available online after each forum.

If you are unable to attend in person, please attend virtually using the Zoom webinar links provided.

Showkat Choudhury: Wednesday, September 30, 3:30 p.m., Rendezvous Suite

Showkat Choudhury is an information technology leader with extensive experience in higher education, including senior leadership roles at Central State University, Bellevue College, Rhodes State College, and SUNY Orange. Most recently, he served as Chief Information Officer at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he provided strategic leadership for campus technology services and initiatives supporting academics, administration, research, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and student services. 

Throughout his career, Choudhury has led institution-wide technology planning and modernization efforts, including ERP and cloud migrations, cybersecurity initiatives, disaster recovery and business continuity planning, network and infrastructure upgrades, and technology governance. He has also served on executive and shared-governance committees and partnered with academic and administrative leaders to support institutional priorities. 

Choudhury holds both a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh and a diploma in Applied Information Technology from Quadcom Institute of Technology in Toronto. He also holds several technology and project management certifications, including PMP. 

Brad Spackman: Friday, October 2, 4:00 p.m., Rendezvous Suite

Brad J. Spackman brings more than 25 years of information technology experience spanning healthcare, education, government, technology, and transportation. He currently serves as Director of IT Application Support and Enterprise Application Services at CHG Healthcare, where he is a member of the Senior IT Services Leadership Team and provides leadership in enterprise applications, IT service management, technology governance, artificial intelligence and automation, and vendor management. 

His experience includes leading enterprise technology transformation and governance initiatives, including an 18-month migration from JD Edwards to Workday involving more than 150 integrations across human resources, finance, and operations. Earlier in his career, Spackman held leadership and technical roles with Henry Schein, School Improvement Network, Pearson, SkyWest Airlines, and the State of Utah. 

Spackman holds a Master of Business Administration from Utah State University and a Bachelor of Science in Business–Information Technology Management from Western Governors University. 

Matthew Burden: Wednesday, October 7, 3:30 p.m., Rendezvous Suite

Matthew Burden is an information technology executive with more than a decade of experience serving as a Chief Information Officer in higher education. He currently serves as Vice President of Digital Transformation and Chief Technology Officer with Endeavor Bridge Partners, advising public organizations on technology strategy, enterprise modernization, cybersecurity, cloud services, data governance, and artificial intelligence. Previously, he served for 12 years as Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Information & Technology at North Central College in Illinois. 

Burden’s higher education experience includes enterprise systems modernization, cybersecurity and institutional resilience, academic technology, data and AI governance, infrastructure, and IT service delivery. His career also includes technology leadership roles at Northwestern University, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, and OfficeMax, as well as 20 years of service with the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. 

Burden holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Chicago, an MBA in Strategy from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Pre-Law from the University of Illinois Chicago. He also holds several information technology and cybersecurity certifications, including CISSP. 

David Fernelius: Thursday, October 8, 4:00 p.m., Rendezvous Suite 

David Fernelius is a higher education technology executive with more than 20 years of progressive information technology leadership experience. He currently serves as Executive Director of IT Infrastructure, Operations, and Security at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where he oversees enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, networking, telecommunications, identity and access management, data warehouse development, support services, and AI operations across multiple campus locations and online programs. 

During his career at Weber State, Fernelius has held progressively responsible technology leadership roles and has led initiatives involving data governance and analytics, cybersecurity, Ellucian Banner and enterprise systems modernization, cloud infrastructure, institutional technology governance, and artificial intelligence. He also chairs Weber State’s AI Implementation Task Force and represents the university in statewide and national higher education technology initiatives. 

Fernelius holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Weber State University. His professional credentials include Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations Associate, Certified ScrumMaster, Oracle Database Administrator Certified Professional, ITIL Foundation, and CCNA.