Laurie Panella was formerly CIO for Milwaukee County
Marquette University has named Laurie Panella as its next chief information officer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joel Pogodzinski announced today. Panella, who most recently served as CIO for Milwaukee County, will begin in her new role on Aug. 19.
The 2017 Milwaukee Business Journal CIO of the Year honoree is a graduate of Marquette’s College of Business Administration.
“Laurie’s track record of transformation and delivering value in a complex environment makes her the perfect choice to serve as the university’s next chief information officer,” Pogodzinski says. “She has a history of innovation and building deep relationships, and she has a demonstrated commitment to Marquette’s Catholic, Jesuit mission. We are pleased to welcome Laurie back to campus.”
“I am honored and excited to return to my alma mater to lead its information technology services,” Panella says. “I am passionate about technology and the impact it has on the future. Being part of the Marquette family will allow me to leverage that passion and use it to build a ‘smart’ university for students, faculty and staff, and support university leaders in implementing the strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries.”
Panella has served as CIO for Milwaukee County since 2009. There she provided strategic technology direction, planning and execution of IT solutions and systems for the county’s $1.1 billion operation, with 4,400 staff members serving 900,000 customers. Prior to that, Panella was chief of recreation and business development for the Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, where she worked since 1992.
Panella has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with specializations in marketing and human resources, from Marquette. In addition to being named CIO by the Milwaukee Business Journal, she was named among the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for national public sector IT by Government Technology magazine in 2012.
She is also active in the community. Panella is currently a member of the Evanta Milwaukee CIO/CISO governing body, Milwaukee CIO United Advisory Board, Society of Information Management, Wisconsin Digital Summit governing board and Tempo Milwaukee, and she is the commissioner of the City of Wauwatosa Park and Forestry Board.
“I’d like to thank the search committee, chaired by Lora Strigens, vice president for planning and facilities management, for the great work they did to identify a qualified pool of candidates,” Pogodzinski says.