University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary S. May has appointed Aisha Jackson as the university’s first chief information and digital strategy executive (CIDSE). Reporting directly to the chancellor and serving as a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council, Jackson will begin her new role Dec. 1, 2025. The position is a two-year term.

Jackson currently serves as vice chancellor for information technology at UC Santa Cruz, a position she has held since 2022. Before that, she spent 12 years at the University of Colorado Boulder, most recently as assistant vice provost and assistant vice chancellor for academic technology and student success.

“I’m pleased that Aisha will join us to strengthen UC Davis’s ability to meet growing technological demands,” said Chancellor May. “With ongoing cybersecurity threats, rapid advances in AI, and the need for continuous innovation, Aisha brings a critical strategic perspective. Her deep experience in higher education — working with faculty, students and administrators — positions her well to help us envision and implement how technology can enhance our education and research missions.”

At UC Santa Cruz, Jackson established governance structures, vision and a collaborative service culture that transformed IT from siloed operations to collaborative partnerships across academic and administrative divisions. She also founded and co-chaired the UC Santa Cruz AI Council to guide responsible artificial intelligence adoption in teaching and learning, while leading critical systemwide initiatives in information security and digital accessibility. During her tenure at Boulder, she provided strategic leadership for key technology services supporting faculty and student success.

The CIDSE role was created following an external review of UC Davis’s information technology landscape across the Davis and Sacramento campuses. The review found that while the university has strong IT infrastructure, it remains highly decentralized and would benefit from greater enterprise-wide coordination and strategic alignment.

As the campus’s first chief information and digital strategy executive, Jackson will lead efforts to integrate and coordinate UC Davis’s diverse information technology initiatives. She will develop a unified governance framework that promotes transparency, accountability and alignment with institutional priorities. Jackson will also serve as UC Davis’s primary liaison to the UC system for all information technology matters, ensuring that campus and health system initiatives are in step with systemwide goals.

“I am honored to join UC Davis at such a pivotal moment in higher education,” Jackson said. “This role represents an incredible opportunity to help shape how technology advances the university’s learning, teaching, research and service missions. I look forward to collaborating to build integrated, forward-thinking digital strategies that serve our entire community.”

Jackson will work closely with IT leaders across the entire institution, including Information and Educational Technology (IET); Finance, Operations and Administration (FOA); Enrollment Management; UC Davis Health; and all schools and colleges to align institutional IT priorities and investments. She will provide strategic guidance, coordination and advisory leadership across these areas.

Jackson earned her doctorate in education from the University of Colorado Denver, her Master of Education from the University of Florida, and her bachelor’s degree in education from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.