Page 16 - WesternU View Summer 2019

Clive Houston-Brown, EdD
Senior Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer
14 | WESTERNU VIEW Summer/Fall 2019
TECHNOLOGY and
ONLINE LEARNING
at the forefront
By Rodney Tanaka
Western University of Health Sciences President
Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD, is leading the University in
a bold new direction with a strategic plan that
emphasizes innovation, improving systems and
processes, and growth in several areas including
global health, digital education and enhanced
philanthropy.
Two recent hires exemplify the priorities set by the strategic plan.
Clive Houston-Brown, EdD, was hired in February 2019 as Chief
Technology Officer and is now Senior Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer. Jonathan Daitch, MEd, was hired in October
2018 as Director of Online Learning and is now Associate Provost
for Online Education.
“Dr. Houston-Brown brings to WesternU a complete portfolio
marked by great success in the management of institutional
services at the highest levels,” said WesternU President Daniel R.
Wilson, MD, PhD. “As befits a Marine, he can improvise, adapt
and overcome nearly any obstacle in whatever situation with a
willingness to engage until the mission is complete.”
One of Houston-Brown’s areas of focus is setting the strategic
direction for technology at WesternU as the leader of its
Department of Information Technology (IT). He will work with
senior leadership - deans and administrative units – to gauge the
technology they need to achieve their visions and missions.
Technology plays an important role in the strategic plan of each
college and unit on campus, Houston-Brown said.
“It is critical for us to understand each unit’s strategic plan and
what technology needs there are going to be,” he said. “If we
don’t provide the technological infrastructure they need, we
hinder their ability to be successful. It behooves us to look at their
plan to develop our strategic plan.”
Houston-Brown is developing an IT governance process –
expected to be in place by fall 2019 – that will streamline
communication and collaboration between IT and every other unit
at WesternU. Another important piece is to understand the
University’s IT ecosystem.