C-Suite - Higher Education Technology Executive
About Diedra Hollins
Executive Overview
Dynamic, strategic, and visionary C-level IT executive with over 20 years of progressive leadership driving enterprise-wide digital transformation across the Higher Education, municipal, and federal sectors. Currently serving as Executive Director of Enterprise Solutions in higher education, she specializes in leading complex institutional modernizations, ERP cloud migrations, and multi-year IT strategy leadership roadmaps that align technology investments directly with institutional missions, academic outcomes, and student success.
Mrs. Hollins' executive portfolio bridges higher education leadership with deep cross-sector experience, including 5+ years driving municipal digital transformations and 10+ years directing large-scale federal programs. Grounded in a core philosophy of prioritizing people and processes to manage technology seamlessly, she has established robust IT governance, zero-trust cybersecurity programs, and advanced data models while managing multi-million-dollar budgets. Whether pioneering generative AI strategy and implementation, optimizing enterprise software suites, or deploying Smart City initiatives, she is recognized for cultivating transparent, high-trust partnerships with university boards, agency leaders, faculty, technical teams, and community stakeholders.
Higher Education Leadership & Expertise
Stewardship of All Higher Education Enterprise IT Solutions, Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Web Services
- Technology Governance: Cabinet-level strategic alignment, cross-functional IT governance, and multi-year institutional roadmapping.
- ERP Cloud Transformation Execution: End-to-end methodology for migrating Ellucian Banner from on-premises to cloud/SaaS environments
-Digital Accessibility & Universal Design (ADA/WCAG)
- Enterprise CRM & Enrollment Governance: Executive sponsorship and cross-functional operational alignment for Technolutions Slate across Admissions, Recruitment, Student Success, and functional user networks.
- LMS Strategic Leadership: Comprehensive direction of D2L Brightspace/Instructure Canvas, encompassing course delivery, assessment, outcome tracking, personalized/adaptive learning, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) accessibility standards.
- Emerging Tech & AI Integration: Enterprise generative AI deployment, workflow automation, predictive analytics, and data-driven decision-making.
- Cross-Sector Enterprise Operations: Large-scale infrastructure leadership, PMO maturity, ITSM/ITIL framework implementation and IT consolidation (citizen IT collaboration)
- Cybersecurity, Risk & Compliance: Secure multi-tenant environments utilizing Zero Trust architecture while ensuring compliance with FERPA, GLBA, CJIS, NIST, and FISMA standards.
Cross-Sector Digital Transformation & Municipal/Federal Leadership
Municipal Transformation & Public Engagement (Local Government): As the CIO/DCIO directed end-to-end technology strategy and IT consolidation, overseeing a $24M annual budget and 120 employees. Modernized municipal operations by transitioning 311 systems to Salesforce CRM, deploying Smart City initiatives (SMART lighting, 5G, CITI Watch), and elevating public-facing digital services.
Large-Scale Federal Operations & Research Support: Served as Deputy CIO/COO managing a $167M annual budget and over 300 IT professionals in federal research laboratory environments. Oversaw enterprise architecture, partnered with high-performance computing, cybersecurity programs, and ServiceNow "Out of the Box" deployments across classified and unclassified domains.
Enterprise Operations, Governance & Fiscal Stewardship
Mission-Critical IT Operations & PMO Maturity: Deliver daily oversight for complex enterprise IT operations, ensuring high availability, continuous service delivery, and resilient business continuity across network, telecommunications, DevOps, and cloud domains.
Cybersecurity & Zero Trust Architecture: Drive strict adherence to federal, state, and higher education privacy regulations (FERPA, GLBA, CJIS) through Zero Trust security frameworks, NIST compliance, and proactive vulnerability management.
Talent Development & Strategic Vendor Leadership: Mentor and build high-performing, multidisciplinary technical teams while improving technology fluency across non-technical business units. Manage complex vendor portfolios, leading RFP development, contract negotiations, and SLA enforcement to maximize institutional ROI.
Public Speaking & Thought Leadership
As an accomplished C-suite IT executive, Mrs. Hollins frequently shares insights on digital transformation, enterprise cloud migrations, and the integration of generative AI within IT strategy leadership frameworks. Her expertise extends beyond enterprise technical strategy to include a strong focus on cybersecurity programs aimed at protecting organizations. Additionally, she is deeply committed to empowering the next generation of technology leaders, fostering inclusive innovation, and advocating for students in STEM.
STEM Leadership & Community Engagement
Women in STEM Conferences: As a host and featured speaker for regional and national women in STEM conferences, Mrs. Hollins has delivered keynotes on executive tech leadership, career progression, and breaking barriers in male-dominated technical fields, including discussions on vital cybersecurity programs.
Founder of INL Women in Technology: Mrs. Hollins established the Women-in-Technology initiative at Idaho National Laboratory to mentor female researchers, software engineers, and IT professionals while advancing institutional diversity initiatives in the tech landscape, especially focusing on digital transformation.
STEM & Executive Tech Panels: Mrs. Hollins serves as panel host and moderator, covering high-impact industry topics such as enterprise Zero Trust cybersecurity, higher education ERP modernizations, AI ethics, and SMART infrastructure deployment, while emphasizing the importance of effective IT strategy leadership.
Higher Education & Industry Boards: As an active board member and ambassador, including roles on the North Carolina Central University CIS Advisory Board, Gartner Peer Community, and WiCyS DFW, Mrs. Hollins engages in public forums and peer mentoring to enhance tech education.
K12 STEM Student Competition: Mrs. Hollins host and judge K12 STEM student competitions, promoting interest in these critical fields.
Honors & Recognition
- Women of Color Leaders and
Legends Special Recognition Award:
Recognized for outstanding leadership,
executive vision, and contributions to
enterprise technology and community
impact through innovative cybersecurity
programs.
- Modern Day Technology Leader
Award: Awarded at the Black Engineer
of the Year Awards (BEYA) for
pioneering achievements in digital
transformation and IT strategy
leadership.
- Booz Allen Employee Excellence
Award: Honored for exceptional project
leadership and technical delivery on
high-visibility federal IT modernization
initiatives, positioning the company as a
leader in cybersecurity programs.
- City of Baltimore Certificate of
Recognition: Awarded by the City of
Baltimore Results Team for driving
operational excellence and cost-
effective IT governance as part of a
comprehensive IT strategy leadership
approach.
- Battelle Lab Operations Leadership
Academy
- Gartner Aspiring CIO
- Gartner Peer Community
Ambassador
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
- Top Secret/SSBI | GSA Public Trust |
DOE 'Q' Clearance