Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and CIO

Michael G. Cato

Interim Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO)
704‑687‑8483
Information & Technology Services
michael.cato@uncc.edu

Michael Cato leads the Information Technology Services (ITS) department at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the Interim Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO). In this role, he develops strategy for and directs the operations of the University's central Information Technology operations. Areas of responsibility include research computing, faculty and staff support, student computing resources, technical infrastructure, and enterprise information systems.

Michael joined the UNC Charlotte community in 2006 as the Director of Health Informatics in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) where he was responsible for expanding and refining information and technology services. He provided research support as a co-investigator on a project funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research to examine the feasibility of delivering HIV prevention text messages to African-American adolescents in Charlotte. These and other successful and innovative endeavors earned him the nomination for UNC Charlotte Employee of the Year in 2009. After the completion of a Master of Business Administration from Wake Forest University in 2010, Michael was promoted to Executive Director of Health Informatics, and was recruited to ITS in 2011 as Director of Client Services.

Prior to joining UNC Charlotte, Michael held several IT positions at UNC Chapel Hill including directing the Tailored Technology Research Group (a group he helped to establish and manage in 2003) at the former Institute for Science Learning. As director, he led efforts to address the technology needs of the Institute including the design and implementation of procedures for IT procurement, deployment, security, support, and maintenance. Additionally, he served as the manager and IT specialist at the Partnership for Minority Advancement in the Biomolecular Sciences during which time he formally established IT support as a fully functional unit within the partnership. In addition to designing and implementing IT policies, he was also responsible for supervising the IT team that provided training and support for technology-driven science education enhancement programs. Michael was awarded UNC Chapel Hill’s Information Technology Award in 2003 in recognition of leadership in this position.

Michael is a member of the Society for Information Management, an alum of Leadership North Carolina, and is a former board member of both organizations. Degrees held include a B.S. from Andrews University and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University.