Lance Bolton, senior IT director of College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Technology Services, has received the 2016 Information Technology Leadership Award in recognition of his exemplary contributions to the university’s IT community.
The award, co-sponsored by the IT Leadership Development Team and Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Steve Fleagle, was presented to Bolton during the annual UI Tech Forum, attended by hundreds of IT professionals May 24 at the Iowa Memorial Union.
Bolton joined the UI in 2003, working as manager of application support in Information Technology Services until 2011, when he accepted his current position leading the CLAS Technology Services group. He is known for engagement in the IT community, regularly supporting and leading broader campus IT initiatives while serving CLAS and the university mission. He met all criteria of the award–engagement, impact, initiative, and professional growth through leadership development–as is evident in his numerous collaborative accomplishments.
In addition to the IT Leadership Award this year, Bolton recently received a team Improving Our Workplace Award (IOWA) Award for his contributions to the Drupal Digital Signage Project and an UI Outstanding Staff Excellence Award.
Accepting the IT Leadership Award, Bolton noted the amazing technology leadership he has seen on this campus in the past year, and expressed his enthusiasm about a transformation from communities of interest to communities of collaboration.
“Over the past year I've seen a visible increase in collaboration and have been excited to encourage this activity,” Bolton says. “I humbly accept this award on behalf of all of the people leading at all levels and challenge everybody in this room to seek opportunities for collaboration—not just knowledge transfer, but true collaboration with your peers in this room.”
At the helm of CLAS Technology Services, Bolton is responsible for technology initiatives in the largest college, which encompasses a wide array of disciplines including the humanities, fine and performing arts, social sciences, and mathematical and natural sciences. He oversees strategic planning for college-wide technology projects, services and budgets, in close alignment with enterprise efforts and goals.
Bolton has created a dynamic team while developing strategic relationships and fostering collaboration. All 40-plus CLAS departments have now moved to a central model within CLAS for IT support, reducing redundancy and improving the quality of IT services provided. He is highly committed to CLAS, always striving to make positive changes in IT in support of teaching and research objectives.
As a member of the three-person OneIT Program Office, Bolton helps to oversee and guide efforts to implement the 16 OneIT efficiency projects. In this role, he is able to identify services ITS offers that CLAS can leverage and recognize where CLAS staff can add value. Bolton also serves on the CLAS TIER Advisory Group, addressing technology needs as TIER plans are developed.
Building a community of leaders
The annual IT Leadership Award is one element of an initiative to build a strong IT community that fosters collaboration across university units and promotes individual leadership development. In the past several years, more than 300 IT professionals on campus have advanced their skills and built relationships through leadership workshops and programs.
The IT Leadership Development Team also sponsors the “What’s On Your Mind?” lecture series, which focuses on issues currently affecting the campus and provides an opportunity for campus leaders to share insights on leadership.
Any UI employee can nominate a candidate for the award. The nomination process is announced in the spring and includes statements that identify ways these individuals have provided leadership by their level of campus engagement and impact to community IT projects, as well as their initiative and professional growth. Past recipients of the IT Leadership Award are: Chris Pruess (2015), Guy Falsetti (2014), and Doug Eltoft (2013).
For more information on leadership development in the university’s IT community, visit http://itcommunities.uiowa.edu/it-leaders-program or contact IT Leadership Development Team Chair Tim Wolf at timothy-wolf@uiowa.edu.