Ringling College of Art and Design is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ashley Burt as the new Vice President/Chief Digital Information Officer beginning June 30, 2023. His appointment follows a national search as supported by the search firm WittKieffer.
Burt most recently served as the Chief Information Officer at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. His accomplishments over the last six years have been many, including the development of a strategic vision for Institutional Technology and the implementation of steps to achieve it. Prior to serving at Eckerd College, Burt worked at his alma mater, Auburn University, in a variety of positions, culminating in the role of Director, Information and Instructional Technology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
“I was drawn to the position at Ringling College because I embrace innovation and experimentation and am excited by the opportunities to do so in an art and design environment,” said Burt.
His approach to working with faculty and students is to partner with them to enhance their success. Burt has implemented a number of technology projects including campus-wide lecture capture, 3D printing in orthopedic medicine, cyber security training, migrating the campus data center to AWS, and redesigning wired and wireless networks.
“We are so happy to welcome Ashley to the Ringling College creative community,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design. “His background and experience will support our continued priority of technology as an integral part of the curriculum and campus support systems. We welcome his leadership as we address the many technological advances before us and continue our evolution of the technology resources that support our vision of being the preeminent college of art and design.”
Burt holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Auburn University and a master’s in business administration from Troy University. He has served as an advisory board member for the University Business Technology Conference and has given a number of professional presentations at a variety of conferences. Burt and his wife live in Lakewood Ranch with their four sons. When not at work, he and his family enjoy going to Egmont on their boat and fishing around Tampa Bay.
