As you may know, the University’s CIO Joe Gargiulo has announced his retirement. Joe has served SMU since 1998 in various capacities. He joined the team 19 years ago managing the Y2K efforts and then overseeing the PeopleSoft conversion. He was promoted to the Executive Director of Administrative Computing in 2005 and then later named CIO in 2008. He has lead the Office of Information Technology (OIT) team through a number of organizational changes (most recently the transition to shared services), as well as shepherded many significant projects such as the building of our University Data Center and implementation of the High-Performance Computing Cluster. He has been recognized with several leadership awards including a commendation from the Faculty Senate (2004), the President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership (2009) and the prestigious M award in 2017.
For those of us in OIT, Joe has been a humble and gracious leader. He cares deeply about his employees and all those he serves. Two of his top strengths are harmony and empathy—characteristics that guided his actions on a daily basis. He nurtured relationships across campus to transform the perception of IT from the back office to a close campus partner. He worked relentlessly to ensure faculty and staff computing needs were addressed and continually encouraged his teams to “wow” campus on a daily basis. His door was always open inviting us to meet with him at any time. He journeyed with us not only in our professional development but also as we traveled through life. He supported many of us through personal challenges and tragedies—offering encouragement, care, and a helping hand. Each and every day, it is obvious how deeply Joe cares for his team and the entire SMU community. He has helped build a team that works tirelessly to support SMU while also supporting one another. OIT has become a family. While we are excited for Joe as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement, we are sad to say goodbye to the man who has been our leader for so many years.
Thank you, Joe, for your hard work, many personal sacrifices, dedication, and leadership over the years. Thank you for your care and concern for us each day. We wish you the very best as you leave SMU. May your days be filled with peace, happiness and many wonderful hours on the golf course!
