(BPRW) Clark Atlanta University Names Atlanta Housing’s Brian Benn Vice President, CIO

(Black PR Wire) Clark Atlanta University has named Brian Benn as its new Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Benn is currently Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President for Atlanta Housing. 

Benn began his career at NASA and has since accumulated a wealth of experience as a leader, practitioner, and consultant for both the government and public sectors, as well as for the Big Five consulting firms.

He successfully led the Atlanta Housing IT staff through the Covid-19 pandemic and introduced the Business Continuity Plan, which proved even more necessary with the onset of the pandemic. He also spearheaded the agency’s digital transformation with initiatives such as a Business Process Assessment and Enterprise Information Management implementation to promote and foster the symbiotic relationship between people, processes, and technology.

“Brian Benn is bringing to the University an incredible wealth of knowledge and connections throughout the Atlanta IT ecosystem,” said CAU President George French, Jr. “He is passionate about bridging the digital divide not only as a professional, but also as a servant leader. We are grateful that he will carry out his personal mission to mentor and empower others to maximize their potential both individually and collectively at our great institution.”

Benn serves on the Executive Advisory Board for Atlanta Technology Professionals, the National Advisory Board for the Government Technology Special Districts Program, as Vice Chair for GeorgiaCIO, as Board Chair for the Technology Association of Georgia, and on the Atlanta CIO advisory board. 

He is the recipient of TechBridge’s 2022 Ed Steinike CIO of the Year Award. He also was selected as one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers for 2021 and the Atlanta Technology Professional of the Year for 2020.  Benn, who is regarded as one of the thought leaders in Atlanta’s technology ecosystem, has written about and presented on a myriad of topics ranging from leadership to cybersecurity.

Benn studied computer science and mathematics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and has an MBA from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi.  

About Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University was formed with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College, both of which hold unique places in the annals of African American history. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Clark College, established four years later in 1869, was the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is the largest of the four institutions (CAU, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morehouse School of Medicine) that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member UNCF institutions. Notable alumni include James Weldon Johnson, American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing – “The Black National Anthem”; Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR and Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Vice President & Engagement at Google, Inc. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.

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