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Chris Williams Appointed Chief Information Officer at AUP

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The American University of Paris is delighted to announce that Chris Williams has been named the University’s Chief Information Officer. As CIO, she will oversee all information technology operations and provide strategic leadership for AUP’s digital transformation. Her appointment will begin on January 5, 2026, and will mark our University's ongoing commitment to empowering its global community through technological innovation. 

I am delighted to welcome Chris Williams to AUP. She brings to this position strong and thoughtful leadership focused on the user experience and deep expertise in digital transformation. Chris stands out as a leader who enables others to see and create value through technologies and whose emphasis on collaboration assures meaningful solutions and broad impact.

President Sonya Stephens

Williams joins us from Lone Star College in Houston, Texas where she has served as CIO since 2024. During her tenure, she established a comprehensive five-year IT strategy that launched a modern cybersecurity program, elevated the student experience through a highly successful AI assistant, and modernized core IT operations. She previously served as Rice University’s Chief Digital Transformation Officer, where she was instrumental in streamlining processes through new application implementations, embracing automation, and removal of operational friction. She also led the implementation of real-time analytics dashboards, providing transparency and predictive monitoring. 

Williams holds a master’s in business administration with a specialty in cybersecurity from the University of Texas, a bachelor’s degree in information technology, and a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute.

I am honored to join The American University of Paris as your next CIO. I am very excited to help shape the next chapter of digital transformation, as outlined in THRIVE, the University’s strategic five-year plan. I look forward to collaborating across the AUP community to advance the technology needs in support of our mission.

Chris Williams

Deeply passionate about leveraging modern technology to facilitate meaningful collaboration, Williams brings a wealth of experience in cybersecurity, identity and access management, and expertise in leading strategic projects to support institutional goals. 

As a part of AUP’s five-year Strategic Plan THRIVE, Williams will play a key role in connecting a community over 30,000 strong. The CIO serves as a member of the University’s leadership team and oversees a dedicated team of IT professionals to support all University constituencies, including current and prospective students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and friends. Working together with staff and faculty, Williams will support the University’s academic mission and cultivate a culture of tech and data literacy through strong business practices, systems, processes and policies.  

We look forward to welcoming Chris Williams on campus in the spring 2026 semester.