A thought leadership piece by Dr.Thomas Waite, K16 President & CEO 

I’ve always believed that real, reflective reading is an act of leadership, especially for those of us in the education field. In a world obsessed with speed, scanning, and scrolls, taking time to slow down and think deeply is quietly radical and blatantly refreshing. So if you’re reading these words, please know that I appreciate it more than you realize. This isn’t just another blog post. It’s an invitation to step back, reflect, and rethink how we lead with data in a human-centered way. I want to connect with you person to person, writer to reader, with the intent of serving and supporting. 

This work we all do in education leadership and transformation isn’t about headlines or dashboards or tech trends. It’s about trust. It’s about aligning people, priorities, and purpose. And that begins not with the latest system or model, but with how we think, how we decide, and how we simply help each other and move together. So let’s dig in and share some common ground. 

The “Strategic Triangle”

I think we all know of institutions that still rely on a single data champion, a structure that studies have shown can result in fragmented initiatives, duplicated efforts, and slow decision cycles ( Bedell, 2025 ). We also know that unified leadership ensures data isn’t siloed under one office but shared as a strategic asset across the executive suite. In fact, 86% of higher-education IT leaders report that the COVID-19 pandemic required closer collaboration among the president, provost, and CIO to steer technology and data strategies effectively ( Wulf, 2022 ). In this discussion, I examine the Strategic Triangle model—a simple yet powerful alignment framework from Mark Moore that transforms data from an IT concern into a shared institutional priority, accelerating innovation, improving agility, and reinforcing mission-critical objectives.

Moore’s Strategic Triangle is a helpful framework for leaders who want to create real value. It encourages leaders to align three key elements: public value, authorizing environment, and operational capacity. Public value refers to the tangible benefits delivered—or harm avoided—for the people or institutions they serve. The authorizing environment is about securing support and legitimacy from stakeholders, whether that’s boards, funders, or government bodies. And operational capacity means having the tools, people, and systems needed to execute effectively. When these three areas are aligned, leaders are better positioned to spot opportunities, take informed action, and adapt as things change ( Moore, Creating Public Value, 2021)  

When applied to data leadership in higher education the Strategic Triangle’s vertices manifests as:

• Creating an authorizing environment (President): Setting institutional vision and mandating data as a strategic priority, ensuring stakeholders are aligned.
• Aligning organizational capabilities (Provost): Translating the presidential vision into academic strategy and storytelling—curricula, research agendas, and faculty incentives.
• Creating and maintaining public value (CIO): Building and governing the data infrastructure, platforms, and quality frameworks to deliver actionable insights.

By continuously connecting these three roles, we can avoid the pitfalls of one-off data projects and imbibe a culture where data flows freely, decision-making accelerates, and leadership speaks a common analytic language ( QUT Pressbooks, n.d .).

Let’s expand on this idea of the use case for the Strategic Triangle model in higher education.

President: Vision Setter

The president of the institution is the champion and vision setter. His or her endorsement is crucial to elevate data beyond any siloed technical operations into a strategic imperative. Also, when presidents make a point to embed technology initiatives in the presidential cabinet, they signal that data fluency is mission-critical, not just a back-office function ( Educause, 2018).   As the institution’s buck-stops-here, data-governance sponsor, the president ensures that data policies carry the full weight of institutional authority, reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks when the CIO and provost convene to implement initiatives.

Provost: Academic Strategist & Translator

The provost plays a dual role: translating presidential priorities into academic goals—such as learning-outcome assessments and research-data strategies—and driving data fluency across all academic departments, ensuring no silos (one of my top-10 peeves). There are strong case studies for formalizing this bridge by appointing a single Vice Provost & Chief Data Officer (discussed below), blending academic leadership with institutional research and planning. Through grant-funding incentives, curriculum alignment, and faculty development programs, the provost embeds data-driven thinking into the very core of modern teaching and scholarship.

CIO: Architect & Operations Storyteller

The role of the chief information officer is currently a fascinating and evolving one in today’s climate. The CIO’s remit extends far beyond server uptime and software licenses. Today’s CIO must architect scalable data platforms—data lakes, warehouses, and analytics portals—that empower all stakeholders with trustworthy, timely insights ( DataMeaning, 2024 ). The CIO is becoming a great communicator across the enterprise. As governance steward, the CIO establishes policies for data quality, privacy, and compliance, often in partnership with the provost’s office and campus counsel ( CIO, 2023 ). Finally, through strategic planning tied to annual budgets and performance metrics, the CIO ensures that technology investments directly support teaching, research, and operational priorities ( Inside Higher Ed, 2024 ).

Real-World Case Studies

To ground the Strategic Triangle model in practice, you can go in depth with three real-world case studies illustrating how institutions have operationalized joint data leadership. 

• EDUCAUSE’s 2024 update reports that the share of CIOs reporting directly to the president has climbed from 29 percent in 2019 to 39 percent in 2021, a shift linked to enhanced strategic influence and faster project approvals. 
• At the University of Utah and Florida State University , hybrid Vice Provost & Chief Data Officer roles now bridge academic and data-governance functions, streamlining analytics initiatives and driving faculty engagement. 
• Finally, a 2020 EDUCAUSE survey found that 86% of senior administrators said the COVID-19 pandemic required closer collaboration among the president, provost, and CIO to execute technology and data strategies, underscoring the value of pre-established partnership structures.

5-Steps to Implementation 

In order to help operationalize the Strategic Triangle model, some experts recommend a five-step implementation roadmap that builds governance, alignment, clarity, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

Step 1: Establish a Data Leadership Council

Co-chaired by president, provost, and CIO, this council ratifies data policies, budgets, and strategic roadmaps ( University of Michigan ITS, n.d. ). Make no mistake this is an action group that needs to be aligned for success. Less talk, more action.

Step 2: Integrate Data into Annual Planning

Embed data-initiative milestones into strategic-planning and budget cycles, aligning KPIs with academic and operational goals ( CIO, 2021 ). Know the importance of being a team player with all departments and, again, move fast.

Step 3: Define Clear Charters & KPIs

Draft role-specific, simple, and short charters that delineate (and frankly, limit) decision rights. Assign individual accountability and simple yet specific performance metrics for each triangle member, ensuring no overlap or gaps ( ANZSOG, 2024 ).

Step 4: Launch Cross-Functional Workshops

Host quarterly retreats or hackathons that bring together academic, IT, and executive teams to build trust, standardize terminology, and share successes and lessons learned ( EdScoop, 2020 ). 

Step 5: Monitor Progress & Iterate

Develop executive dashboards that track adoption rates, project ROI, data-quality metrics, and user satisfaction—reviewed monthly by the council to refine strategies ( Huron Consulting Group, 2022 ). There should be constant testing and simplification of every process. Do not make any improvements without also simplifying to constantly curb complexity, Mistaking improvements with complexity has historically been in higher education’s DNA, but must change to thrive in today’s user-centered climate.

Benefits & Outcomes

I’ve seen firsthand how pulling the provost and CIO into the president’s inner circle cuts through what used to be months of debate over whose numbers are “right” and what tools to buy— and in the most impactful institutional decisions happen in days, not quarters or years. When COVID-19 hit, institutions with solid governance triangles pivoted almost overnight from packed lecture halls to polished virtual classrooms and real-time enrollment dashboards, keeping students and staff supported every step of the way. Bringing everyone together in data-literacy workshops and co-defining KPIs isn’t just a feel-good exercise—it builds a true data culture where faculty, IT, and executives speak the same language and solve problems as one team. And when your academic programs, research projects, and operational services all rally around the same data goals, you don’t just move faster—you stay laser-focused on student success, research impact, and long-term financial health.

On a Personal Note

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. That alone says something about you, because real, detailed reading takes patience, and these details are where real progress begins. Let’s be honest—humans and data aren’t a natural mix. We come with egos, emotions, and blind spots. The best data leaders know this, so they lead first through culture. Culture, as we all know, trumps strategy at least five days a week. Data, like math, can be art. And people, being flawed, can create flawed data and flawed strategies. That’s why the goal isn’t perfection—it’s steady, honest course correction. No big swings. No shiny tools. No new task force or blue-ribbon panel. Just action, small-but-constant  improvements, and shared accountability.

I can say all this because I’m not writing for clicks or content quotas. I care deeply about education and about the people doing real work inside its constructs. When presidents, provosts, and CIOs unite in shared purpose—when they form their own Strategic Triangle—they can break silos, accelerate decisions, and elevate data to what it was always meant to be: a leadership asset in service of people and possibilities. So flatten the org chart. Kill the turf wars. Align your data to your strategy, and your strategy to your mission. That’s how transformation begins, and how trust is built.