Denison University Vice President and Chief Information Officer Liv Gjestvang has been honored with the 2025 EDUCAUSE Organizational Culture Award, recognizing her leadership in building inclusive, people-centered technology cultures that inspire innovation and connection across higher education.
Liv Gjestvang
Gjestvang, who was also recently recognized with the Ohio Orbie Award for CIO of the Year, leads Denison’s Informational Technology Services, overseeing technology strategy with a focus on digital transformation, AI innovation, and fostering a strong, positive team culture. She leads cybersecurity, enterprise and educational technologies, business intelligence, high-performance research computing, and more.
“I am grateful to be part of such a talented team at Denison who care deeply about each other and our students,” Gjestvang said. “We get to contribute to so many efforts, from the core technologies that power the college to new, innovative, and ethical strategies for integrating technology into a liberal arts education. This team has the creativity and the discipline to do both extremely well.”
“As a future-focused campus leader, Liv has an incredible ability to see opportunity, while prioritizing the things that will have the most meaningful impact,” said President Adam Weinberg. “Her vision and deep listening skills have allowed her to bring groundbreaking change without losing sight of people and purpose.”
Along with key campus partners, Gjestvang and her team have led major campus and professional initiatives, including Denison’s transition to Workday and an ethical embrace of AI, that are transforming the way the campus uses technology and approaches innovation, both operationally and throughout its curriculum.
Beyond campus, Gjestvang is a nationally recognized voice in educational technology and leadership development. She has served as faculty for the EDUCAUSE Learning Technology Leadership Institute, the CAUDIT Leadership Institute in Australia and New Zealand, and the EDUCAUSE New Managers Institute. She currently chairs the 2025 Annual Conference Programming Committee and has contributed to the EDUCAUSE Top 10 Issues Panel and the 2024 Partnership Summit. She previously chaired the Big Ten Learning Technology Leaders group and has received several national awards, including the 2017 EDUCAUSE Rising Star Award and the 2022 Amazon Web Services Think Big recognition.
EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association comprising more than 115,000 members, advances the strategic use of technology and data to enhance higher education globally.