In her role as Assistant Vice Provost and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Technology and Student Success (ATSS), Elizabeth Romero Fuerte leads the teams that develop, deploy, and support technology in alignment with the goals of Academic Futures and in support of student success; this includes the centrally managed academic technologies, web portals, and the enterprise systems for student engagement and retention. She provides leadership in planning and policy related to digital learning and other instructional technology initiatives that facilitate achievement of CU Boulder’s strategic goals and OIT’s strategy to foster Academic continuity/fluidity and the student experience. To support the mission of ATSS, Elizabeth builds partnerships among campus academic support units and faculty governance groups to work collaboratively toward the achievement of institutional goals that can be addressed through the strategic application of technology.
Prior to joining CU Boulder, Elizabeth spent eight years managing multiple IT operational and service teams at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). At UIC, she focused on providing instructors the most innovative technology for teaching and learning, reinventing flexible learning spaces, and providing data that supported the research in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Elizabeth and her team received the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Leading Change in 2021, which honors universities that have developed and implemented high impact educational strategies that scale.
In addition to her experience in IT, Elizabeth spent her early career in the field of online learning. In 1999, she was the director of the Tec de Monterrey Virtual University –a pioneer model of distance learning in Mexico– where she implemented strategies that successfully increased visibility and acceptance of the distance education model inside and outside the university. She joined Western Kentucky University (WKU) in 2005, where she co-founded and managed the Technology Services for the Online Teaching Center (TSOnline) as the production cell for the office of distance learning and a one–stop shop for faculty support for online teaching and learning.
Elizabeth earned her B.S. in Electronic Engineering from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in 1996 and began a short career in the telecommunications industry. She later graduated with a Masters in Computer Science from Tec de Monterrey, an MA in Education from WKU, and a PhD in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development from the University of Louisville. From her dissertation, Elizabeth received the Best Paper Award by the IEEE Computer Society for a paper entitled “Web-based technology use and computer self-efficacy as predictors of faculty perceptions of support for the implementation of eLearning.”
Elizabeth is passionate about supporting teaching and learning with technology and relishes building relationships and fostering collaboration based on trust with academic and administrative leaders. She is also a champion for the success of all students, including those from underrepresented groups, through innovative technology initiatives that promote inclusion and equity.
When she is not working to make teaching and learning more enjoyable, she can be found in a library or a coffee shop relaxing, reading, or listening to music. Elizabeth also enjoys traveling, wandering in nature, and discovering interesting places.