Executive Vice President for Operations, Finance and Support Kelly Fox shared the following message with the university community Dec. 16:
Dear Colleagues,
I hope this message finds you well. Today, I am writing to share news of a planned transition within our Operations, Finance, and Support (OF&S) division. After three and a half years of remarkable leadership and dedicated service as our Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Paul Padley has decided to take on a new role on July 1, 2025, as an advisor to President DesRoches and me. In this new role, he’ll focus on advancing our university’s strategic contributions to academic and research excellence.
Throughout his tenure, Paul has been instrumental in transforming our Office of Information Technology (OIT), driving the creation of a cohesive vision and roadmap designed to align with the university’s "Momentous" strategic plan. Under his guidance, OIT has positioned itself as a key enabler of our institutional goals. His work has laid a strong foundation for OIT, integrating innovative practices, bolstering technological infrastructure, and setting a course to meet the evolving needs of our university community.
In his new advisory role, Paul will bring his strategic perspective to support OF&S as we seek to further enhance our operational excellence and continuously improve our contribution to Rice’s academic and research missions. His expertise and insight will be invaluable as we advance in our commitment to serve and support the campus community with integrity, responsiveness, and innovation.
We are immensely grateful for Paul’s contributions as CIO and are excited to continue working closely with him in this new capacity. A search for his successor will begin shortly, and we look forward to appointing a leader who will build upon the strong foundation Paul has established.
Please join me in thanking Paul for his dedication and in supporting him as he steps into this new role.
Warm regards,
Kelly Fox, Executive Vice President for Operations, Finance, & Support