Rice University has appointed alumnus and former trustee Terrence Gee ’86 as interim chief information officer, effective Aug. 1.
Gee is a senior executive with nearly four decades of experience leading innovation, enterprise IT and organizational change across multiple industries. Most recently, he served as chief information officer for Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, where he played a key role in launching the company and scaling its revenue more than fourfold over 10 years.
“Terrence brings a wealth of leadership experience from both industry and higher education,” said Kelly Fox, executive vice president for operations, finance and support. “Over the past year, Terrence has also been advising and mentoring several members of our OIT team, and he has a strong understanding of both our current challenges and our aspirations.”
Gee began his career at Accenture, where he became a partner and spent two decades advising Fortune 500 clients on technology strategy, operational transformation and enterprise change. He later founded Trilogee Partners, a firm through which he has made strategic investments in sectors including consulting, banking, health care and education.
Widely recognized for his ability to integrate emerging technologies into complex organizations, Gee brings a deep commitment to creating exceptional user experiences and delivering lasting value through secure and resilient operations. He has served on advisory boards for Salesforce, UiPath and Parsable and was a founding board member of CONA Services, where he chaired its IT risk management committee.
“I am honored to return to Rice and contribute to a university that has meant so much to me,” Gee said. “I look forward to working alongside the talented OIT team to advance our technology capabilities and support the critical work happening across campus.”
Gee previously served two terms as a Rice Board of Trustees member from 2017 to 2025 and chaired the board’s information technology committee. He is a frequent speaker on digital transformation, cybersecurity oversight and organizational resilience. Gee currently serves on the boards of Child Advocates and SpringSpirit, both nonprofits.
“We are fortunate to welcome someone who not only understands the importance of IT in the modern research university but also appreciates the culture and values of Rice,” Fox said. “I’m confident that Terrence’s leadership will enable us to make progress on our foundational work and position OIT to support the university’s strategic priorities in even more meaningful ways.”
The search for a permanent chief information officer at Rice is ongoing. Paul Padley, who has served as CIO for the last four years, will transition to an advisory role to support President Reginald DesRoches and Fox in advancing the university’s strategic goals in academic and research excellence.
“I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Paul for his steady leadership throughout the last four years and for agreeing to extend his appointment through the end of July. I’m grateful for all he has done and continues to do for the team and the broader campus community,” Fox said.