The Daily Bulletin Archive

I am pleased to announce the appointment of David Demers as Buffalo State’s new chief information officer. Dr. Demers, who will begin his new role at Buffalo State on July 1, is currently the chief operating officer of the American Women’s College, an all-online degree program for women managed by Bay Path University in Massachusetts.

Dr. Demers brings nearly 20 years of experience and leadership in the ever-changing field of computer technology and information systems, including his background in developing and executing technology budgets, his assessment of campuswide technology needs, and his leveraging of virtualization strategies. Additionally, he has a successful track of collaborating across all campus divisions and an expertise in understanding all aspects of technology resources. I look forward to his vision and leadership as we continue to improve appropriate technology at Buffalo State that advances student learning and provides support for faculty and staff.

I invite you to read more about Dr. Demers’s background in the biography below.

I would like to thank the members of the search committee and search chair William White for their efforts and service to Buffalo State.

Lastly, please join me in thanking Bradley Fuster for his dedicated and outstanding service over the past two years in key interim roles at the college, including the 2014–2015 academic year as the interim chief information officer. Brad brought keen technological insights, creative energy, and lessons learned from the classroom to his leadership as CIO. His leadership this year has allowed us to advance our work within the division and to enhance our foundation as we move forward. Thank you, Brad!

About David Demers 
As the chief operating officer of Bay Path University’s American Women’s College since its inception in 2013, David Demers has served as the principal designer and architect of an innovative online learning environment, Social Online Universal Learning (S.O.U.L.), which combines robust learning analytics with student demographic data to inform adaptive social learning opportunities for students as well as proactive advising and early intervention strategies. The S.O.U.L. initiative was recently awarded $3.5 million in funding through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) First in the World competition through the U.S. Department of Education.

Prior to his appointment as COO of the American Women’s College, Demers was the vice president for academic and administrative technology at Bay Path from 2009 to 2013, where he provided strategic vision and oversight of technology resources to support teaching and learning, student information systems, telecommunications, and business systems. As Buffalo State’s chief information officer, he will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet and oversee the areas of Computing and Technology Services, Instructional Technology, and E. H. Butler Library.

From 2005 to 2009, Demers was the director of instructional technology and online learning at Sacred Heart University. He also held administrative posts at the University of Connecticut Health Center (2001–2005) and the University of Hartford (1999–2001). Additionally, he was an assistant professor of biology at Springfield Technical Community College from 1996 to 1999.

Demers has a long history of scholarship, having published articles in the International Journal on E-Learning, Family Medicine, and Gene as well as textbooks and electronic resource guides for W. W. Norton & Co. and Allyn & Bacon.

Demers completed his B.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1995) at the University of California at Riverside, where he pursued research interests in the field of cell and molecular biology.