Richard Bakken

Rich Bakken is the Chief Information Officer for the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. His responsibilities include overseeing technology applications and systems that support students, faculty, and staff within the School.

Prior to joining Harvard, Rich served as Assistant Chief Information Officer and Director for Support Services in Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) at Stanford University. His teams were responsible for Helpdesk services, Point-of-Sale, IoT, and Audiovisual support in divisional spaces. From 2015 to 2021, Rich served in several roles at Princeton University including as Director of Instructional Support Services, where he co-led the development and implementation of the first campus Learning Space Initiative. From 2007 to 2015, Rich held roles at San Diego State University for Learning Spaces and Media Production/Special Events, supporting teaching and learning technologies, lecture capture systems, and video production. Rich served as Director of Media Services at Wisconsin Lutheran College from 2000-2006, and was a Producer/News Anchor at Newsradio 620 WTMJ for hosted programming including the Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers Radio Network broadcasts.

Rich has served on the board of directors for Emmanuel Music of Boston. He has co-authored articles focused on leadership and technology topics and has presented at conferences in the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the United States. He is a 2016 MOR ITLP Alum and has participated in MOR events at Princeton and Stanford.

Rich is a Graduate Instructor in the MPS Psychology of Leadership program for the Pennsylvania State University World Campus. He holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego, a M.A.Ed. degree from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Wisconsin Lutheran College.