Georgia Tech IT Professionals Unite at OneIT Symposium

IT professionals from across Georgia Tech came together March 25 for the 2026 OneIT Spring Symposium, a daylong event at the Ferst Center for the Arts that highlighted campuswide technology initiatives, strategic discussions, and updates on projects shaping the Institute's technology landscape. Hosted by the OneIT leadership committee, the event marked a milestone in the group's ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration and build a more connected IT community across the campus.

The day began with breakfast and small-group working sessions, providing opportunities for networking, idea-sharing, and broader campus engagement. The program officially opened with remarks from the OneIT leadership committee, which emphasized the organization's role in fostering communication and collaboration among campus IT teams.

Joe Lewis, associate vice president for IT and chief information security oficer, delivered the keynote address, "Securing the Hive," a title that echoed the event's theme, The Hive Mind.

"I want to build, with each of you, a cyber program that operates as a service to the Institute - not a checkpoint," Lewis said. "I can't build it alone," he continued. "I need your eyes and your instincts. You are the eyes and the ears of the hive."

The symposium also included a presentation by Loulou Hong, vice president for Student Engagement and Well-Being, who spoke about the intersection of technology, engagement, and the well-being of the Georgia Tech community.

Attendees participated in afternoon parallel-track sessions designed to explore specific IT initiatives and shared challenges. Topics included: upcoming Office of Information Technology (OIT) Cybersecurity endpoint implementations; computing services offered by the Partnership for an Advanced Computing Environment; the democratization of data - including tools and approaches to support broader, more effective access to institutional sources; and improvements to onboarding and off-boarding processes, both noted as critical to operational efficiency and campus cybersecurity.

Participants later reconvened for updates on the newly established Shield research enclave, an initiative that supports Institute research compliance through a secure computing environment.

The event concluded with closing remarks that reinforced the OneIT leadership committee's mission to strengthen connections among campus IT staff and translate collaboration into meaningful outcomes for the Institute.

Sponsored by OIT, OneIT is an initiative that connects IT staff across Colleges, departments, and administrative units, builds shared practices, standards, and communities of practice, and coordinates security, infrastructure, and service initiatives across campus IT offices.

2026 OneIT committee members include: Andrew Leonard (co-chair), IT support engineer, College of Computing; Jimmy Pearson (co-chair), senior application support analyst, OIT; Chris Helms, IT architecture manager, Georgia Tech Library; Eric Mungai, director of IT, Ivan Allen College; Ben Pritchett, IT support senior manager, School of Aerospace Engineering; Bill Robbins, lead systems/IT architecture (GTRI); Lawrence Sharp, director of IT, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE); Gabe Vannice, director of Architecture & Infrastructure, OIT; and Joe Zima, technical support manager, ISyE.

View pictures from the 2026 OneIT Spring Symposium here.