Smith College Tech Leader Wins 2019 Tambellini CIO Award

Irvington, Virginia – March 5, 2019 –  The Tambellini Group is pleased to announce that Samantha Earp, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer of Smith College, is this year’s Tambellini CIO Award winner.

Tambellini, the world’s leading independent market research and analyst firm solely focused on higher education, recognizes that CIOs and tech leaders have become crucially instrumental to the overarching success of colleges and universities. The CIO award provides a platform to recognize an individual who demonstrates excellence in planning and deployment of modern technology and possesses three qualities: effective leadership, innovation, and creativity.

Earp took the top honor amid very stiff competition—the fourth annual award saw a 50 percent increase in nominations this year over last. She has worked within higher education for over 25 years. In addition to Smith College, Earp’s career has included Harvard and Duke Universities. Her nomination highlighted her indelibly positive mark at all three institutions.

Vicki Tambellini, President and CIO, remarked, “Samantha is a stellar representative of higher education technology leaders, who have made significant contributions within their institutions and beyond. She is accomplished and respected by her colleagues. And, she has led highly visible transformational initiatives within the academic community which are truly admirable. We are proud to present Samantha with the 2019 CIO Award.”

When asked what important characteristic a CIO would benefit from, Earp responded, “Obviously having near term activities as well as a strategic vision for where you’re trying to go. It’s also developing a trusting and collaborative relationship with people across the institution. You should have the ability to cultivate agreement on what’s needed and then work together as partners to deliver that. And finally,” Earp concludes, “don’t sweat the small stuff. Stay focused and don’t get distracted by the shiny objects that can derail your mission.”

Tambellini wants to also extend special thanks to all those who submitted thoughtful and comprehensive nominations this year. It was a very talented pool of nominees, which made judging extremely difficult for our Executive Advisory Council members.

About The Tambellini Group
The Tambellini Group (Tambellini) is the only independent research and analyst firm dedicated exclusively to higher education. With a database of the technology selections of more than 18,900 global institutions, and with a team of analysts and researchers who have decades of higher education expertise, Tambellini offers unbiased analysis and objective insight on education technology and market trends with verifiable data. Tambellini helps higher education executives, business leaders, and the investment community make fact-based technology decisions to achieve their key strategic goals. Founded in 2001, Tambellini is a woman-owned business headquartered in Irvington, Virginia. www.thetambellinigroup.com

Media Contact:
Hilary Billingslea, Marketing Communications Director
The Tambellini Group
1-800-414-3405
hilary.billingslea@thetambellinigroup.com