VPCIO Leadership

The VPCIO's area of UB Information Technology is a UB service organization led by specialists in their fields.

J. Brice Bible.

E. Bruce Pitman, PhD

Interim Vice President and Chief Information Officer (VPCIO)

716-645-7979
pitman@buffalo.edu

E. Bruce Pitman, PhD is the interim Vice President and Chief Information Officer (VPCIO) for UB.  A professor in UB’s Department of Materials Design and Innovation, Dr. Pitman’s research expertise is in mathematical modeling, high-performance computing, and statistical learning.

Pitman is the former dean of UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, and former vice provost for educational technology. Dr. Pitman has a PhD and Masters in Mathematics from Duke University, and a Bachelors in Physics and Mathematics from Northwestern University.

> Read about the Office of the Chief Information Officer

Kelly Kenline.

Kelly Kenline

Assistant CIO, Director of Strategic Portfolio Management and Interim Director of Enterprise Application Services

716-645-5344
kellyd@buffalo.edu

Prior to joining UB, Kelly served as Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer with Daemen College. During her 17 years at Daemen, Kelly oversaw a diverse portfolio of large-scale IT projects, leading enterprise-wise innovations in network infrastructure, information security and disaster management.

Kelly provides leadership and oversight for the prioritizing, tracking and reporting of the VPCIO area’s portfolio of projects and services, ensuring alignment between UBIT’s strategic direction and campus business objectives. Kelly holds a Masters in Management from Colorado State University and a Bachelors in Computer Science from Canisius College.

Nancy Kielar.

Nancy Kielar

Assistant Vice President / Chief of Staff, and Director, CIO Administrative Operations (CIOAO)

716-645-5806
kielar@buffalo.edu

Nancy Kielar was appointed to her position in 1998. Prior to joining UBIT, she held positions in the Office of the Provost, School of Management, College of Arts & Sciences, and the Office of the Senior Vice President. Nancy received both her undergraduate degree and MBA from UB’s School of Management.

> More about CIOAO

Joe Grupp.

Joe Grupp

Assistant Vice President / Chief Information Security Officer

716-645-4767
jgrupp@buffalo.edu

Joe began his career with UBIT in 2011 as a programmer for HUB, later becoming HUB’s technical coordinator. He joined UB’s Dental School in 2017 and helped migrate them from paper-based patient charts to a fully electronic medical system. Joe returned to the VPCIO’s area in 2019 where he managed both Windows and Linux system administrator teams in addition to a database team for EIS. Joe was named Interim ISO in August 2022, and Assistant Vice President / Chief Information Security Officer in February 2023.

Previously, Joe spent 10 years with the United States Air Force. Joe has an MBA from UB in addition to degrees in Computer Science and Aerospace Maintenance from the USAF, and Management Info Systems from Bellevue University.

> More about ISO

Richard Letts.

Richard Letts

Assistant Vice President/Executive Director of Network and Communication Services

716-645-9333
rjletts@buffalo.edu

Richard joined the University at Buffalo as Assistant Vice President/Executive Director of Network and Communication Services in November 2023.

In 2018, he joined Purdue University as Director of Networking and Telecommunications where he was responsible for the voice and data infrastructure at the main campus in West Lafayette and regional campuses in Ft. Wayne and Hammond/Westville.

Prior to Purdue, Richard was the Manager of Network Operations and Engineering for the University of Washington in Seattle, including UW Medicine hospitals and neighborhood clinics, for eight years. He has over 20 years of experience in a university environment.

Richard holds a MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Computer Systems from the University of Salford in the UK.

> More about NCS

Larry Schnitzer.

Larry Schnitzer

Director, Enterprise Infrastructure Services (EIS)

716-645-3031
lps@buffalo.edu

Larry Schnitzer joined the university in 1990 before moving to UBIT in 2000 as a unix systems administrator. In 2006, he took on the role of Manager of Systems Software and in 2016 became EIS' Associate Director. Prior to joining UBIT, he worked in the CEDAR research group at UB as a digital hardware and software engineer. Larry earned a Masters of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University at Buffalo. Larry was named Director of EIS in 2018.

> More about EIS

Chris Clune.

Chris Clune

Director, IT Customer Service (ITCS)

716-645-9077
cclune@buffalo.edu

As UB’s Director of IT Customer Service, Chris is responsible for providing visionary leadership to support and improve the customer experience. He joined UB in 2015 after 18 years at Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science. Chris holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Information Systems and Communications from Robert Morris University.  

> More about ITCS

Diana Tuorto.

Diana Tuorto

Director, IT Communication and Engagement (ITCE)

716-645-8127
dianatuo@buffalo.edu

As Director of IT Communications, Diana is responsible for a creative team who provide communications to the campus community, including the UBIT website, social media and marketing. Her team engages with the campus through surveys, town halls, focus groups and usability studies. She has over 20 years of marketing/communications experience in a variety of industry sectors, from non-profits to real estate and hospitality. Diana joined UB in 2012 and holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Writing and History from University of Pittsburgh. She was named IT Communications Officer in 2017 and Director of IT Communications in 2023.

> More about ITCE

Rose Polino.

Rose Polino

Director of Human Resources and Diversity Officer

716-645-1575
rmdonius@buffalo.edu

Rose Polino began her career at UB in January 1998 as an Administrative Office Manager with Campus Dining and Shops. In July 2008, she transitioned to the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center (EPAC) and served as Office Manager.

In 2015, Rose took the role of HR and Finance Manager in Enrollment Management. She was responsible for planning, coordinating and managing all human resources and finance functions for the division, providing support to the unit directors and over 120 employees. Rose is also a UB alumni, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology.   

Rose was appointed Director of Human Resources and Diversity Officer for the VPCIO’s area in 2023. She is responsible for planning, coordinating and managing all human resources functions for the VPCIO and also serves as the Unit Diversity Officer.