The Strategic Portfolio Management Office (SPMO) aligns UB’s IT investments and resources with UBIT’s strategic plan and the university’s top institutional priorities. The SPMO manages the lifecycle of enterprise technology initiatives through project management, change management and relationship management.

• UBIT leadership responsible for IT strategy, prioritization and investments.
• UBIT units delivering enterprise technology initiatives.
• Campus partners, governance groups and distributed IT leaders engaged in IT projects and change initiatives.

• IT change management processes that standardize, govern and communicate infrastructure and service changes.
• Project management standards and leadership across the project lifecycle, including a community of practice.
• Relationship management and portfolio reporting that provide transparent, data‑driven views of project status, risks and resource utilization.
• Structured intake, review and prioritization so projects enter the portfolio in a consistent way, based on institutional impact and strategic alignment.

• You are proposing a new enterprise IT project that needs to enter the UBIT portfolio.
• You are leading a project that requires governance, change management or status reporting within the UBIT portfolio.

716-645-3583
klongin@buffalo.edu

With over 20 years of experience in higher education, Kari has worked across multiple divisions in both private and public institutions.

At Medaille College, Kari served as an Office Manager and Director of Academic Program Development. While there, she enhanced operations in academic program management and assessment. She also served as an adjunct instructor in the Business and Humanities departments. 

Kari joined UBIT in 2017 as Policy and Project Coordinator, where she developed and led a centralized policy management office. She subsequently served as Project Coordinator for Finance and Administration.

Prior to returning to UB, Kari served as Chief of Staff at Daemen University.

In March 2025, Kari joined the Strategic Portfolio Management Office as an IT Project Manager. Since February 2026, she has served as Assistant Director of the SPMO.

Kari holds an Ed.M. in Higher Education Administration and a B.A. in English from the University at Buffalo, and an M.A. in Literature and Publishing from the University of Galway, Ireland. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a Certificate in Leading Change from SUNY and a Mini MBA from UB’s School of Management.