Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Steve Parrott, a Mississippi State alumnus with 34 years of information technology experience, is the university’s new chief information officer.
Parrott had served as interim CIO since July 2017. He succeeds former CIO Mike Rackley, who retired last year.
“After an exhaustive national search, we are pleased to announce that Steve Parrott is MSU’s new chief information officer,” MSU Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner said. “He is dedicated to the highest level of quality for the university’s technology infrastructure, systems and user services. I know he has a vision for continuing to advance the university through Information Technology Services.”
Parrott provides leadership to MSU’s Information Technology Services, overseeing 126 full-time staff positions within the Enterprise Information Systems, Information Technology Infrastructure and User Services departments. These departments provide support for the university’s enterprise platforms, hardware and infrastructure support and end-user support.
ITS is currently working to install new technologies in classrooms, increase wireless nodes on campus and upgrade user platforms. Last year, MSU became the first university in the state to offer campus-wide two-factor authentication for students and employees.
“I am very excited and honored to serve Mississippi State University in the capacity of chief information officer,” Parrott said. “As a life-long Bulldog, I am privileged to lead a group of highly talented and motivated professionals who make up our ITS organization. MSU is very fortunate to have a group of individuals who continue to provide IT excellence, and that sets our university apart as a technology leader.
“I am grateful to have a supportive administration open to new and leading technologies for MSU,” Parrott said. “With MSU being a leading research, land-grant institution, how we respond to the technology challenges we face today will determine how MSU competes on a state, national and global level.”
A Starkville native, Parrott received his MSU bachelor’s of business administration in business statistics and data processing in 1983. He spent 14 years working in IT banking operations before returning to his alma mater in 1997. In his 20 years at MSU, Parrott has worked as a systems analyst, managed the ITS Help Desk and held key administrative positions as director of User Services and interim director of Information Technology Infrastructure. Prior to being named interim CIO, Parrott served as deputy CIO and director of user services.
For more on Information Technology Services, visit www.its.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.