IQSS is pleased to welcome Liz Hess, who has joined the Institute as its new Executive Director. Hess is an accomplished senior manager with 20 plus years of experience working in a higher education with a focus on the advancement of education and research through technology.Liz Hess comes to IQSS from HBX, Harvard Business School’s digital learning initiative, where she was instrumental in the design and implementation of HBX’s course platform and 60 seat studio based virtual classroom. Additionally, as a member of the Office of the Provost she was responsible for promoting experimentation and innovation in academic computing as well as building internal capacity and expertise across the University. Hess is no stranger to FAS or IQSS--she had the opportunity to lead many efforts that advanced interfaculty collaboration, including working with IQSS to create the Center for Geographic Analysis. While Director of IT Services at FAS, Hess worked on the initial efforts to organize and strengthen research computing. She also helped to introduce and integrate technologies such as multi-media, simulations and collaboration tools into the curriculum. Hess graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in the History of Art and received a masters from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She has also completed graduate courses in Computing, Finance and Environmental Management.
