By: Brian Kleemann
Keith Tyrka brings an extensive background in computer networking and data analysis to his new role as Vice President for Planning, Performance and Technology at College of DuPage.
This new position at the College brings together the IT and research departments into the same division, and Tyrka said it’s a logical fit.
“I like taking disparate tech solutions and bringing them together to analyze and aggregate data, which allows us to make informed decisions,” he said. “I look forward to working with all of our systems to produce actionable data.”
COD President Dr. Brian Caputo said Tyrka’s enthusiasm for his work and deep knowledge will serve the College well.
“Keith is a dynamic leader who will provide new ideas and innovative solutions for the College community,” he said. “This will benefit all employees and students while producing data that guides leaders.”
Tyrka earned both a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University, the latter from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. He also completed numerous industry certifications, most recently the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certificate, and is a program advisory committee member for the IT curriculum at IIT Technical Institute.
IT is here to listen, figure out the best solutions and help implement them.
Keith Tyrka
Past positions include manager of network and telecommunications at FirstGroup America, where he led a seven-person team to manage services for sites across the U.S. and Canada, and director of IT operations at DirectBuy, Inc., where he supervised network, server, service desk and desktop support teams.
Most recently, Tyrka worked as the chief information officer and HIPAA security officer at Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, a nonprofit health care provider and child welfare agency serving more than 70,000 patients annually. He led all IT department functions, including software development, security and operations/infrastructure.
He initially was attracted to COD by its commitment to students and the community.
“What hit me was the College’s vision to embrace student success, and one way of doing so is through arts, culture and community engagement,” he said. “COD is an institution that believes in the importance of these aspects, just like my family and I do, and I saw this position as a huge opportunity at a place that values what I already love.”
Tyrka sees technology as a tool that helps employees accomplish their goals and students succeed in their studies.
“IT is here to listen, figure out the best solutions and help implement them,” he said. “I also look forward to growing IT analytics that will further promote collaborative partnerships across campus.”