Lost in Translation: How to Speak Effectively With Your IT Unit(s)

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM East Coast USA Time

Location: Sebastian I1+2

Institution Type: Any

Target Audience: Any

Presenter(s)

AL

Allison La Tarte, MPA

Vice Provost and Chief Data and Analytics Officer
University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
Rachel Groenhout, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Director, Data & Change Management
Colby College
Waterville, Maine, United States
Ivana Fredotovic, Ph.D.

Chief Data Officer
Weber State University, Utah, United States
Melissa Barnett, Ph.D.

Director of Data Strategy and Governance
Harvard University, United States

Session Abstract: Have you ever found yourself misunderstood by your IT colleagues? Or possibly you misunderstood them? How best to overcome the jargon, expertise, and approach gap between IT and business units such as IR? The data lifecycle begins far before IR staff extract, analyze, and visualize data for decision-makers. At the same time, the need for collaboration and understanding each other’s perspectives is more significant than ever with the increasing need for data integration, real- or near-real-time access to data, and the growing number of data-savvy end users. The IT world can seem mysterious to many on the business side of the house. This panel of experts seeks to demystify interactions with your IT colleagues. They will share their most significant challenges and how they sought to narrow the gap between business and IT and ultimately enhanced their data literacy, this time from the perspective of IT.

Keywords: enhanced communication, cross-unit collaboration, information technology, business, data literacy