Planning and Digital Transformation

Meet The Team

Director of Planning and Digital Transformation, Max Tsai

As an aspiring Higher Education IT leader, I have been instrumental in implementing strategic directions and support for scholarly research and academic technologies, empowering faculty and students to harness the full potential of digital tools and resources.

With over 25 years of progressive higher education IT leadership experience, I demonstrated a history of accomplishment in executing large-scale IT projects in vendor management, budgeting, and resource allocation, ensuring optimal utilization of resources and cost control. Currently. I lead a team of IT professionals and manage all aspects of IT operations supporting the Campus Applications and Data Integrations, Digital User Experience and Accessibility, and Digital Transformation and Innovation initiatives leveraging digital technologies to establish fresh processes, reshape existing ones, and enhance students, faculty, and staff experiences to align with evolving business requirements.

One of my most notable achievements was spearheading the development of the Leadership, Innovation, Technology Experience internship program, i.e. Hub of Digital Transformation and Innovation (DXIHub), fostering student success by inspiring diversified and interdisciplinary students to apply their education toward developing innovative solutions to real-world problems.

As an IT professional with a passion for fostering an inclusive and equitable environment, I am eager to contribute my skills and commit to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and bridging Digital Divides in the undeserving communities.

Team of people together to plan

Planning, Technology Experience, and Partnership Development

Development and integration of campus digital transformation supporting the future of Fresno State through digital innovation and transformation efforts, focusing on user experience and delivery of excellence in digital services and solutions. This team actively supports the CIO's vision and special projects with the direct contribution to the organization's overall success and playing a key role in advancing its technological initiatives.

Implement strategy and programming, research trends in innovation, and manage resources and communications regarding digital platforms and services, with training and documentation.
Partner closely with campus constituents to discover, explore, and advance efforts to support student success through technology and innovation efforts.
Promoting technology solutions, in partnership with Project Management Office (PMO), to enhance efficiency, communication, and overall campus experience.

Team Members: Esuri Peiris and Katherine Lathos

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Campus Application Management and Support

Overseeing the deployment, configuration, and maintenance of IT Enterprise Solutions and providing assistance to students, faculty, and staff in using and troubleshooting campus applications to ensure a positive technology experience. This team partners closely with PMO and Technical Architecture Group (TAG) for the successful planning, development, and delivery of application systems; and, coordinates project assignments.

Provide user support and administration to the campus application systems and related services, including but not limited to the campus CRM, Kuali Build, Adobe Sign, OnBase, Boomi, U-Achieve, RAVE, and Transact.
Team with technical professionals (DevSecOP teams), programmer developers, and ERP analysts to coordinate the deployment of applications and provide ongoing maintenance and updates to address issues and improve functionality.
Create comprehensive application/product configuration documentation and develop automation and scripting.

Team Members: John Howell (Lead), Fatih Yenen and Phillip Jensen

Campus Application Development and Integration

Responsible for designing, developing, and integrating software solutions that support various academic, administrative, and operational functions. This DevOP team, partnering with the infrastructure, Peoplesoft, ISO, and DBA groups, leads the development of data integration solutions to enable the exchange of data between various systems and applications; and, ensure interoperability and data consistency across different platforms and databases.

Develop software applications (custom or using third-party tools) to address identified needs. These applications can range from websites for students to access academic resources to administrative tools for faculty and staff.
Integrate new and 3rd-party applications with existing campus systems, such as student information systems, learning management systems, customer relation management systems, and administrative databases ensuring data consistency and efficient workflows (ETL).
Create comprehensive development documentation, coding standards, and source code management.

Team Members: Richard Ma (Lead), Mingzan Liu, and Teng Mua

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Digital Accessibility

Create digital experiences that are inclusive and accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Establish Digital Accessibility Training with the immediate focus of

Practical Accessibility Techniques
Accessible Multimedia and Documents
Continuous Learning and Updates

It is an on-going effort to be integrated into the digital transformation process:

Awareness and Sensitization
Understanding Disabilities, Assistive Technologies, and
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Responsive Design for Accessibility
Inclusive User Experience (UX) Design:
Community of Practices

Team Members: Michael Harding and Teira Wilson

dx team standing in a line