BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University President Dr. Jon E. Quistgaard has named Mitch Davidson as the University’s Chief Information Officer.

Davidson will officially join the Bemidji State campus community in July.

“We are very excited to welcome Mitch as our new CIO,” said Bob Griggs, interim associate vice president of information technology services. “His tenure at Western Illinois University, along with more than 20 years of experience managing information technology in both the public and private sectors will make him a very valuable addition to the University.

“There was a highly competitive pool of candidates for this position, and Mitch was chosen after an extensive interview process,” Griggs added. “Mitch impressed us with his interest in Bemidji State’s three signature themes – international and multicultural understanding, civic engagement and environmental stewardship. He was particularly focused on the University’s environmental theme.”

Davidson comes to Bemidji State University from Western Illinois University. He joined the WIU staff in 2001 as director of academic computing, and was named executive director of enterprise technology services in January 2008.

In his role at Western Illinois, Davidson developed strategic and tactical plans for campus-wide technology initiatives, including network infrastructure, server platforms, desktop technology and Internet access with a budget of $4 million.

Prior to his position at Western Illinois, Davidson was the assistant vice president for technology infrastructure for Firstar Corporation. In that role, he worked with a team to oversee infrastructure for a five-state eastern region of a bank holding company.

From 1992-99, Davidson held a variety of positions with Star Banc Corporation as a senior network systems specialist and as a network planning manager.

Davidson received a management information systems degree from The Union Institute and a master’s degree in computer information technology from Regis University.