Air University hires first chief information officer Published Oct. 1, 2015 By Ethan Stoker 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Air University hired the former director of Defense Information Systems Montgomery to be the university's first chief information officer. Scott Baker served the last three of his 10 years at DISA Montgomery as its director. He had 27 years experience in the computer and information technology divisions of several Fortune 100 companies prior to working at DISA. The position of CIO was created to help move the university from an industrial-age teaching model to an information-age model. "He understands the Air Force, understands the joint information environment and is a profound innovator who will help lead the transformation of the education mission of the Air Force going into the future," said Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, Air University commander. Recognized as a proven leader and innovator, Baker worked cyber and IT systems for some of Silicon Valley's leading Fortune 100 companies, such as Apple Computer, Levi Strauss and 3Com. While at DISA, Baker also provided innovation in the area of cyber security, cloud computing and application integration services. "My experiences with various Fortune 100, DISA and DoD initiatives gives me a unique business and information technology perspective," said Baker "I will be able to apply my agile and progressive thinking within the Air Force framework to an open field of opportunities within Air University for our next generation of leaders and war fighters." As CIO, Baker will have wide-ranging responsibilities for ensuring AU is at the leading edge of cyber and information technology advances. He will leverage state-of-the-art commercial cyber and IT to deliver world-class education platforms across the enterprise. Additionally, he will ensure cutting-edge technologies facilitate dynamic resident and online learning, collaborative research, and dynamic outreach. His duties will also include improving existing IT and educational technology systems by analyzing requirements and budgets and directing updates, replacements or enhancements. Finally, he will develop strategic IT plans and programs for the U.S. Air Force's education programs in order to meet Air University's vision to meld world-class cyber technology with leading-edge educational and research systems. "The challenges we will face now and in the future will be to provide information at a faster rate to our internal and external customers, ensure the quality and accuracy of that information, while guaranteeing that the information is kept secure from various threats," he said. "We need to ensure that the Air Force continues to dominate air, space, and cyber space in defending our nation and supporting our strategic partners across the globe."