Karen Ahern Email and Phone Number

Oversee and set direction for the Networking Programs in the Computing and Information Technology department. Programs of study include CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco Networking Academy, Linux and VMWare Academy, AWS Academy.

Instructor in the Computing and Information Technology Department. From introductory computing office skills to networking, PC Troubleshooting/Repair and VMWare, I teach the skills students need to create an amazing technology career.

Oversee the Directors of the functional areas in the IT department including User Services, Academic Technology Services, Infrastructure Services, and Enterprise Applications.Strategic Planning•Contributing member to the College Strategic Planning Committee.•Assist CIO with IT strategic planning and setting priorities and direction for the Office of Technology Services team to ensure the technology services provided are meeting CSN strategic goals and initiatives.Technology Service Management – ITSM experience•Oversee IT Service operations for Infrastructure, User Services, Enterprise Applications, Audio/Visual and Academic Technology support.•Participated in the implementation of the ITIL based service management system ServiceNow. Included Incident Manager and administrator of the college instance of ServiceNow application. •Received ITIL Foundation training•Implemented service training for all IT staff. Set service guidelines and expectations for all staff to ensure a consistent quality customer service experience for all people calling on the IT department for service.Technology Lifecycle Management – Implemented standardized technology along with a yearly lifecycle refresh plan. •Negotiate large technology contracts, compose RFP Request for Proposals for bid contracts.Budget Planning•Create and manage operations budget for IT department.Project Management•Provide project reporting oversight to include templates and guidelines for Directors and managers enabling them to keep projects on track and well documented.•Worked with staff to create a custom project dashboard that allows CIO and executives as well as all teams the ability to obtain a high level view of IT project activities.

Director of Desktop Support/ User Services for the College of Southern Nevada