Sacramento State has a new associate vice president of Information Resources and Technology. Her name is Helen Norris, and when it comes to solving IT problems, she means business.

Before coming to Sac State, Norris worked for 12 years at the University of California, Berkeley, in various IT positions, most recently as director of Client Services. She worked hard to make the IT system better by creating a data warehouse filled with school information for faculty and leading an upgrade of Berkeley’s financial system.

The Administrative Computing Services wing of IRT includes overseeing Sac State’s computing applications and services for Academic Affairs, Admissions and Records, Financial Aid and Administration and Business Affairs, among others.

Norris also oversees the Common Management System, the central computer system that supports human resources and financial and student systems, including MySacState.

IRT Vice President and Chief Information Officer Larry Gilbert said he is excited about Norris’ transfer.

“We feel very lucky for attracting someone of Helen’s caliber,” Gilbert said. “She will do fabulous.”

Norris said her two first priorities in IRT will be to increase the performance of the CMS system and create a data warehouse filled with campus information for faculty.

The proposed data warehouse will be a central database where faculty can find a variety of information concerning the university.

Norris has noted that system performance lagged during peaks hours. She plans to work on the system to increase its performance, while ensuring that upgrades go smoothly for students.

“We need to ask ourselves how can we do a good job of making the system easier for people to use,” Norris said.

After a month at Sac State, Norris is still adjusting to the city and campus. A globetrotter, she was born in Dublin, Ireland, and has lived in different places from Germany to Missouri.

Her husband, Gordon Adams, said Norris’ childhood in Dublin was filled with tough economic situations.

“She lived in the classic Dublin working home,” Adams said. “Having to go to grandma’s once a week for a bath was the usual.”

Norris said Ireland has really changed since her childhood.

“When I go back, everyone complains about how expensive it is,” Norris said. “It’s just like California now, only with much more rain.”

After graduating from Trinity College in 1981 with a degree in mathematics, Norris moved to Frankfurt, Germany. She planned on traveling through Europe for a year and returning to Ireland afterwards. She stayed when she found a job with the United States Army.

In 1984, Norris moved to St. Louis, Mo., where she stayed for 13 years working in information technology in the private sector. She earned her master’s degree in computer resource management from Webster University.

In 1997, she moved to California after accepting an offer from UC Berkeley to work as IT director of its Student Health Center.

While there, Norris met Adams, who also worked at the university.

“She is always just full of enthusiasm,” Adams said. “She is just someone who enjoys her work. She’s great to work with, even better to live with.”

UC Berkeley Director of Infrastructure Services Cliff Frost worked alongside Norris and had nothing but praise for her.

“She’s fabulous,” Frost said. “She immediately improved IT by leaps and bounds.”

She may have just started, but Gilbert has faith that Norris will get the job done.

“She’s very committed to helping students,” Gilbert said. “She knows what higher education is all about.”

Michael Mette can be reached at [email protected]