David Horton

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Penn State University

David Horton is Penn State’s vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer. He joined Penn State in May 2024. In his role, he provides leadership and vision for the entire IT Community and direct oversight of Penn State IT, which encompasses 1,200 IT employees in the academic, administrative and business areas.

Horton is co-leading the IT Optimized Service Team workstream, a multi-year effort to transform and position IT to be more efficient, effective and strategic in serving end users across the University. The IT OST is in the third phase of work, which will result in a new consolidated operating model by January 2027, following 18 months of discovery activities and optimization of people, processes and technologies. The IT OST is one of four concurrent optimization workstreams aligned with Penn State’s mission, strategic priorities and the University roadmap.

Before joining Penn State, Horton worked for 23 years at the University of Oklahoma (OU), including the last five years as chief information officer. Among his accomplishments at OU, he reduced IT costs and enhanced efficiencies, optimized the IT organization using system-wide teams, established a new model for IT governance, updated and consolidated IT policies system-wide, led comprehensive IT centralization programs across all campuses, oversaw broad improvements to cybersecurity and made significant research computing investments.

Originally from western Pennsylvania, Horton received his Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies from Oklahoma City University. He held numerous technical certifications and actively participates on local, state and national advisory boards focused on technology and higher education.

Horton has two daughters, Taylor and Ali, in Oklahoma and Texas, and three grandchildren. Outside of work and family, he enjoys running, sports and exploring the rich history and beautiful outdoor venues around the state.