"I didn’t have a Black female tech leader that I could mirror... I welcome the idea that I can be that for someone else and have an impact.”
— Kenitra Horsley Queens University
chief information officer
The Baltimore native is the youngest of nine children,
and Horsley and her siblings were the first generation in their family to atend college. An interest in her high school computer programming class led Horsley to pursue a computer science degree at the University of Maryland. She later got her MBA at Johns Hopkins University and eventually went to work as the director of IT at a Charlote-area manufacturing company. She then started her journey in higher education, working as the director of applications development at Davidson College. Horsley came to Queens in 2019 as the deputy CIO and director
of enterprise systems, and she served as the interim CIO for six months before officially geting the title in April 2022 — becoming the university’s first female CIO. Having been in the role of CIO for more than a year now,
Horsley says, “I understand there is power in this position. I can make an impact both directly and indirectly.” Her direct impact as the CIO means making sure to deliver a frictionless experience, which includes providing seamless connectivity across all of campus, creating a connected campus experience where residential students have a homelike experience, where all classrooms have connectivity, and faculty have the tools they need regardless of their teaching methods. Indirectly, it means that Horsley has the ability to create opportunities for herself and others who follow in her footsteps. Horsley has recently completed a fellowship that she believes
will only amplify her impact. She was one of 12 inaugural participants in the Next Leaders Fellowship, which is designed to help identify, develop and advocate for IT professionals in higher education, with a particular emphasis on people who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), helping them to advance into senior leadership roles through mentoring, coaching and community-building. According to fellowship organizers, a 2018 report revealed that just 3% of higher education IT administrators are Black. Soon aſter the former Queens CIO resigned —
and remembering her parents’ advice to be ready for opportunities — she applied for the fellowship, knowing
3% 30 QUEENS MAGAZINE
of higher education IT administrators are Black
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