With over 25 years of digital communications experience, Lauren brings a wealth of knowledge to this position. She’ll start her new role June 15.

Colleagues,

It’s my pleasure to announce that Lauren Bruce has accepted the role of Director for the DoIT Communications Team. Her first day in her newly expanded role will be Monday, June 15. 

Lauren is a familiar face to many of us. She joined DoIT as Communications Manager in January 2020, and has served as Interim Director since July 2025. In her management capacity, Lauren successfully developed the communication consultant team and led communications for several high-impact projects — including the rollout of Zoom during the pandemic, the project to unify Administrative Information Management Services (AIMS) and DoIT, and the initial launch of the updated UW-Madison Digital Accessibility Policy.

As Interim Director, Lauren has provided steady leadership during a period of significant change — guiding the team through university fiscal challenges, the rapid rise of AI and evolving organizational priorities. Notably, she has done so while navigating two senior-level department departures — keeping the team stable, focused and moving forward. She has also taken on increased responsibility across high-priority initiatives, ensuring the team’s work remains visible, and aligned with division and university priorities.

Lauren brings over 25 years of digital communications experience to this role. Prior to DoIT, Lauren provided communication support as the Marketing Manager for Purdue University Veterinary Hospital and Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab. She is a champion for collaboration, passionate about inclusivity and mentoring others, and deeply invested in supporting her team and their success. In this role, Lauren will continue leading the Communications Team at a defining moment in time when the division and university navigate significant change — including the growing influence of AI, increasing security and compliance demands and efforts to modernize systems and services. 

Lauren welcomes the opportunity to connect with colleagues across DoIT and beyond as she steps into this role. Please join me in welcoming her as our new Communications Director.

I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to the members of our search committee for their time and dedication throughout this process: Tamara Walker (Search Committee Chair, Director of Academic Technology, and Associate Vice Provost for Learning Technologies); Emily Beach (Communications Director for the Office of Finance and Administration); and Patrick Johnson (Interim Director of User Services).

—Didier Contis, Vice Provost for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer