You’re invited! Café Chats with the CIO
This new series is designed to give IT professionals an opportunity to connect with CIO Didier Contis over casual conversation and light refreshments. Sign up early to reserve your spot.
By Brianna Kuhn
What is a Café Chat?
Café Chats with the CIO is a new limited series being piloted this fall. We’re offering 6 sessions, co-hosted with IT leadership from different schools, colleges and divisions. Our goal is to give IT professionals the chance to connect with CIO Didier Contis over casual conversation and light refreshments.
Café Chats at a glance
- All Café Chats will be held in-person at various locations across campus
- Registration/RSVP is required — each session is capped at 20 participants, so sign up early to reserve your spot
- Conversation may be most relevant to IT staff, but any staff, faculty and students can attend
- You are welcome to attend any session; please only register for one Café Chat
- We’re keeping it casual; we’ll bring the refreshments, you bring the conversation
Registration is now live! We hope you’ll join us.
All sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. CT. We will begin with brief acknowledgments and introductions, then open up the space for casual conversation, questions and connection.
Wednesday, Sept. 16
- Memorial Library – Digital Scholarship Hub (Room 224)
- Co-host: UW–Madison Libraries
Thursday, Sept. 17
- Steenbock Library – STEMCommons (Room 126)
- Co-host: UW–Madison Libraries
Wednesday, Oct. 21
- Extension Building (3500 University Ave.) – Community Room (Room 163)
- Co-host: Division of Extension
Wednesday, Oct. 28
- Van Hise Hall – Room 1418
- Co-host: College of Letters and Sciences
Wednesday, Nov. 11
- School of Veterinary Medicine North – Conference Room 3806
- Co-hosts: School of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
Thursday, Nov. 12
- Grainger Hall – Room 3180
- Co-hosts: School of Education and Wisconsin School of Business
Why Café Chats?
During the fall 2025 CIO listening sessions, members of the IT community said they wanted more opportunities to informally engage with the CIO. In response, we created this series to do just that. We’re intentionally keeping Café Chats smaller to allow more room for connection and conversation.
If you have questions, please email Dominic J. Ledesma at dominic.ledesma@wisc.edu.