Helen is the former Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Information Technology at Chapman University, where she had responsibility for leading the university’s information technology strategy and services and overseeing the University Library until she retired in 2025. Ms. Norris joined Chapman in 2014 after holding technology leadership roles at California State University, Sacramento, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Helen serves on the Data and Tools Advisory Board of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System (https://c2c.ca.gov/). She is a member of the board of directors for the Society for Information Management and STEM Advantage. She previously served as board member and board chair of EDUCAUSE and as a trustee and board chair for the National Endowment for Financial Education.
Originally from Ireland, Ms. Norris earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, with honors, from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, and a Master’s degree in Computer Resource Management and Business Administration, with Distinction, from Webster University, St. Louis. She also holds a certification in Project Management. She has received multiple awards, including an Info-Tech Women Leading IT Award in 2025 (Info-Tech Awards | Info-Tech Research Group), an EDUCAUSE Leadership Award in 2025 (https://www.educause.edu/careers/awards-program/leadership-award/leadership-award-recipients/2025-leadership-award-recipient-2), a SoCal CIO Orbie Award in 2023 and being named a Higher Ed Technology Social Media Influencer by EdTech Magazine in 2021.