01/13/2026
By Brian Arrigo

I am pleased to announce that Deputy Chief Information Officer Steve Athanas ’04, ’17 has been named associate vice chancellor of information technology and chief information officer at UMass Lowell, following the retirement of Michael Cipriano.

Steve will officially begin his new role on Jan. 18.

A proud UMass Lowell alumnus, Steve earned both undergraduate and MBA degrees at the university and has dedicated his professional career to advancing UMass Lowell’s technology and information services. Since joining the university staff in 2005, he has held a range of leadership roles across Information Technology, including responsibilities spanning systems engineering and platform services, instructional technology, research computing and tech services. His deep institutional knowledge, commitment to student success and collaborative leadership style position him well to lead this critical function.

Steve is stepping into the role following more than a decade of steady and strategic leadership by Michael Cipriano during his tenure as associate vice chancellor and CIO.

Please join me in congratulating Steve on his appointment and in thanking Michael for his outstanding service to our university.