Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Bao Johri: Student success goes beyond numbers.
It means that every student, especially our first generation students, feel like they belong. They
are supported in their academic journey and has access to the tool that they need to thrive.
If a student is struggling, our responsibility is to show up with the right resources.
So yes, metric matters, of course. Retention rates, timely graduation, student engagement all
help measure impact.
But what I really look for are signs that our technology investments are removing barriers.
[00:00:38] Jeff Dillon: Welcome to the EdTechConnect podcast, your source for exploring the
cutting edge world of educational technology. I'm your host Jeff Dillon and I'm excited to bring
you insights and inspiration from the brightest minds and innovators shaping the future of
education.
We'll dive into conversations with leading experts, educators and solution providers who are
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Sit back, relax and let's dive in.
Dr. Bao Johori is the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at
Fresno State where she leads with a mission to empower the University through strategic
partnerships, user centered services and technology driven innovation in education and
research. With over two decades of experience spanning higher education and the private
sector, she embodies the modern cio, one who moves beyond infrastructure to serve as a
strategic partner in solving complex challenges. In advancing institutional goals, Dr. Johre has
fostered deep collaborations with faculty on grant funded initiatives in agtech, cybersecurity and
digital equity, bringing together technology and academic expertise to drive innovation across
disciplines. Now she's leading Fresno State's AI initiative, engaging more than 60 faculty and
staff to thoughtfully integrate AI into teaching, learning and operations, preparing the campus
community to thrive in an AI enabled future. Launching in the fall of 2025, her latest effort, the
CIO's AI Conversation Webinar, series, will explore the theme Redefining Learning, Teaching
and Working. This series aims to normalize the use of AI in higher education, promote
responsible adoption, support institutional strategy, and foster meaningful dialogue across
campus. In recognition of her visionary leadership, Dr. Johari was named one of the top Women
Leaders in technology for 2025.
Grounded in community service and fluent in both English and Hmong, Dr. Jory is a champion
for inclusive innovation.
Well, welcome to the show, Bao. It's great to have you.
[00:03:03] Bao Johri: Thank you Jev. I'm super excited to be here.
[00:03:06] Jeff Dillon: Well, let's start by talking about a little bit about your background. You
began in the private sector before moving to higher ed IT leadership.
What drew you to the campus environment and what keeps you energized?
[00:03:19] Bao Johri: Today well, it's still so long ago. So I've spent over 15 years. Yes. In the
private sector before transitioning to higher ed.
And what really drew me to the campus environment was really personal.
As a proud three time graduate of SAC State and I know firsthand how transformative higher
education can be. It opened doors for me and returning in 2018 as the senior director of planning
and strategic project was a way of giving back to the institution that really have helped shape my
journey.
[00:03:55] Jeff Dillon: Well, I love that you're in higher ed. I've been. We've had some overlap in
our careers and it's great to see what you're doing at Fresno State and you're chairing the
technology steering committee there. I understand.
How do you translate campus priorities into an actionable IT strategy without boiling the ocean?
[00:04:13] Bao Johri: You could say, you know, thank you for asking that question and I'm going
to have to be really honest in this response that it's definitely a very challenging task. I rely
heavily on the technology steering committee as a governing body.
It brings people in so many ways, their voices across the campus. And that collaborative
structure is key to aligning IT strategy with institutional priorities. Also, translating like broad
campus goals into actionable IT initiative takes ongoing conversations.
Priorities can look very different depending on someone's role or perspective. So part of the
work is in building sheer understanding and consensus. Once we align on a particular initiative,
we scope it out into a project and then prioritize it alongside with others. I always say with limited
capacity, we have to be strategic. We focus on what's most impactful and feasible within each
academic year. It's less about boiling the ocean and more about making deliberate, meaningful
progress one project at a time.
[00:05:22] Jeff Dillon: Being more agile in every way, I guess.
[00:05:24] Bao Johri: Perfect. Yeah.
[00:05:26] Jeff Dillon: What I really want to talk about because I'm excited to follow what you're
doing there is the AI Initiative. You're piloting this university wide AI initiative that I understand
comes from the highest levels. Tell us about the initiative and what early wins or aha moments
that you've maybe convincing skeptics that AI can really lift teaching and learning.
[00:05:45] Bao Johri: Yeah. So maybe I'll give a little background. So In October of 2024, our
President launched the AI initiative and named myself as well as the prior vice provost to kind of
co lead this initiative. I think that was a strategic move. I really appreciate the partnership
because that really helps the campus move forward.
We really need the academic, if you will, structure in place in terms of win. I think one of the
biggest early wins has been creating A structure to support this initiative.
We now have five AI committees with over 60 faculty and staff serving across them.
The fact that these committees are led by faculty who are not only engaged and actively
advocating for AI integration, that to me is a major success in itself.
Another key, I think moment was when faculty on these committee began asking me directly to
procure and provision AI tool. I think that shift from curiosity to demand is a strong sign of
growing trust and momentum in terms of where we're going in this space.
Our faculty, by talking to them. And again, with so many faculty being part of this initiative, I think
that's one of the plus is that faculty have shared and they know that their students are already
using AI.
Another indicator I think of this shift was our AI immersion day, as you may have seen on the
website on March 20, is that we really had over 250 faculty and staff attend. And some of them
actually presented how they're already integrating AI into their teaching and research. And the
energy in the room really showed that AI is already taking roots here at Fresno in meaningful
ways.
[00:07:28] Jeff Dillon: I want to talk a little bit about some of the things you're saying there with
faculty. I've also noticed that in the absence of digital governance, the decisions are often left all
the way down to the faculty members. So students are subject to a spectrum of different
opinions of AI. And this was really obvious when ChatGPT launched in 2022. But tell me a little
bit about how you handle the digital governance part of it. Like, are there guidelines in place at
that level, at the. The academic level to help guide faculty? It sounds like they're already
embracing it, which is great. But I'm interested in any framework you have to help them realize
what the guardrails are.
[00:08:09] Bao Johri: There are guardrails. I think one of the AI committee is the AI Policy Ethic
and Governance Committee. And they were really instrumental in setting the guardrails. And so I
think before we went into the Air Immersion day, we established and published the general AI
guidelines on the webpage. We've communicated that we also have guidelines for faculty
guidelines for students.
I think that was instrumental in getting us to really provision ChatGPT for our faculty and staff.
One of the requests, and I have been really trying to be a lockstep with the Academic Senate, is
listening and making sure that their feedback is incorporated in the plan and in the strategy
moving forward. So as part of that was really just provisioning for faculty and staff and working
with them. So we've been working really alongside since March, and we are Just about to really
enable, if you will, chatgpt for students. And this is really trying to be thoughtful, as we put this
structure. Not only that, the guardrails, but making sure that we have training that are going to be
alongside with our faculty and staff and making sure that we're in lockstep to make sure that
we're AI responsible moving forward.
[00:09:26] Jeff Dillon: And I'm curious, how are you and your team using AI in your daily work?
[00:09:33] Bao Johri: I'll start with myself. We know, talk about, and lead this AI. So I have to
make sure that I share that. I do use AI frequently. It has become a valuable part of how I work. I
primarily use it as a brainstorming partner when I'm working on strategy, when I'm working on
initiative or refining communication.
My executive assistant, she was just sharing this bao, you need to start telling people that I also
use AI. And so she's also integrating AI into her workflow to help polish and streamline
communication.
But I have to be transparent that across my team, a few staff members are exploring AI tools for
tasks like coding and automation, while there are others that are still approaching it with caution,
which I think is very healthy. Even within it, there is a range of comfort levels and perspectives.
Some are leading the way, others are waiting to see how the space evolve.
There are countless, if you will, use cases emerging, but we're also trying to be really mindful of
the challenges, particularly around data privacy, intellectual property and copyright. I think these
are areas where we still need clarity and we're working together, we're committed to navigating
them carefully. But ultimately, in my opinion, AI is a tool and how we use it and the
thoughtfulness we bring to that use is what really makes the difference.
[00:11:01] Jeff Dillon: I've talked to a lot of schools that are at different parts of this AI adoption
spectrum, and I'm a little surprised at how many people are reluctant to share that they are using
AI or share their prompts that they're using. I encourage the leaders to say, hey, make sure
you're organizing your prompt library from your staff so you can. If someone leaves, it's really
good at this. Like, you want to learn. You can learn a lot from someone's prompts. Have you
found that there? You've mentioned it too. Like, there's a little, kind of hinted at it that, like, we
have to be transparent about this. It's like I almost feel like people are much less willing to be
transparent and own this if it's in the a little more of the writing creative space versus Coding as
well. You're almost proud to say, look, AI coded this for me, but less so if it's creating an article
for you. Like, have you seen that?
[00:11:52] Bao Johri: That is kind of the area that we're really trying to dive in. Hence why when
you ask that, I think as an IT leader, you have to be upfront. Hence why I say I use it right. So
that it would encourage people to be transparent about that process, to really think through.
There are going to be use cases where it's going to be inappropriate. Right.
And we should not use AI for certain things like writing a whole essay or writing this. But there
are use cases where I think it's applicable. And to your point about with this day and age and
when it comes to resources, people leave and people go. So I think sharing the prompt is just
one example of many that we can, if we will, I think, work as a team and really leverage and see
collectively. Just like documentation. Right. We emphasize that a lot. So at this day and age, I
think this is where we're kind of still navigating, but I think we have to talk about it and saying
what is appropriate, what's not, and if we could leverage as a team, how do we save those
prompt and how do we share those prompt? And even beyond prompt. Right. There's custom
GPTs that may be different people in the days that we use script to do things, could their GPT
that we can also leverage. So I think there's still opportunity to definitely to explore.
[00:13:05] Jeff Dillon: Well, let's get into this. The webinar series that you're launching in the fall
called the AI Conversation. I mentioned in the intro, what questions are you most excited about?
Are you nervous about anything?
What do you want to hear from faculty and students?
[00:13:21] Bao Johri: Jeff, thank you for bringing this up too. I'm super excited. It's really more
than a webinar series.
I am actually going to leverage this as a platform to empower our campus community.
AI is here to stay, and so I think we have an opportunity to shape how it's understood, how it's
integrated and leveraged across higher education.
This series is about highlighting the ways faculty and staff are actually using AI. Rather, they're
enhancing teaching, improving workflows, or pushing creative boundaries.
I'm particularly looking forward to the first few conversations with faculty members from the
Department of Art Design and Art History. I think I'm going to start off with this because I've
spoken to some faculty and AI has been, you know, has been used in this space for at least a
couple years. So I feel that really, the experience from these faculty and the approaches that
they use in the classroom could be shared really, to a wider audience to really talk about it more
openly. How does it push the creative boundaries? So in terms of questions, more exciting than
nervous, you know, I'm really looking to really hear from these faculty. How has AI influenced the
way they think about their classroom? How do they approach art and art history today? Before
AI and after? Now that AI has been around for at least a few years now, are there ways that it's
challenging the traditional ideas, or is it truly opening up new possibilities?
I really. What it comes down to is I do really want to hear their use cases in the classroom. But,
you know, I know that these conversations may touch on sensitive areas like intellectual
property, ethical use, or how we maintain academic integrity. And these are all valid concerns,
and I welcome them. So that part of me, I think, is, you know, nervous, but at the same time, I'm
really trying to really be direct about it and really hear these conversations, have these
conversations. So part of building AI literacy and competency on a campus like this is being
willing to have these harder conversations.
It's really through these conversations that I feel that we would enable our community to really
experiment, reflect, and lead in a world where AI is not a future concept, but a present reality.
[00:15:47] Jeff Dillon: That happened fast, too. I think a couple years ago, we might not have
said that it's here. I'm excited to be like, you're in the heart of this. You were at Sacramento,
you're at Fresno. The CSU is often seen as a leader, I think, in the world. Definitely in the
country. In the world. One of the biggest system in the country. It often people look to California,
to the csu, to see, like, what's happening. It's kind of the starting point for a lot of things. So, you
know, I think that could be with AI too, with this OpenAI partnership. We saw this with
accessibility, you know, 15, 20 years ago. You know, California took the lead in, like, devoting
special teams and resources to accessibility and still is kind of the leading system. So it's
exciting to see you right in the middle of this new frontier.
But a lot of it boils down to student success, right? We're all just trying to. It's a great new,
shining tool. But I know we all see, like, how can it be used for student success? How can we tie
this to metrics and not just AI? But how do you tell that a technology investment is truly helping,
let's say, a first gen Student to the finish line on time.
[00:16:48] Bao Johri: You know, we all, yeah, your, to your point, we do talk about student
success. So I think for me, student success success goes beyond numbers.
It means that every student, especially our first generation students, feel like they belong. They
are supported in their academic journey and has access to the tool that they need to thrive.
If a student is struggling, our responsibility is to show up with the right resources.
So yes, metric matters, of course. Retention rates, timely graduation, student engagement all
help measure impact.
But what I really look for are signs that our technology investments are removing barriers. Things
like if a student do not have the means to purchase a laptop, you know, we're there writing tools
like Grammarly a lot of time our first generation grammar is such a struggle. Could we provide a
tool to help them move to the next level?
Or just simple things like timely appointment with advisors? Right. These may seem small
individually, but together they make a huge difference.
It really comes down to the impact and the stories of the students and their families.
What makes them successful are the metrics that really helps me keep going and what I think
really are the investment that we see return. And I'll give you an example.
So last year we launched the cybersecurity internship program.
And this was really meant to build a pipeline for future professionals.
One student with no technical background joined and completed the program.
And he thanked me not just for the technical exposure, but for the experience that helped him
grow in terms of leadership, in terms of his communication.
He graduated this year, first in his family and he came back and personally invited me to a
celebration at home with his family.
Now that's the kind of impact that I strive for. Investment that don't just move the metrics. Right.
But change lives. And so to me, when you ask that, that's really what you know, boils down to is
those type of impacts.
[00:19:02] Jeff Dillon: I love that story and that answer.
When I first started playing around with AI a few years ago, I thought this is the equalizer, right?
All these students have trouble writing an essay, which is a huge difference between maybe the
rest of the class and now they can produce at least now it's at least B level work if they, if they
get the help they need through AI. But what you pointed out is something I talk about sometimes
is this hierarchy of needs. A student needs the basic access to the tools. So I've heard that, well,
some of these students don't even have access to a good computer or wi fi. You talked about
that. So I think you're on the right track with get them the Basics the foundation that they need to
use these tools. Let's talk about your dissertation. It spotlighted Hmong American women
leaders.
How does that research inform the way you mentor up and coming IT talent?
[00:19:56] Bao Johri: I know that seems so long ago.
[00:19:59] Jeff Dillon: It wasn't.
[00:20:00] Bao Johri: But yeah, my dissertation did focus on Hmong American women leaders,
which really led to the development of leadership, if you will, blueprint rooted in agency, cultural
wealth and intergenerational support. You know, that work continues to shape how I mentor
emerging IT talent today, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.
I still follow the career paths of some of the women I interviewed and their journey continues to
inform me. When I mentor, I tried to be intentional, recognizing each person's background, lived
experience and the strengths they bring to the table. I offer guidance, but I also encourage self
discovery by pointing them to other leaders, many of whom are outside of IT to study, connect
with them and learn from. So that dissertation has continued to inform my decision, informed the
way I mentor others in this IT space and beyond the IT space.
[00:21:01] Jeff Dillon: Well, let's talk a little bit about budget and when every project claims to
drive retention and deliver results, how do you separate the nice to have from the must funds?
[00:21:15] Bao Johri: These are uncertain times and you know, like many institutions, we're
navigating budget constrain and shifting priorities all the time. So I think when every project is
framed around retention, and many are, it takes time to think about it. Sometimes difficult
conversations are needed to separate the nice to have and from the must find. And again, I think
it really just takes collaboration. I think what has worked is that we have to start focusing on
alignment. Does the project support core institutional goals like compliance, student success,
operational efficiency?
Some projects simply have to move forward because they're tied to regulatory requirements,
mission critical systems or urgent infrastructure needs.
Others require a closer look at the data, the scale of impact, the sustainability of the investment.
So these in so many ways isn't a one person discussion in my opinion and in the experience is
that it's truly a collaborative process that involves, you know, IT leadership, other campus
leadership, functional stakeholders and campus governance group. I think we're all always trying
to really look at every request through the lens of strategic value, urgency and capacity. It's not
always easy, but it is necessary if we want to be responsible stewards of limited resource and
still move the university forward. So that's really the approach.
[00:22:41] Jeff Dillon: Yeah, I like that answer. It's great. Well, I'm going to wrap it up with one
last question. If you could give every incoming first year student one piece of tech advice.
[00:22:52] Bao Johri: Yeah, it's hard to just give one advice, huh?
[00:22:54] Jeff Dillon: You can get more than one.
[00:22:55] Bao Johri: I guess I feel that, you know, most students today, when they come
through the door, some are tech savvy. So my advice isn't about mastering a specific tool or
recommending a tool. If I had to just pick one, I would just say work with others. Use the tools
that would help you succeed.
And never be afraid to ask for help. Whether it's figuring out a platform, navigating AI or just, you
know, feeling stuck. Ask questions. It's really when you ask questions and you encourage that,
that that becomes a strength in our students. So I always want to also say tech can support your
journey, but people will help you through it.
[00:23:37] Jeff Dillon: I love that answer. It's so true too. I just had one go through college, one's
about to and realizing they have all these resources there, like go talk to your faculty or the
people that you know have these answers. It's like one of the few times you can really. You can
do that. But it was really great to have you. Bao. We will put links to your. Your LinkedIn in the
show notes as well as your Fresno State's website. And thank you so much for your time.
[00:24:05] Bao Johri: Thank you, Jeff. Can I say one other thing?
[00:24:07] Jeff Dillon: Yeah.
[00:24:08] Bao Johri: I just thought, I reflected and say this because I think I want to give credit
to where credit is due and the progress that we have made since the president launched the AI
initiative. It's not about me or the vice Provost leading this. It really has been the faculty and the
staff that who has done the work. And I want to call out the committee who serve on the AI
policy ethic and governance really should be given the award. And the partnership with
Academic Senate is so critical to really moving such a major force in this landscape. So
Academic Senate, the leaders in that are instrumental. Without that, we would not have gone
this far. And I continue to give praise to the faculty and the staff who are willing to do this work
with me and the vice provost. If others are starting, this is the cornerstone of every strategy, is
that the faculty have to be right by your side.
[00:25:08] Jeff Dillon: Yeah. It takes a village. And it's obvious from the work you've done, even
the hub of digital transformation innovation, Fresno State, is becoming known for your
leadership. So great call out to all your. All your help out there.
[00:25:21] Bao Johri: Thank you, Jeff.
[00:25:22] Jeff Dillon: Thank you.
[00:25:24] Bao Johri: Opportunity.
[00:25:29] Jeff Dillon: We wrap up this episode. Remember EdTech. EdTech Connect is your
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