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John Parker

Associate Dean, Chief Technology Officer
Email jrparker@dornsife.usc.edu Office SHS 260 Office Phone (213) 740-8113

Biography

John R. Parker is Associate Dean, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. John has 28 years of experience as an IT professional.

As CTO, John leads the Dornsife Technology Services team, which oversees teaching, research and administrative IT support for over 4,000 USC Dornsife faculty, students and staff.  In 2004, John joined USC Dornsife as IT Director to build a formal and comprehensive IT support team. With a focus on customer service and an entrepreneurial approach to IT support, he has built a world-class department supporting help desk operations, research computing, distance learning, technology enhanced learning, application development, web development and infrastructure management.  In 2007, John received the inaugural USC Dornsife Staff Achievement Award.

John’s management and technical specialties include team building, setting IT vision, leadership, cross-unit collaboration, project management, problem solving, technology innovation, web development, application development, distance learning, network and system design, and entertainment lighting systems.

Previously, John worked for 15 years in the entertainment industry as IT Director for Mole-Richardson Company, an 90-year-old Hollywood movie lighting company.  At Mole-Richardson John oversaw all aspects of IT support and implemented one of the first entertainment industry web sites in 1995.  Also, through collaborations with cinematographers, gaffers, grips and electricians, John produced the first entertainment industry intranet which enabled major studios to purchase equipment and supplies online in a customized environment.  In addition to IT support at Mole-Richardson, John envisioned, designed and programmed monitoring and control products that were used on movie sets.  These include a Linux-based light switching system controlled by an wireless handheld device and a wireless monitoring system to analyze, in real-time, voltage, current and frequency.

John has been programming computers and working with electronics since 1979. In 1980, John co-managed an early BBS using his (still functioning) Apple II, communicating and collaborating with fellow enthusiasts around the world.  

 

Specialties 

Technology expert, team building, security, networking, server configuration, troubleshooting, web development, AV systems, distance learning technologies, technology enhanced learning technologies, entertainment lighting systems.

Experience 

Associate Dean, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
March 2007 – Present
 
March 2004 – February 2007
 
IT Director – Mole-Richardson Company
June 1991 – February 2004

Education

Red Hat Linux Certified Engineer – RHCE

July 2003
 
Red Hat Linux Certified Technician – RHCT
June 2003
 
University of Southern California – Viterbi School of Engineering
Certificate, Programming & Data Processing, August 1990 – May 1991
 
University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business
BS, Entreprenuer Program, August 1987 – May 1991
 
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