Heather Hanna
Building relationships that make technology work for people
Heather Hanna brings extensive UT Austin experience and a demonstrated history of successful large-scale implementations and IT leadership to her role as Associate Vice President for Engagement and Experience. Her work is grounded in the belief that technology only delivers value when the relationships and processes surrounding it are well-designed — a principle she has applied across every major initiative she has led at the university.
Heather's portfolio centers on building strategic relationships with business partners and vendors, coordinating with IT-focused areas across campus, and addressing the evolving business needs of the university. She has led several of UT Austin's most consequential administrative system implementations, including the university-wide Workday HCM and Payroll deployment, the Benefitfocus rollout, and the HRMS implementation — projects that touched virtually every employee on campus and required sustained cross-functional collaboration to succeed.
Before moving into her AVP role, Heather oversaw the User Services group within Financial Information Systems (FIS), where she managed numerous substantial financial initiatives and supported the Council of University Business Officers. She continues to be a visible champion for professional development opportunities for IT staff across the university, working to ensure that the people who power UT Austin's technology are growing alongside the systems they support.
A UT Austin career built on implementation and partnership
Leads strategic relationships with business partners and vendors, coordinates IT efforts across campus units, and champions professional development for Enterprise Technology staff. Oversees the university's Engagement and Experience portfolio.
Oversaw the User Services group within Financial Information Systems (FIS), managing substantial financial system initiatives and supporting the Council of University Business Officers. Led major implementations including Workday HCM/Payroll, Benefitfocus, and HRMS.
Where Heather focuses her work
Building and sustaining productive relationships with campus business partners, ensuring technology initiatives align with institutional needs and priorities.
Creating structured growth opportunities for IT staff across the university — building the skills and capabilities that keep UT Austin's technology teams strong.
Managing strategic vendor relationships to deliver complex enterprise implementations on time and aligned with university requirements.
Deep experience overseeing financial information systems and large-scale administrative platform implementations that serve the entire university community.
Guiding university communities through significant system transitions — from planning and communication through adoption and sustained use.
Bridging central IT and distributed campus units to ensure cohesive, efficient technology delivery across a large and complex institution.
Engagement & Experience at UT Austin
Heather and her team work across campus to build the partnerships and professional development programs that help Enterprise Technology deliver meaningful impact for the UT Austin community.
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