Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer
California State University, Bakersfield
Chris Diniz is Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), a Hispanic-Serving Institution in Kern County. He leads Information Technology Services, which includes the service center and desktop support, infrastructure, information security, enterprise applications, academic technology, and the campus print shop.
Chris led CSUB's first-in-the-nation partnership with OpenAI, SPARKS, in which students in upper-division courses learn from CSUB faculty and have access to OpenAI engineers. He also leads RIO, CSUB's own AI assistant, built with regional partner Linean and hosted in the university's environment.
Chris was elected to the California State University Chief Information Officer Executive Committee, which helps set technology strategy for the nation's largest four-year public university system.
His work extends to workforce development, students, and the community. He founded NextTech Kern, a regional technology conference and workforce initiative that brings together employers, educators, and students across Kern County. Within ITS, he employs students and gives them hands-on technology experience while they complete their degrees. Outside the university, he is active in Kern County agriculture and serves as Director of Sponsorship for 4-H.
Before higher education, Chris built his career leading technology in the private sector, in industries including banking, food manufacturing, and oil and gas.
Chris is a doctoral student in Florida Atlantic University’s Executive PhD program, where his research focuses on how and why people adopt artificial intelligence.
Faculty Opportunities with ITS
Information Technology Services partners with faculty to shape strategy, support research and enhance academic experiences - explore current opportunities or contact the CIO’s Office for additional support.