John Carpenter

Chief Technology Officer, McDonough School of Business
Age: 63
Hometown: Norman Ok.
Time at Georgetown: 20 years

What brought you to work at Georgetown?
I was in the Navy before this, so I’ve had two jobs in my adult life. When I got out of the Navy, I was looking for a job in IT. I just happened to be the CIO of the National Defense University, which is here, the National Defense University is the National War College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Information Resources Management College and all of the service academies. I was the CIO of that organization, and so I kind of liked working with academics, and I didn’t like contracting, I didn’t want to be a Beltway bandit, and Georgetown popped up and I walked on the campus and knew instantly this is where I wanted to work.

What drew you to the field of IT?
I was a fleet Navy pilot. It is not an understatement to say I did not care about anything except flying for the Navy. I was as obnoxious and egocentric as you see in all the movies — I was that guy, and the Navy actually forced me to go get a master’s degree in information technology. They told me I was not going to be allowed to fly on my next tour, that I had to go to postgraduate school to get one, and I could get it in anything that I wanted. I selected IT because it was the one that sounded the coolest. Then they started flip flopping me between IT jobs and flying, and eventually I got to the point where they weren’t going to let me fly anymore, and the IT jobs in the Navy are not as rewarding as the IT jobs that are outside, certainly not as rewarding as this one, and so I just made the decision to get out of the Navy and get into academic IT.

What was it about Georgetown that made you know it was the right place to be?
I was really terrified that when I got out of the Navy, I wouldn’t be working with smart people anymore. I really think the people in the Navy are bright, organized, motivated people, especially now that we don’t have the draft anymore, and I was terrified that the people I would work with would not be of the same character, that they would be out to make a buck and that nothing counted except for that. And I saw an awful lot of that, and I didn’t like it — it’s completely different at Georgetown. The people I met were focused on the mission, they were focused on doing the right thing and they were all really bright, in fact, the vast majority are smarter than me, and so I said, “This is it, this is where I want to be.” And also, when I interviewed with Dean Parker, who is deceased now, but he was the dean of the school of business when I came in, he just gave me a really good vibe that I was going to be allowed to do things here, that I was going to be allowed to lead the program instead of reacting to someone else’s wishes. That’s what I wanted also: I wanted responsibility.

What has it been like to be involved in the all the technological advancements Georgetown has undergone since you’ve been here?
That’s one of the best things about Georgetown. At Georgetown, you wouldn’t expect it to be a lot of change, you know how many hundreds of years of tradition we have here, but that’s not true. This job that I have here changes day to day. There’s the technology aspect of course, and you know when you’re doing technology at Georgetown, you don’t get to slow down, because you guys, students, every year you’re walking through the door with your brand new titanium-cased whizz-banged latest, greatest possible thing and it is simply not an option to say, “Well we don’t support that operating system because it’s too hard.” You don’t say that to students, and faculty always have some interesting things that they need to do. And trying to come up with an innovative way to fill that is a constant effort, and I like it, I like the fact that the dean gives me the tools and the authority to change things, to effect change around here, and I like the fact that we have to change, we have to change to stay ahead.

What are the challenges you foresee in the future for your field beyond its constant change, or is there something you would like to see Georgetown be able to do?
You know, the Internet is a bona fide, certified, card-carrying miracle. We have just scratched the surface of being able to communicate at light speed, with anybody, anywhere on the planet, and Georgetown has to take advantage of that because we have got the people, we have got the mission, we have got the purpose; it is destiny to provide what we have to a bigger audience. We need to stay in closer contact with our alumni; we need to be able to get our message out; we need to be able to expand the people we can affect; and we need to be able to get talented people in here. The tool for doing that, I’m convinced, is the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, being able to reach out and touch people and that is something Georgetown has simply got to take advantage of.

There’s been a lot in the news about the security risks of the Internet, and the Georgetown community is always getting emails about issues such as phishing attacks, so how difficult is it to protect Georgetown’s systems and combat those trying to infiltrate them?
The insecurities inherent in the Internet are the biggest threat to the Internet. Insecurities are even more of a threat than things like censorship or restricted access. The fact is that there are a lot of people who know how to use the Internet for nefarious purposes. There’s a technical way that you protect somebody, but if somebody were to give away their password, then they’ve basically bypassed every single technical thing I can do to help. So it’s a constant challenge, but it’s not just a technical challenge. It’s a challenge in educating people about this brand new thing that is out there. And you may think you know everything about the Internet, and there may be guys like me who think they know everything about the Internet, and they may know everything about the Internet right now, but tomorrow the Internet’s changed. Things have changed. If you had a job in IT, say five years ago, you know how relevant that is to today? It’s not relevant. You’re not dealing with the current technologies. So security is the biggest issue. And security is something that you have to stay on top of, and it’s a goat rope sometimes. But you know what, the guys that are trying to attack us, they have their weaknesses too.

What is one thing Georgetown does well?
Georgetown is unique. There are a lot of things that are unique, but Georgetown is a unique entity for the good. I feel really good about working at Georgetown because I just don’t feel like I’m screwing anybody to make a living. I feel like I’m helping people, and not just the people that go to Georgetown. Georgetown has an impact on D.C., and in fact it has an impact on the nation, and that just makes me feel good about it. Georgetown does a really good job at being Georgetown.

What is one thing Georgetown can do better?
I think our mission can be a little bit broader. The school of business, we want to be a top 10 business school, because we know we’d be a really good top 10 business school, and Georgetown is a great institution, and the more people that know about it, the more we can get the message out, the better off we are.

Is there anything you’d like to add?
My background is military. I was a career military officer, and never ever contemplated being anything else from the time I was about 8 years old, so I was hardcore military. And a lot of my friends say, “How the heck did you end up at Georgetown?” And I’m telling you, it’s not that different. In the military, the stereotype is everybody is giving orders to everybody else, but that’s not really the case. You stay alive in the military by cooperating and communicating and trusting the people around you. I feel the same way about this. We cooperate, we communicate and I trust the other people at Georgetown, so I feel like that particular element of it fits right in. I feel good about Georgetown.

Interview by Robert DePaolo