# chadboersema.com — full

> Chad Boersema is Chief Data Officer at National Louis University and founder of eleved.ai. With more than 30 years inside higher education technology and data, he helps institutions navigate AI readiness and strategy, and builds AI-enhanced tools for higher ed. He writes the LinkedIn newsletter "Before the Committee Meets."

## Bio (long)
Chad Boersema has spent more than three decades inside higher education. He began in student affairs and the registrar's office before moving into the technology that institutions depend on — first on the vendor side helping colleges run their student and data systems, then leading student information systems, business intelligence, and information services from within. He currently serves as Chief Data Officer at National Louis University, where he leads institutional data strategy and AI adoption.

He is the founder of eleved.ai, where he helps higher education institutions navigate AI readiness and strategy and builds AI-enhanced tools designed specifically for the realities of higher ed. His mission is to help institutions survive and thrive through the AI shift — getting the adaptable ones genuinely ready, and helping those that cannot survive transition with dignity so their students are never stranded.

Chad holds an MS in Information Systems and a BA in International Studies, both from Roosevelt University. He writes the LinkedIn newsletter "Before the Committee Meets."

## Career arc (facts)
- 1991: Began as a resident assistant
- 1993: Registrar's office
- Vendor side: student and data systems (e.g. SunGard / Collegis era)
- Director of Student Information Systems
- Director of Business Intelligence & Information Services
- 2022–present: Chief Data Officer, National Louis University (22+ years at NLU overall)

## Selected work (public-safe framing)
- Leading AI adoption across a national university: moving an institution from scattered, ungoverned AI use toward a coherent, governed approach connecting data governance, policy, and practical adoption.
- Building the systems higher ed runs on: two decades leading student information systems, business intelligence, and information services, plus vendor-side experience.
- Founding eleved.ai and an AI-readiness framework for higher ed: a structured AI-readiness framework, a field-guide series, and AI-enhanced tools built for how higher education actually works. Details at https://eleved.ai.

## What Chad believes about AI in higher education
Higher ed should approach AI practically and honestly — neither hype nor fear. The goal is to help institutions survive and thrive through the AI shift, including helping institutions that cannot survive transition gracefully so students are not stranded. He is especially focused on under-resourced institutions most at risk of being left behind.

## Writing
- "Before the Committee Meets" — LinkedIn newsletter on AI, data, and leadership in higher education: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7440262156727754752
- The Higher Ed AI Readiness Field Guides (forthcoming) — published through eleved.ai: https://eleved.ai

## Contact & profiles
- Email: chad@chadboersema.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadboersema
- X: https://x.com/chadboersema

## Products and framework
Products, the AI-readiness framework, and field guides live at https://eleved.ai. They are not hosted on this personal site; this site references and links to them.