John Berry

John Berry got his start in operations management through information technology, starting out as the lead developer for an online startup of Landmark Communications in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1998.

A year later, he was named IT manager for ZeniMax Media in Rockville, Maryland, where he managed technology infrastructure for multiple business divisions. Four years later, he moved to East Tennessee and worked as an IT consultant for several businesses throughout the region, designing and implementing turnkey technology solutions, in addition to developing custom web-based software applications and providing support services.

In 2008, he was recruited as director of information technology for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, managing all aspects of technology for the sprawling multi-location nonprofit. In that role, he worked to centralize and improve communication and collaboration with innovative technology solutions, standardize the organization’s infrastructure, and increase efficiency through modernization of accounting, payroll, and human resources solutions. He also implemented and managed both physical and information security infrastructure.

His broad array of skills and experience led him to Maryville College in 2014, where he joined the College staff as director of information technology. For the next eight years, he oversaw the technology needs of the College through the leadership of information and instructional technology teams that focused on student success and service. He worked to develop a sustainable financial operating model for consistent technology innovations and lead teams that completed significant campus technology upgrades to improve student, faculty and staff experiences.

Throughout his time in that role, he worked in a number of other capacities, including as a member of the College’s strategic planning task force, serving at the request of the College’s president, and as both a member and chair of the Staff Council, an internal organization devoted to advancing the concerns, needs and recognition of College employees who serve in roles outside of the classroom or boardroom.

In 2022, he was promoted to the role of the College’s chief operations officer, focusing on administration and oversight of a number of offices and departments, including Facilities Operations, Human Resources, Campus Security, Information Technology and Campus Mail Services. As COO, he acts as the chief risk, information, and information security officer of the College, and serves as the senior staff liaison of the Infrastructure and Technology Committee to the College’s Board of Directors.