Leadership as the Mechanism for Advancing Data Governance in Higher Education

Angelina Medeiros, Ed.D. Executive Director of Institutional Research, Massasoit Community College

Angelina Medeiros, Ed.D., is the Executive Director of Institutional Research at Massasoit Community College. She has served community colleges for more than a decade. Her work focuses on advancing data-informed decision-making, fostering collaboration across functional areas and building sustainable data governance frameworks that align with institutional strategy.

Introduction

When colleges talk about becoming “data-informed,” the conversation often centers on process, systems, dashboards, or technological tools. Yet, the real story begins not with technology - it begins with culture, leadership and collaboration. In my doctoral research on data governance in higher education, I explored how institutional leaders influence the success of governance initiatives. The findings were clear: when leaders actively support and empower Institutional Research (IR) and Information Technology (IT) professionals, data governance transforms college culture and improves how decisions are made across the institution.

Leadership Commitment Advances Culture and Collaboration

Research participants consistently emphasized that executive-level commitment is the cornerstone of data governance. One leader shared, “When senior leadership is visible and consistent in supporting data governance, people across the college see it as a shared responsibility, not just an IR or IT task.” This type of endorsement advances data culture and sets the tone across the institution. Leaders who emphasis the importance of and model data-informed decision-making demonstrate that accuracy, consistency and transparency matter. Over time, this visibility turns data governance from a behind-the-scenes effort into an institutional norm.

A successful data governance framework depends on more than policies or committees. It thrives on shared purpose. Institutions that fostered collaboration among academic, administrative and technical teams had stronger data governance practices. As one interviewee noted, “It’s when we stopped working in silos and started working toward one vision of student success that governance really came alive.” Leadership plays a critical role in building that shared vision. By aligning data governance goals with institutional mission, leaders help stakeholders understand why the work matters. That “why” transforms what could feel like a compliance exercise into a collective investment in the college’s future.

Empowering IR and IT Teams Builds Capacity

Another major theme was the importance of empowering those closest to the data. Effective leaders don’t just approve data governance policies - they provide the resources, time and trust needed for IR and IT professionals to lead. One participant shared, “We finally made progress when leadership recognized that data governance isn’t something we do on the side; it is core to how we operate.” That recognition allows IR and IT teams to build sustainable structures: training users, documenting definitions and improving data quality at the source. In turn, leadership gains confidence in the data guiding strategic decisions.

The most successful institutions did not treat data governance as a one-time project. Instead, they nurtured it through ongoing communication and feedback. Leaders who kept governance visible through regular updates, storytelling and recognition of progress helped maintain engagement across the institution. As one participant summarized, “When people understand how their efforts improve decision-making, they want to be part of the process.” Leadership that prioritizes communication ensures governance remains dynamic, adaptable and aligned with institutional needs.

“Leadership is about enabling growth for ourselves and our colleagues, and for the students whose futures we shape.”

Synthesizing these findings revealed an important truth: while IR and IT leaders often approach data governance from different perspectives, they share very similar leadership styles. Both groups rely heavily on communication, collaboration and the ability to articulate needs clearly, all hallmarks of servant leadership. Despite varying institutional structures and resource limitations, leaders across both areas demonstrated a strong commitment to serving their colleges and advancing data maturity. IR leaders often depended on IT for infrastructure and systems access, while IT leaders did not rely on IR to the same extent. Yet both recognized their mutual value and partnership in data governance. This interdependence, although asymmetrical, created space for dialogue, partnership and progress. Ultimately, data governance flourishes when institutions recognize the complementary strengths of IR and IT and when senior leadership provides the resources, recognition and structure to support that collaboration.

Data Transformation

Higher education has reached a turning point. With increasing demands for accountability and evidence-based planning, colleges must treat data governance as a strategic advantage and collaborative initiative. As my research stresses, institutions thrive when they cultivate leadership that values data as a shared asset, fosters cross-functional partnerships and invests in the people who make it all possible. The colleges best positioned for the future will be those where leadership does not just talk about using data but instead, empower those who turn data into insight. That shift begins at the top. When presidents, vice presidents and deans actively support the work of IR and IT professionals by allocating resources, modeling transparency and celebrating data-informed decisions, data governance evolves from compliance, to collaboration, to transformation.

From Research to Action

Building on these findings, several practical recommendations emerged for higher education leaders and policymakers seeking to strengthen data governance: For Policy Makers:

• Create a culture that values and recognizes the importance of data and technology.

• Maintain open communication across departments to strengthen collaboration.

• Hire and retain IT and IR leaders with both technical expertise and the soft skills of communication and teamwork.

• Provide robust professional development opportunities focused on data governance best practices. For Practitioners:

• Seek visible support from senior leadership to sustain governance initiatives.

• Continue to articulate institutional needs and advocate for adequate resources.

• Explore opportunities for greater alignment between IT and IR operations to streamline governance efforts.

• These recommendations reflect a shared understanding that effective data governance is as much about relationships and leadership as it is about technology and policy.

To read more about my doctoral work, please visit: Insights into Leadership: An Exploration of Information Technology and Institutional Research and Their Contributions to Data Governance.

Information Technology