About Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D.

Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, School of Information Systems
University of South Florida — Muma College of Business

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Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Information Systems at the University of South Florida (USF) Muma College of Business. He brings nearly 40 years of leadership experience across the military, business, higher education, and technology sectors. Before joining USF, he served for nine years as President and CEO of a national research and education network, leading digital transformation initiatives for higher education, government, and healthcare across the U.S. Northeast, with a focus on broadband infrastructure, AI, cybersecurity, digital transformation and public-private innovation partnerships.

Dr. Conn has held senior executive roles including Executive Vice President and CIO at SUNY Empire State University and Vice President for Information Technology and CIO at Southern Polytechnic State University, along with administrative and faculty positions at Georgia Military College, Kentucky State University, Virginia Tech, and Regis University. Throughout his career, he has led enterprise IT strategy, digital transformation, and organizational initiatives supporting academic innovation and student success.

A scholar-practitioner, Dr. Conn’s research focuses on systems design, digital learning environments, data analytics, and knowledge management. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, two books, and several invited chapters on topics such as online learning, agile development, cloud computing, and semantic web technologies. His work has received honors including the ISECON Distinguished and Meritorious Paper Awards, and he was recognized in 2021 and 2022 as a Technology Thought Leader by ROI-NJ, a business media company and the authoritative source for news and connections impacting New Jersey’s economic movers and shakers.

He is active in professional organizations including the Association for Information Systems, Information Systems Audit and Control Association, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. In the classroom, Dr. Conn emphasizes a student-centered, experiential approach that integrates theory with real-world practice. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in systems analysis and design, project management, enterprise systems, cloud computing, advanced databases, and artificial intelligence.

He holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University and a M.S. in Computer Information Systems from Regis University, and is committed to preparing students for leadership roles in technology, business, and innovation.