Leonard Pounds, Ph.D.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Leonard Pounds, Ph.D., former vice president for clinical operations, has been named senior vice president of data strategy and operational excellence at Nova Southeastern University (NSU).
Pounds, who’s been with NSU since 2007, will report to Rick James, executive vice president for strategy and operational excellence.
“It was a priority for NSU to identify an exceptional leader to strengthen our operational effectiveness and guide our information technology team into the next phase of excellence,” James said, “Leonard brings a proven record across technology, healthcare, data strategy, and artificial intelligence, and I am confident he will help advance the university’s technology strategy.”
Pounds will oversee the Office of Information and Innovation Technology. His work will focus on enabling data-informed decision-making, strengthening operational performance, supporting responsible artificial intelligence adoption, and improving outcomes across education, research, healthcare, and administrative functions.
“It’s a great privilege for me to continue serving NSU in this role alongside our talented team to strengthen operational effectiveness and drive innovation,” Pounds said. “I look forward to advancing our strategic priorities across operational excellence, innovation, and technology to support NSU’s mission.”
A U.S. Navy veteran, Pounds was an information systems technician and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He received numerous awards of distinction, including two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals, a Navy Unit Commendation medal, a Navy Good Conduct medal, a National Defense Service medal, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service medal, two Sea service ribbons, and the designation of Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist.
Pounds holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from NSU’s College of Computing, AI, and Cybersecurity, along with graduate and undergraduate degrees in information systems and information technology.
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Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is the largest private research university in Florida and a top employer in the state, with more than $6.7 billion in projected economic impact. NSU is classified as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Foundation among universities with the highest level of research activity. Visit www.nova.edu.
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