Rick Tietjen is the vice president, chief of staff and information technology at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Mr. Tietjen is responsible for the President’s Office administration, compliance, policy, business intelligence, and the planning and execution of major college initiatives. He also oversees the college’s Information Technology Systems department, which includes enterprise systems, infrastructure services, user support, network services, telecommunications, and audio/video.
Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Tietjen was the college’s associate vice president, chief of staff, and CIO; associate vice president of planning and operations support; senior director of planning and operational improvement; and director of systems and networking after initially joining CIA in 1990 and advancing through successive responsibilities in the Information Technology department.
He also taught Computers and Food Business as an adjunct instructor from 2005 to 2007, and was awarded CIA Staff Member of the Year in 2002.
As background for his work at the college, Mr. Tietjen gained foodservice industry experience in dining operations at the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, NY from 1987 to 1992.
Mr. Tietjen earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Capella University in Minneapolis, MN in 2003 and his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1991. He also holds Oracle DBA and Novell CNE technical certifications along with completing other technical and non-technical certificates.
Rick Tietjen is a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers.