John Lovelace
Building the infrastructure that keeps the university running
John Lovelace has served the University of Texas at Austin IT community for over 15 years, building deep expertise across operational and project management roles before taking on his current responsibilities as Associate Vice President for Infrastructure. His work ensures that the foundational technology systems underpinning UT Austin — from networks and data centers to telecommunications — remain stable, secure, and capable of meeting both current and future university needs.
In addition to leading UT Austin's infrastructure organization, John carries a significant system-wide responsibility: he leads wide-area network services for all UT System institutions, connecting universities across Texas through shared, high-performance networking infrastructure. This dual role — serving both the flagship campus and the broader UT System — reflects the scale and reach of his infrastructure work. He collaborates closely with campus and vendor partners to navigate an environment where the demands on university networks are continuously evolving.
John's career in IT spans both private sector and higher education. Before joining UT Austin, he held IT leadership roles at General Electric and ADT Security, bringing corporate-grade operational discipline to the complex, mission-driven environment of a research university. His track record at UT Austin includes major milestones: overseeing a critical data center equipment relocation, directing the UTmail migration from the legacy UMBS system, leading the campus VoIP telephone system rollout, and serving as a leader within the Program Management Office for the Administrative Systems Modernization Program.
From private sector to public university infrastructure leadership
Leads infrastructure initiatives for UT Austin and directs UT System-wide wide-area network services for all UT System institutions. Collaborates with campus and vendor partners to maintain and evolve the university's network, data center, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Served the UT Austin IT community in various operational and project management roles over more than 15 years. Led major infrastructure projects including data center relocation, UTmail migration, VoIP rollout, and leadership in the Administrative Systems Modernization Program Management Office.
Held IT leadership positions at two major corporations, building the operational discipline and enterprise-scale project management experience that informed his transition to higher education IT leadership.
Where John focuses his work
Managing and evolving a high-performance campus network that meets the demands of a large research university — and leads UT System-wide WAN services for all institutions.
Overseeing the facilities, systems, and processes that keep UT Austin's core computing infrastructure reliable, secure, and resilient.
Leading network services that connect all University of Texas System institutions — delivering shared infrastructure that extends the reach of individual campus investments.
Modernizing campus communications infrastructure through VoIP and unified communications platforms that replace aging legacy telephone systems.
Delivering complex, multi-stakeholder infrastructure projects on time and within scope — drawing on deep experience in operational and program management.
Continuously evolving UT Austin's technology foundation — from data center refreshes to email migrations — to meet current needs and anticipate future demands.
Infrastructure at UT Austin
John and his team build and maintain the technology foundations that every student, faculty member, and staff member at UT Austin depends on every day — and extend those capabilities across the broader UT System.
This page was developed with AI support as part of the writing and editing workflow.