Katia Passerini

Katia Passerini, Ph.D., joined Gonzaga University as its 27th president on July 15, 2025, becoming the second layperson to serve in the role. President Passerini leads the University in educating undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students for lives of leadership and service to the common good. 

With research interests in macro-economic drivers of knowledge management, wireless broadband applications and industry trends; and computer-assisted learning and education, Passerini has published extensively, particularly in the areas of computer-mediated learning, IT productivity, and knowledge management. She was nominated five times for best paper awards at regional and national conferences. She serves on editorial boards of various information systems (IS) and entrepreneurship journals and acted as program and track chair in a number of IS conferences.

Passerini co-authored a 2012 book, “Information Technology for Small Business: Managing the Digital Enterprise,” which discusses how small and medium-sized businesses can leverage today's mobile technology to thrive in highly competitive global environments. And in 2022, she co-edited “The Future of Business Schools: Purpose, Action, and Impact.”

Her other professional experiences include multi-industry projects at Booz Allen Hamilton (now part of PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and the World Bank where she focused on information technology projects in Europe, North America, and the South Pacific. She is a certified project manager (PMP) with practice in the automotive and telecommunications industries and higher education.