NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has named Nathan Burton as its new Chief Information Officer, bringing decades of leadership experience in enterprise technology, operational strategy, and state government to the university.
Burton, who officially assumed the role on Oct. 19, will oversee TSU’s information technology strategy and digital operations.
“Burton brings a valuable combination of strategic IT leadership, extensive experience with the Tennessee state government, and a strong background in applications management,” said Jerome Oglesby, TSU chief operating officer. “His experience leading teams, managing complex technology environments, and identifying opportunities to improve service delivery will be an asset as we continue strengthening our technology infrastructure for students, faculty, and staff.”
Burton most recently served as senior vice president and director of technology at Pinnacle Financial Partners, where he established a comprehensive technology risk program following the firm’s merger with Synovus Bank. In that role, he helped oversee IT strategy and team engagement across a nine-state region. He previously served as the firm’s director of business application support.
Prior to his work in financial services, Burton held senior administrative roles with the State of Tennessee. As director of business services and senior project manager within the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, he directed major modernization initiatives. His efforts generated a 38% process improvement that reduced annual transactions by 2.4 million and yielded $250,000 in savings through a modernized document registration and authentication platform.
“I am excited to join TSU as chief information officer and leverage my technology, strategy, and operations experience to elevate the digital landscape for our campus community,” Burton said. “I look forward to collaborating with leadership, faculty, staff, and students to enhance our technological capabilities.”
A Nashville native and McGavock High School graduate, Burton also has a longstanding personal connection to TSU through his family. His late father, Dr. Roderic N. Burton, served as a professor and director of the university’s Department of Social Work from 1973 to 1998. His late aunt and uncle were also TSU alumni.
With generations of his family connected to the university, Burton’s appointment represents an opportunity to serve an institution that has been part of his family’s story for decades. Burton earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a minor in Information Systems, from Tennessee Technological University and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership from Lipscomb University.
As he begins his tenure, Burton will draw on his extensive experience in technology leadership and operations to advance TSU’s technology strategy and enhance services for students, faculty and staff.
