Background

About

Work rooted in practice, people, curiosity, and the institutional systems that make technology useful. I serve as the Executive Director, Workplace Technology & Infrastructure Services for UC San Diego, leading workplace technology and infrastructure services.

Brett Pollak seated outdoors on the UC San Diego campus

Work Rooted in Practice, People, and Curiosity

My career started in web and digital services, where I learned early that new tools only matter when they fit the real work people are trying to do.

At UC San Diego, I've spent more than 18 years working with colleagues across web, cloud, data, and workplace technology. Projects like TritonGPT have reinforced that implementation is as much about trust, governance, and listening as it is about architecture.

This site is a place to share what we've learned so far and connect with others in higher education who are working through similar questions. I'm especially interested in hearing how other institutions are approaching adoption, policy, and practical use cases.

Recent Work

TritonGPT in Practice

Supporting campus access to institutional knowledge and reducing friction in workflows such as contract review for Procurement

Campus Technology Work

Working with colleagues across service desk, infrastructure, analytics, web, and collaboration services

Recognition

Named to the Constellation Research Business Transformation 150™ (2026–2027) and recognized through campus and industry channels for work connected to TritonAI and related initiatives

Cross-Institution Sharing

Lessons from TritonGPT have been shared with peer institutions exploring similar AI questions

Daily Context

Supporting hybrid-cloud infrastructure and digital services for a campus community of more than 73,000 people

Topics I Spend Time On

AI Implementation

Governance, adoption, and the practical questions that show up once a pilot becomes real work

Data Governance

Privacy, security, stewardship, and how institutions make data usable without losing context

Cloud Infrastructure

Hybrid-cloud architecture, operations, and what it takes to support dependable institutional services

Organizational Change

Stakeholder engagement, service design, and learning how new tools actually fit campus workflows

Digital Experience

Web platforms, accessibility, and making institutional systems easier for people to navigate

Data-Informed Decisions

Analytics, reporting, and helping teams ask better questions about the work in front of them

Career Journey

University of California San Diego

2008 – Present

Executive Director, Workplace Technology & Infrastructure Services

Oct 2024 – Present

Working with teams across Data Warehouse, Analytics, Predictive Technologies, Email, Service Desk, Field Support, Endpoint Management, Enterprise Content Management, Web Technologies, and Integrated Collaboration Services. Part of the team behind the TritonAI program, which includes TritonGPT and other institutional AI efforts at UC San Diego.

Senior Director, Workplace Technology Services

Jan 2016 – Oct 2024

  • Directed strategy for campus-wide workplace services, emerging technologies, and business intelligence (BI) for data-driven decision making.
  • Oversaw Customer Engagement Group (Service Desk, Field Support) and strategic platforms including ServiceNow, Microsoft 365, and Google Apps.

Director, Cloud and Web Services

Aug 2010 – Oct 2024

  • Managed UC San Diego's top-level digital channels (ucsd.edu, Blink, TritonLink) and 160+ websites via the campus CMS.
  • Led cloud strategy (SaaS/PaaS/IaaS) and mobile presence, including the Mobile Web Framework (MWF) adopted by 5 UC campuses.
  • Managed a $1M+ budget and a cross-functional web team delivering responsive frameworks and campus-wide applications.

Campus Web Manager

Apr 2008 – Aug 2010

  • Led the selection, implementation, and operations of the campus-wide Content Management System (CMS), serving 150+ users.
  • Established ITIL-based best practices and Agile methodologies for web development, content migration, and system architecture.

SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation)

2001 – 2008
Corporate Web Team Manager

Managed a department of 40 professionals including web content developers, user interface designers, programmers, project managers, and team leads. It was an early lesson in how large organizations adopt technology through people, process, and collaboration.

University of San Diego

1995
Education

BBA in Marketing

Talks, Writing, and Shared Learning

Conference Presentations

  • ASU+GSV Summit 2026: Shared AI at Scale — Developed by Universities for Universities
  • NACUBO 2026: The AI Investment Decision: Build, Buy, or Shared Services?

Published Work

  • EDUCAUSE Review — “Ushering in a New Era of AI-Driven Data Insights at UC San Diego” (Feb 2025)
  • CIO.com — “How poor data foundations can undermine AI success” (Apr 2026)
  • Ithaka S+R, The Journal of Higher Education Web Professionals, Eduniverse, and others
  • Featured in Forbes, CIO.com, EdTech Magazine, and 30+ other outlets