Within the past few weeks, Georgia Tech has announced three noteworthy changes to College of Computing and Office of Information Technology (OIT) leadership.

Lance Fortnow will become chair of the School of Computer Science on July 1. Fortnow is currently a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Northwestern University.

“I’m excited to join Georgia Tech, a leading center for computer science, at a time when computing is making such a great impact on science and society,” Fortnow said.

In addition to his primary faculty appointment at Northwestern, he also has a courtesy appointment at the Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences Department in the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Fortnow’s research spans computational complexity and its applications, most recently to micro-economic theory.

Annie Antón will become chair of the School of Interactive Computing on July 1. She is currently a professor of computer science at North Carolina State University.

Antón earned three computing degrees from Georgia Tech, completing her bachelor’s in 1990, master’s in 1992 and PhD in 1997.

Her current research focuses on the specification of complete, correct behavior of software systems that must comply with privacy and security regulations. She is founder and director of ThePrivacyPlace.org.

“The School of Interactive Computing –– the only school of its kind in the nation –– is a unique resource for Georgia Tech and the country,” Antón said. “I am honored to return to ‘Ma Tech’ and to partner with Dean Galil and the entire Tech community in aspiring to and achieving new levels of excellence.”

James “Jim” O’Connor, who has served as interim vice president and chief information officer for the past 18 months, has been tapped to lead the Institute’s OIT on a permanent basis.

As vice president, O’Connor will oversee the services, initiatives and policies originating from the seven directorates — including information security, academic and research technologies, telecommunications, architecture and infrastructure, resource management, information technology services and enterprise information systems — that comprise OIT.

“Over the past 17 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many exceptional colleagues, both within OIT and across the Institute,” O’Connor said. “I look forward to continuing those partnerships to provide our campus with technologies that foster education, scholarship, research, administration, communications and community.”