Dr. Joanne C. Peca, Assistant Teaching Professor and Coordinator for the Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations program at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, has worked in the field of information technology for over twenty-five years, in both hands-on and leadership roles. Since 2015, Dr. Peca has taught for Penn State University, sharing her industry experience with undergraduate and graduate students in both on-campus and online settings.

The majority of her career has been spent in the realm of higher education, with a focus on strategic organizational leadership. For a decade (2010-2019), Dr. Peca served as the Chief Information Officer for Penn State Altoona, capping her tenure at the college with recognition as the Pittsburgh Technology Council's 2019 Non-Profit CIO of the Year.

Throughout her career, Dr. Peca has focused on understanding the role of organizational dynamics and interpersonal relationships and their impact on the development and deployment of innovative technology solutions and services. This industry experience aligns with her research, which focuses on the intersection of organizational leadership and technology. She is also actively engaged with a number of service organizations which focus on diversity in STEM fields.

Dr. Peca is a graduate of the Yale School of Management’s Global Executive Leadership Program.  She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University, a Master of Science in Information Systems from Drexel University, a Master of Business Administration from Rider University, a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Penn State University, and a Professional Certificate in Strategic Decision and Risk Management from Stanford University.  Her undergraduate work was completed at the University of Pittsburgh and Rider University. 

She holds a number of certifications in information security (CISSP, CCISO, and CEH) and IT service management (ITIL 4 Managing Professional, ITIL 4 Strategic Leader, and ITIL v3 Expert).  She also holds a certification for online teaching from Penn State University and is a Board Certified Coach.  She earned her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth.