PHILADELPHIA -- Thomas H. Murphy has been named vice president for information technology and university chief information officer at the University of Pennsylvania, effective Feb. 25. 

The announcement was made by Penn Provost Vincent Price and Executive Vice President Craig R. Carnaroli.

Murphy is currently chief information officer of DaVita HealthCare Partners, where he is responsible for all information technology supporting the company’s business and clinical operations.  He was previously senior vice president and chief information officer of AmerisourceBergen, an $80 billion provider of pharmaceuticals and health-care services.  He has been a leader in information technology across multiple industries as chief information officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Bristol Hotels & Resorts, the Cendant Corporation and Omni Hotels. 

His accomplishments include a $500 million Business Transformation Program and new Innovation and Collaboration Lab at AmerisourceBergen, a $300 million global redesign of mission-critical systems at Royal Caribbean Cruises and a comprehensive six-year IT strategic plan at Omni Hotels. 

He was elected to the CIO Hall of Fame in 2010 and named one of the Best CIOs in America in 2010 by Business Trends Quarterly, a Top CIO of 2011 by SmartCEO Magazine, one of the Premier 100 IT Leaders of 2002 by ComputerWorld and one of the top 100 Innovators of 2001 by CIO Magazine. 

“We are delighted to bring to Penn an experienced and dynamic leader in information technologies,” Price said.  “Tom Murphy has an exciting track record of guiding complex, decentralized organizations; implementing new ideas; and forging a wide range of creative collaborations.  He will be a wonderful partner in advancing Penn’s deep-rooted spirit of technological innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.” 

“Penn is a dynamic institution and campus,” Carnaroli said. “Our success depends on a strong systems infrastructure, innovative practices and outstanding leadership. With Tom Murphy, Penn is gaining a professional of vast talent in all of these disciplines.”

Murphy earned a B.A. in English from the University of Richmond in 1984. 

He succeeds Robin Beck, who is retiring from Penn after serving as vice president of information systems and computing since 2001.  She has agreed to extend her tenure at Penn to the end of February to support the transition.