Connecting the Future: Susan Kaleita, Director of Strategic Partnerships and External Relations

There are so many ways that people can connect to the U of A, from supporting students in their careers to collaborative research projects. In this role, I get to think about all of it! That opportunity is what brought me here to InfoSci.

  
Since joining the College of Information Science in 2025, Susan Kaleita has helped shape the college’s connections to the world beyond campus. As the first to hold the role of director of strategic partnerships and external relations, she works closely with alumni, industry and community organizations that are, in her words, “vital for driving student career outcomes and enhancing the college’s reputation as a leader in information education and research.”

Learn more about Susan’s work and passions in this staff profile:

What brought you to the College of Information Science, and where did you work before joining the college?

I’ve been staff at the University of Arizona since 2009, and I’ve spent my career at the perimeter of the university, keeping alumni, donors, and corporate and community partners engaged at the U of A.

Before joining the College of Information Science, I was director of development in the College of Science. I’d been fundraising for five years before coming here. Fundraising is so fun, and I loved it—I got to work with the coolest people to help them invest their financial resources in the U of A for our students, faculty and programs.

But beyond just donating, there are so many other ways that people can be connected to the U of A, from supporting students in their careers to collaborative research projects. In this role, I get to think about all of it! That opportunity is what brought me here to InfoSci.

Tell us about your current work.

I work with alumni, industry and community organizations that are vital for driving student career outcomes and enhancing the college’s reputation as a leader in information education and research. My work includes outreach and relationship building, and also making sure we have a variety of opportunities in place for partnerships that help our college address big, real-world challenges and help our students gain in-demand skills, build their networks and open professional doors.

For example, one thing I’m working on right now is setting up industry-sponsored capstone projects. Sponsors provide project mentors, datasets and authentic challenges from their organization, and students work in teams to provide creative solutions while developing and demonstrating the technical and durable, human skills that will help them land jobs and internships.

We’re also working on celebrating those in our community who are shaping the future of information. I’m excited that this year, we are recognizing the inaugural InfoSci Alumni of the Year awardee. Stay tuned for the announcement!
 

Students, the U of A and InfoSci are full of incredible, super smart people—your fellow students, faculty, researchers, staff, alumni, industry and community partners. Get connected now, and then stay in touch. Your network holds value and will benefit you throughout your career!

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

What could be more fun than building relationships to create a powerful InfoSci network, and creating some systems to make the work efficient, rewarding and strategic for the college and our partners? Uncovering opportunity for mutually beneficial partnerships and then bringing it to life never fails to thrill.

What do you find challenging about your job, and how have you overcome those challenges?

My dream is for the InfoSci network to be palpable and powerful. One challenge we have is that InfoSci is a relatively new college. We have to work on making all alumni feel included and excited to be a part of what is now InfoSci, even if they graduated with degrees that used to be in different organizational structures. (PS: stop by our booth at the Homecoming tailgate and say hi!)

Another challenge is that not everyone immediately knows what “information science” is. But when I talk to industry and community partners about our areas of strength (like artificial intelligence and machine learning, immersive technologies, data visualization, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, virtual reality, natural language processing, archives and curation, and library science), they get excited about partnering. We work in such cutting-edge and interdisciplinary areas; most people can see how our work relates to theirs.
 

Beyond your job, what are your passions?

My husband and I have a truck camper, and I love camping around our beautiful state of Arizona and on the beach in California!

I also like creative reuse crafts, especially papercraft using discarded newspaper. 

What is your advice for students to find success at the College of Information Science and the University of Arizona?

Build your network while you’re here. The University of Arizona and InfoSci are full of incredible, super smart people—your fellow students, faculty, researchers, staff, alumni, industry and community partners. Get connected now, and then stay in touch. Your network holds value and will benefit you throughout your career!

Also, don’t be afraid to try something new or different. Take a class that seems to have nothing to do with your career aspirations, go to a talk about a wildly different topic than you’re normally interested in, or try out different clubs. It gets harder to do these kinds of things once you’re out of school, so take advantage of the opportunities now! Who knows what they could lead to?

What does the InfoSci experience mean to you?

It means that you’re part of an incredible community! The more you put into the experience, the more you’ll get out of it.
  

Learn more about College of Information Science Alumni and Industry Partnerships, or explore ways you can support the dynamic, student-invested staff of the College of Information Science.