Data Governance & Strategy Council
Montana State University (MSU) relies on data across every aspect of its mission. As data increasingly span organizational units, systems, and business processes, the University needs a shared structure for making decisions about how data are defined, governed, protected, prioritized, and used. The Data Governance & Strategy Council provides that institutional structure by bringing together leaders from across MSU to establish shared direction, resolve cross-functional data challenges, and ensure that trusted and responsibly managed data support effective decision-making and the University’s strategic priorities.
Montana State University-Bozeman launched a Data Governance & Strategy Council (DGSC) effective July 2026 to advance our data governance strategy. The DGSC works in conjunction with Enterprise Data Governance efforts across all four Montana State University campuses.
Meetings are held at 11:00 am on the second Monday of the month. Contact Luke.Schalewski@montana.edu to join council meetings, which are held remotely.
Areas of Responsibility
- Advance a culture where data are understood as an asset, valued, secure, and used.
- Sets priorities for data governance and analytics strategy, aligned with institutional information needs and goals.
- Review and approve data governance policies and processes (i.e. data classification, permission and access, data dictionary).
- Inform the prioritization and development of Edify Institutional Data Warehouse.
- Work to apply new or refined business processes for data quality and reporting.
- Inform the prioritization and development of a 3-year Data Roadmap following Edify implementation.
- Champion data governance and data use to their areas.
- Reconcile data conflicts and achieve consensus on use of information system data fields.
Membership
|
Name
|
Position
|
|---|---|
| Luke Schalewski (Chair) | Chief Data Officer |
| Ryan Knutson | Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer |
| Mary Kate Blake | Associate Chief Data Officer |
| John Williams | Chief Information Security Officer |
| Justin van Almelo | Associate Chief Information Officer |
| Tracy Dougher | Vice Provost Curriculum, Assessment, and Accreditation |
| Sara Mannheimer & Elizabeth Jonson | Faculty Representatives appointed by Faculty Senate |
| See Data Stewards | Data Stewards appointed by Executive Sponsors |
Roles and Responsibilities
Members have detailed roles and responsibilities outlined in the Data Governance & Strategy Council (DGSC). The four primary roles linked to data domains are described here with key responsibilities for data governance and strategy.
- Executive Sponsor (Strategic Oversight): Provides strategic leadership for the data domain, ensures alignment with institutional priorities, and champions effective and responsible use of data across the university.
- Data Steward (Decision Authority): Holds primary decision-making authority for data policies, standards, governance practices, and analytics prioritization within the data subdomain. Appointed by Executive Sponsors.
-
Data Custodian (Implementation Governance): Implements governance practices, manages data definitions and quality, maintains data within operational systems and performs day-to-day data management activities.
- IT Lead (Technical Configuration and Advisory Role): Provides technical guidance on system configuration and implications. Advises Data Custodians and Data Stewards on technical setup, tests viability, and recommends alternatives that support effective data use and system functionality.