MCNC names Tracy Doaks president and CEO

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (June 17, 2020) – MCNC today announced that Tracy Doaks will assume the role of president and CEO in August, providing new leadership and guidance for the growing non-profit focused on delivering high-performance Internet and networking, cloud services, cybersecurity, and other essential technologies for a diverse set of clients and communities throughout North Carolina.

Doaks replaces Jean Davis, who announced in December that she was stepping down to help care for her elderly parents, but has remained on staff to help provide a smooth transition for her successor.

"The history of MCNC is one of leadership and innovation, and we are fortunate that its critical role in connecting education, health care, public safety and more, especially in these challenging times, attracted a leader like Tracy. Her proven expertise will lead MCNC toward a dynamic future," said Dr. A. Hope Williams, chair of the MCNC Board of Directors and president of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU). "On behalf of the MCNC Board of Directors, the MCNC Advisory Council, our staff and the search committee, I want to thank Jean Davis for her dedicated leadership and I am excited to welcome Tracy as we usher in a new era for MCNC and for North Carolina."

As state chief information officer and secretary for the N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT), Doaks currently leads the agency and is responsible for all IT procurement, state cybersecurity, operational services, broadband infrastructure, solutions division, data analytics center, the N.C. 911 Board, and strategic IT planning. She joined NCDIT in November 2015 and served as chief deputy state CIO and chief services officer until her appointment as state CIO earlier this year after replacing Eric Boyette, who stepped down to take a new position as secretary of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Prior to joining NCDIT, Doaks worked for Duke Medicine, where she served as the senior director of Service Delivery. She also held previous roles as assistant secretary of IT and CIO for the N.C. Department of Revenue as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Accenture. She also has served on a number of non-profit boards and committees throughout the state and was chair of the MCNC Advisory Council.

“I have had the privilege to work with a talented and dedicated team at NCDIT the past four-and-a-half years and help improve the lives of North Carolinians through technology. As a member of the MCNC advisory council, I know the great work this organization does, and I am excited to join this team,” said Doaks. “I want to thank Jean for her incredible leadership and vision to grow MCNC into what it has become today. She has done a magnificent job, and I appreciate her support and guidance during this time of transition."

In six years, Jean Davis has led the organization to a number of key accomplishments that support the important mission of leveraging MCNC’s vast, broadband infrastructure to create unprecedented opportunity for North Carolinians. These included the expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) to more than 4,000 miles through 87 counties in North Carolina; growing connections to 850 endpoints including schools, community colleges, universities campuses, libraries, hospitals and public safety institutions; collaborating with major telecom and technology firms to leverage MCNC’s open access fiber network for connectivity in rural areas of the state; launching a new suite of cybersecurity tools and managed services; and establishing a direct connection to commercial clouds via Internet2 cloud infrastructure.

Doaks will become the ninth CEO in this history of the organization since 1983.

She officially will begin her tenure at MCNC on Aug. 1.

Download the press release below.