Cheri Polenske is Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the Nebraska State College System, where she provides strategic, tactical, and operational technology leadership across the System Office and works closely with campus CIOs and institutional leaders across Chadron State, Peru State, and Wayne State.
Her career spans more than three decades in Nebraska public higher education. Before joining NSCS, she held senior technology leadership roles with the University of Nebraska, including Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Services and leadership positions supporting student information systems. She is also active in encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in technology through organizations such as Girls Code Lincoln.
Cheri brings a systemwide perspective to KANE, representing the technology priorities and shared challenges of Nebraska’s state colleges. Her experience coordinating across multiple institutions strengthens KANE’s work around collaboration, governance, enterprise technology, and shared problem solving.
Explore the leaders, members, alumni, employees, volunteers, founders, and executive champions who make KANE work.
KANE is a higher education technology consortium rooted in Kansas and Nebraska and open to broader collaboration. We connect institutions and technology leaders to share expertise, strengthen cybersecurity, develop people, and create more value together.
© 2026 KANE Consortium. All rights reserved.
