The director of Harvard's Administrative Data Project (ADP) has been named to the newly-created position of assistant provost and executive director for information systems, Provost Albert Carnesale announced this month.

Anne Marguiles, who assumed her new post on Jan. 1, will now be responsible for supervising both the ADP and the Office for Information Technology.

"By making an appointment like this, it underscores how important the success of these initiatives is to the future of Harvard," said Director of Public Affairs Alex Huppe.

The ADP, created in response to the increasing need for technology in administration at Harvard, is a University-wide initiative to integrate and streamline administrative processes.

OIT, which is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the information technology infrastructure at Harvard, provides support to the University's faculty, administrators and departments.

The creation of the new position is part of the centralization of information technology bodies across the University.

The restructuring is intended to "promote a cohesive approach to [information technology] activities across the various departments of the central administration," President Neil L. Rudenstine wrote in a memo outlining the reorganization in November.

"The creation of this new position signifies the increasingly important role that information technology plays at Harvard and the need to better coordinate the resources in the center in order to better complement the resources of the Schools," Marguiles told the Harvard Gazette.

Since 1993, Marguiles has served as the director of the ADP and has also been the deputy administrator in the Office of the Vice President for Administration, working on strategic planning, budget preparation and analysis and other special projects.

Prior to heading the ADP, Marguiles had been associate director of OIT, leading the planning and support division, managing human resources and administration services and conducting University-wide assessments of information technology needs.

Marguiles first arrived at Harvard in 1985 to help plan and install the Harvard University Data Network