UPDATED 10:49 p.m.

Anne H. Margulies, the State of Massachusetts' head information technology officer, will return to Harvard in early September to assume the post of Chief Information Officer, the University announced Monday.

Currently the assistant secretary for information technology and the Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Margulies will be returning to Harvard already equipped with extensive knowledge of the University's information technology services.

Margulies first joined Harvard in 1986 to oversee the construction of the University’s telephone and data communications network, a project that involved the rewiring of more than 200 buildings over the course of five years. When appointed to the newly created position of assistant provost and executive director for information systems in 1995, Margulies restructured the Office of Information Technology into the University Information Systems department in response to financial issues and concerns regarding the level of service provided by the OIT.

A significant element of Margulies' new role as CIO is to facilitate the integration of University Information Systems commodity services with Faculty of Arts and Sciences information technology, "in the spirit of collaboration and challenging financial times," according to the UIS website.

“This is a critical piece of our effort to better organize and utilize University resources and create efficiencies across campus,” University Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp told The Harvard Gazette. “These two IT departments have developed separately over time, and it only makes sense to ensure that they are working in concert.”

With more than 30 years of experience in information technology, administrative leadership, and strategic planning under her belt, Margulies will be filling the vacancy left by Daniel D. Moriarty, who resigned in late 2009 and did not provide a reason for the move at the time. His deputy, Susan Walsh, who is also head of UIS, has served the interim position since Moriarty's departure.

"From my discussions with many faculty and senior leaders across Harvard, it is clear that the University is ready to chart a new course for its own IT future," Margulies told the Gazette. "I am very excited about the opportunity to work with faculty, students, and staff to formulate an innovative vision for IT that is right for Harvard, and to make it a reality."

In 1998, Margulies left her position at Harvard to become the executive vice president for McDermott/O’Neill and Associates, a public relations and strategic communications firm in Boston. She then became the first executive director of the OpenCourseWare initiative, a web-based publication of MIT course content in 2002, before assuming her current post with the state.

"She was able to unify a large, scattered IT staff, and helped them create a single community, articulate a vision, and plan concrete steps to achieve it," wrote Linda Hamel, general council and colleague of Margulies, in an e-mailed statement to The Crimson. She’s a very bright person with a strong work ethic and a laser sharp view of large, complex organizations. I’ll miss her sense of humor!"

Noah S. Selsby, FAS senior client technology advisor, said that he is excited about the news of Margulies' appointment and looks forward to working with her.

"I was privileged to be able to meet her during the search process and was very impressed with her previous accomplishments at MIT and the Commonwealth, as well as her knowledge of Harvard," Selsby said. "I’m very confident that she is the right choice for such a complex position."

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.