Washington State University is doubling down on its commitment to data-informed leadership with the appointment of Indian American data expert Reena Khosla as special assistant to the provost for data strategy.
Khosla, a seasoned veteran in higher education analytics, will navigate the university’s expansive data landscape to identify operational gaps and streamline how the institution uses information to drive academic and administrative decisions, according to a university release.
Her arrival comes at a pivotal time as universities nationwide pivot toward cloud-based architectures and advanced governance frameworks to manage student and institutional data.
Khosla’s journey to the Pacific Northwest is rooted in a robust academic and professional foundation that began in India. She earned her undergraduate degree in India before moving to the United States for advanced studies, eventually receiving a master’s degree in computer science from Virginia Tech. This blend of international perspective and technical rigor has defined her two-decade career in the American heartland and Mountain West.
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Before joining WSU, Khosla served as the director of the enterprise data warehouse at Kansas State University. There, she was credited with modernizing the institution’s data architecture and launching its first cloud-based data warehouse. Her work went beyond technical implementation; she focused on organizational realignment, ensuring that data served as a bridge between different campus departments rather than a barrier.
“I’m grateful for the journey that brought me here and I’m looking forward to learning, listening, and contributing to this next chapter,” Khosla said in a recent professional update regarding her transition to WSU. She noted her excitement to help the university “leverage data thoughtfully and strategically” across all its systems.
Khosla’s expertise is recognized well beyond the campus gates. She is a board member and secretary of Higher Education Data World and contributed as an expert panelist for the 2025 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, a prestigious publication that forecasts the future of data and analytics in the sector.
Her credentials include being a Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) and an alumna of the Harvard Management Development Program and the HERS Leadership Institute.
Her appointment also marks a professional reunion of sorts with another prominent Indian American leader at the university. She joins Raj Khosla, the recently appointed dean of WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS), who also joined the university from Kansas State.
Prior to her tenure in Kansas, Khosla spent 19 years at Colorado State University, building a reputation for collaborative leadership. At WSU, she is expected to apply that same relationship-driven approach to break down data silos and foster a culture where numbers tell a human story of student success and institutional growth.