(COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Nov. 13, 2019) - - - Columbia State Community College associate professor of computer information technology, Deepa Janakiraman, recently accepted a dual role position as the program director for computer information technology and the director of CITC partnerships, and is making waves for students inside and outside of the classroom.

Janakiraman is currently working on curriculum enhancements, a cybersecurity technical certificate option and a data science concentration in the Associate of Applied Science degree for computer information technology. In addition, she advises students, organizes field trips, coordinates guest speakers, establishes internship opportunities, builds industry relationships and works with students to help them achieve their career goals. She has developed strong relationships with industry partners such as Acadia Healthcare, Audi Dealership, CJC Technologies, CISCO, CSpire, Jackson, NISSAN and Tractor Supply Company.  

“Guest speaker sessions in our CITC classes are very informative and inspiring to our students,” Janakiraman said. “Speakers cover course-specific topics or focus on their personal work experience, general technology or leadership-skills.” 

Janakiraman organizes a yearly IT Career Exploration event to create a platform for students to network with prospective IT employers. This event has paved the way for several internship opportunities with Acadia Healthcare, CSpire and other companies.

“It is activities like this that create learning experiences for students to understand their career choices and build their skill sets,” Janakiraman said.  

In addition, Janakiraman has been instrumental in establishing a capstone program in partnership with TSC for Columbia State students. Through the program, students earn course credit while gaining hands-on workplace experience in the emerging technologies field. Her work in developing an apprenticeship program with TSC resulted in a 2019 Innovation of the Year Award by the The League of the Innovation in the Community College. She was also recognized by the Williamson Business Leadership Awards with the Educational Leadership Award for 2018. Currently, she is spearheading a committee to develop a competency-based education program for the CITC program. 

Janakiraman moved to the United States in 2004 after completing her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in her home country, India. When she arrived in the U.S., she worked as a database administrator for a healthcare firm before attending Middle Tennessee State University to earn a master’s degree in computer science in 2007. After earning her master’s degree, she returned to the industry for a couple years before joining the Columbia State family. Janakiraman resides in Williamson County with her son, daughter and husband.

Photo Caption: Deepa Janakiraman, Columbia State associate professor and program director for computer information technology