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Goshen College names Raj Biyani inaugural Chief Innovation Officer
In the newly created role, he will lead institution-wide AI strategy
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 17, Apr 2026
- 17:39 EDT
- 31
Raj Biyani / LinkedIn/ Raj Biyani
Goshen College appointed Raj Biyani as its first chief innovation officer, creating a new leadership role focused on shaping how artificial intelligence is integrated into higher education.
The Indiana-based liberal arts institution said the move reflects a broader push to align AI adoption with human-centered decision-making and responsible use.
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Biyani, a former executive at Microsoft with more than 30 years of experience in technology and artificial intelligence, returns to his alma mater to lead the effort.
“Raj brings strategic clarity, entrepreneurial energy and humility in a rare combination. He listens first, generates trust, and brings out the best in others. We are fortunate to have him not only as an accomplished alumnus, but now as a colleague who will help shape our institutional strategy and advance innovation for Goshen College and our students,” said Rebecca Stoltzfus, president of Goshen College.
The college said the role is both strategic and personal as it positions itself to respond to the growing influence of AI across academic and administrative functions.
Since returning to campus for Homecoming 2025 to receive Goshen College’s Culture for Service Award, Biyani has been working with the institution in a volunteer capacity. The college said he has delivered guest lectures in more than 25 classes, engaged more than 100 regional business leaders, and designed a 12-part AI seminar for faculty and staff.
He has also helped launch the college’s AI Innovators Program, which has funded 45 projects across 14 academic departments and 10 administrative offices.
At Microsoft, Biyani served as managing director of Microsoft IT’s India operations, where he led a large-scale transformation that later became a case study at Harvard Business School, the Indian Institute of Management and Singapore Management University.
He also served as general manager of strategic initiatives reporting to the company’s chief information officer and was the founding product manager of what became the Microsoft App Store.
In addition to his corporate roles, Biyani co-authored To the Cloud: Cloud Powering an Enterprise (McGraw Hill, 2012), co-produced a CNBC documentary on India’s IT industry, and holds multiple U.S. patents.
“At Goshen College, we are not limiting ourselves by just asking what AI can do, but rather what we should do with it and why. I am excited to contribute to this mission because those are questions worth dedicating the next chapter of my life to,” Biyani said.
Biyani graduated from Goshen College in 1992. He later earned an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
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