LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Trust announced the appointment of Richard Fagen as Vice President, Computing and Digital Initiatives.

Mr. Fagen has served as Chief Information Officer at the California Institute of Technology since 2005, where he is responsible for the development of the university’s information technology strategy and implementation. He was also with Caltech from 1984 to 1999, serving as Director, Information Technology Services.

From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Fagen was Vice President and Managing Director of Idealab, where he managed information technology infrastructure, and coordinated technology transfer opportunities with research universities. He began his career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he served as Manager, User Services from 1979 to 1984.

Mr. Fagen received a B.A in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1979.

Reporting to Getty President and CEO James Cuno, Mr. Fagen will be responsible for working collaboratively with the Getty’s four programs to realign and manage technology-related operations currently dispersed across the Getty into an integrated structure that will enhance the Getty’s research, education, and physical and virtual visitor experiences.

“I’m delighted to welcome Rich to the Getty. We have long been a leader at the intersection of digital technology and the visual arts. But with our enhanced ambition and new, ever more sophisticated opportunities worldwide, we are pleased that Rich has agreed to join us as the Getty’s first-ever Vice President of Computing and Digital Initiatives,” said Cuno.

“I look forward to building on the solid work accomplished by the Getty’s digital team, and working with them to ensure that the Getty is at the forefront when it comes to the use of digital technology to maximize access to the Getty’s collections and vast research,” said Fagen, who will begin work at the Getty at the beginning of October.