UC Tech News is excited to launch the UC Tech Leaders Q&A Series in 2026—a series designed to spotlight the voices shaping technology across UC.
What is Your Name?
Bill Freire
What is Your Title? UC Location?
Assistant Director IT Shared Services, UCPath
What Are Your Top IT/Security Priorities in 2026?
- Enhance the UCPath user experience and optimize service delivery
- Strengthen UCPath security
- Responsibly leverage AI and automation to improve efficiency and add business value
- Continue to invest in employee skill development and build high-performing teams
What Emerging Tech Excites You for Higher Ed?
AI is a transformational technology that has untapped potential to enhance learning, support teaching, accelerate research, and improve business operations. AI is truly a game changer, and there are many examples within the University of California and throughout organizations around the world that showcase how powerful AI can be if used in a responsible way. I am already experiencing the benefits of effectively using AI-based tools to learn more each day, improve my efficiency, and add more value. I also see how people on my team are leveraging AI to elevate their performance and help others reduce manual work so they can focus on more value-added activities.
What Emerging Tech Worries You?
AI used in malicious ways. Bad actors can use AI to rapidly inflict damage on critical infrastructure and applications. It is extremely important that organizations have a multi-layered approach to protect critical information and systems, including using AI to automate detection and response to potential security incidents.
How Do You Balance Innovation with Security?
Balancing innovation and security is very important to mitigate risks while still delivering new capabilities to meet customer needs. It is vital to engage all key stakeholders, including information security teams, at the outset of an initiative. This early engagement provides an opportunity to ensure goals are understood, innovation and security trade-offs are considered, security is built into the design, and alignment across the teams is achieved.
What Principles/Values Shape Your Leadership?
I believe the people on our teams are crucial to the success of the organization. As a leader, I focus on creating an environment where the team can be successful. This includes clearly communicating goals and expectations, empowering individuals, enforcing accountability, being supportive, and challenging the team to excel beyond what they think is possible.
What Books Are You Currently Reading?
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight It is a great story about an incredible journey from a big idea to creating the iconic company Nike.
What’s Your Favorite Thing to Do Outside of Work?
My favorite thing to do outside of work is spend time with my wife, two daughters and son. Whether it is hosting family gatherings, attending school functions, coaching my son’s baseball team, or watching my daughters cheer or dance, I enjoy seeing them grow and experience life.
Anything Else to Add?
I have truly enjoyed working for the University of California for over 23 years. I have had the opportunity to work at UC Riverside and the Office of the President, both of which have given me different perspectives. It has been a fulfilling experience to collaborate with so many talented people as we strive to deliver on the mission of the University.
Thank you for the conversation, Bill!
Bill Freire was nominated as a UC Tech Leader by Suzie Mendoza, Product Manager, UC Office of the President, who said:
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Bill on two key projects that have significantly shaped how we deliver business services to our community. The first was the redesign of the UCPath portal in July 2025, and the second was bringing PathPal—the chatbot within the UCPath system—to life. Across both efforts, Bill demonstrated an exceptional ability to navigate complex challenges and keep progress moving forward. He leads with respect, fosters collaboration, and consistently finds solutions even when facing multiple obstacles at once.
What stands out most is the reliability and support he brings to every project. His steady leadership and problem-solving mindset have made a meaningful difference in how we serve our users, and his contributions exemplify the spirit of UC Tech through innovation, service, and teamwork.”
Bill Freire
Assistant Director, Technology Delivery
UCPath
Tech Leader Spotlights
UC Tech News is excited to launch the UC Tech Leaders Q&A Series in 2026—designed to spotlight the voices shaping technology across UC. The UC tech community values hearing directly from its leaders, and this series aims to be both inspiring and informative.
Are you a tech leader at UC? We’d love to hear from you! To participate, please complete the short Q&A form and please include a photo.
