Jeffrey L. Brewer is an associate professor and associate head for the Department of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue University. He is also the director of the Information Technology Project Management master of science degree, which is an online professional degree offered through ProSTAR and the College of Technology.
Brewer’s research is conducted in the TeleHealth Discovery Lab he created and directs, working on technology which aids healthcare professionals in delivering health-related services and information to patients remotely using telecommunications technologies. He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). As a charter member and steering committee member with the special interest group for IT education (SIGITE) of the ACM, Brewer worked on the initial committee to define the national accreditation standards for undergraduate IT programs administered through ABET. This group was also responsible for establishing a model of student learning outcomes for all IT programs to emulate.
Brewer has made many contributions to the undergraduate IT curriculum in the areas of systems analysis and design and project management including course creation and design and course assessments. One of his key responsibilities as associate department head is as the director of undergraduate education, making sure students have the best experience possible while at Purdue to help them find success in their chosen professions. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer technology from Purdue in 1982 and his master's degree in management information systems from the Univesity of Missouri in 1995.
Prior to returning to Purdue University as a professor, Brewer spent 19 years as an IT professional in various industry segments including: manufacturing, healthcare, and large commercial real-estate management. He began his career as a systems analyst, then moved up into project management roles, and finally into senior management as a chief information officer (CIO). He achieved Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications in 2002. The PMP certification is the most recognized and valued credential around the world in project management. With the help of a colleague, he wrote a college textbook on the subject of managing IT projects, which is used at 38 other universities in addition to Purdue.