WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Luke Pitchford, a 1999 graduate of Mtn. Home High School in Mtn. Home, Arkansas, has been hired as the new director of information technology services at Missouri State University-West Plains.

Pitchford comes to Missouri State-West Plains after serving as manager of network quality at Windstream Communications in Little Rock, Arkansas, a post he has held since April 2013.  Prior to that, he was the company’s manager of data network operations implementation from December 2011 to April 2013, supervisor of data network operations from November 2010 to December 2011, and network analyst from November 2007 to November 2010.  From November 2004 to June 2007, he worked as a geographic information systems supervisor for North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Inc. in Salem, Ark.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 2003 and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in 2010.  He also earned ITIL® Foundation Certification in IT Service Management in 2013.

Pitchford will oversee all operations of the campus’ information technology services department.  His first day on the job was Dec. 2.