Administrator Spotlight: Johan Starr

Director for Technology Development & Lead Solutions Architect

Tell us the story of how you came to work at NYU Law. Were you always in your current position?

Not much of an interesting story here. I was living in Florida after having just moved back from Thailand—I was there for 15 years—and knew that I wanted to be back up in the Northeast. I’d lived and worked in New York City before and knew I wanted to be back in higher education. I was fortunate to come across an opening for an instructional technologist at NYU Law that really spoke to my previous experiences both as an educator in higher education and a techie in the commercial space.

I love working with people and technology, especially in a university environment where learning is the business. It’s been a wonderful experience working together with faculty. I’ve been quite surprised that though law is not the first discipline that comes to mind when I think “tech”, our law school is quite unique within the University for its services and capabilities. My primary job is no longer as an instructional tech—I now oversee the bulk of the applications and systems we use at the school. I still maintain my relationships with the faculty and staff and jump at any opportunity to engage with them.

What’s a typical day for you like?

I’m not sure there is a typical day—which keeps everything interesting. I’m on or chair a number of University technology committees, which keeps my calendar filled with meetings. I also manage a team of talented developers who work hard to maintain our current services while striving to migrate our legacy solutions to “modern” equivalents. More on this in the next question.

After getting through the meetings and status updates, I typically tackle a number of projects that range from programming to project management to faculty support. As most IT people will attest, I often continue my work in the late hours of the night. This is most due to my own enthusiasm for the object of my attention. I love technical challenges, and some of my biggest gains have been while others are sleeping.

What’s the most challenging thing about what you do? And what’s the most rewarding?

Dealing with legacy solutions is by far the most challenging, as the people and teams who originally developed them have long since gone from the school. Not only are there the technical challenges of migrating those services to more modern—and secure—alternatives, but dealing with the human factor of removing systems that people have gotten used to over the past decade—or longer—is often the more difficult of the two. Luckily, my previous experience as an instructional tech and in previous jobs I had throughout my life allows me to approach these communities with a degree of empathy and understanding. Ironically, the most challenging aspects are also the most rewarding when successfully executed. Building solutions that help others do their job more efficiently, effectively, and enjoyably is a wonderful reward.

What do you wish you’d known about the Law School on your first day of working here?

I tried to be thorough when applying and ask a ton of questions during the interview process. There haven’t been any major surprises in terms of technology, culture, or pace of the work. Again, I credit my diverse work history in preparing me for this role along with some really fantastic people at NYU Law—not only within the IT department but those throughout the school at every level. To my earlier answer regarding being in the business of learning, every project, challenge, and even crisis have been opportunities to learn. Perhaps that is what I wish I’d known—not about the technologies I would engage with and learn about, but all the other facets of legal education I would learn about and how that would shape my understanding of events happening in the world around us.

What is your favorite spot on campus, and why?

I was tempted to say anywhere outside where I can see the sky. My office is in the basement with only the suggestion of light ever reaching my eyes. But in fact [my favorite places on campus are] other people’s offices, for several reasons. First, it’s fun to get out of my office and explore the school. Second, it means I get to connect with people “in real life” versus the more common interactions over Zoom or email. And lastly, because of the organic conversations that come about and stories that we share. There’s always a good mix of shop talk coupled with getting to know the people I work with. I’m extremely lucky to have found a work environment that makes my day better regardless of the job responsibilities and daily stresses.

Posted February 28, 2025. Photo: Aragon.ai