McChord named Outstanding Alumnus

RIT is honoring Austin McChord as Outstanding Alumnus for 2022-2023. The award, presented during Academic Convocation on May 12, is the highest honor the university can bestow upon alumni in recognition of professional accomplishments as well as service and generosity to the university.

McChord ’09 is the founder of Datto, a leading provider of IT solutions delivered through managed service providers. He launched the company in 2007 from a basement in Norwalk, Conn., with the mission to bring best-in-class data protection solutions to underserved small- and medium-sized businesses.

McChord served as Datto’s chief executive officer for more than 10 years. He continues to invest in and advise other technology growth companies and to invent and experiment in his lab in Norwalk.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award and be recognized by the university,” he said. “Being able to give back to the university and community as a whole has been incredibly rewarding. I hope that in receiving this award I can inspire others to give back as well.”

McChord, who gave $50 million to RIT in 2017, is a trustee and was the 2017 RIT commencement speaker. The donation was the largest ever made to the university and part of a continuing $1 billion blended fundraising campaign, titled Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness.

In 2020, McChord became the CEO of Casana, a healthcare technology startup with a mission to transform care management for patients with chronic conditions. Casana was founded by Nicholas Conn, ’11, ’13 MS, ’16 Ph.D. (microsystems engineering).

“Austin embodies the creative and innovative spirit that characterizes RIT,” said RIT President David Munson. “We are thrilled to present this award to someone who has been a source of inspiration for so many in our university community.”