Presidential leadership and university governance

Following President Cruz Rivera’s leadership and boundless support, NAU works tirelessly to realize the goals of our Elevating Excellence strategic roadmap.

Pursuing these goals, the Office of the President builds on NAU’s unique perspective and experience—through the voices of the presidential cabinet, our advisory boards, and governing organizations across the university. In deep partnership, these groups uphold and extend our vision as a national leader in equitable higher education.

President’s cabinet

Sunflowers bloom in front of the Union center.

The President’s Cabinet is comprised of the leaders of President Cruz Rivera’s strategic, operational, and advisory leadership team. This team advances, leads, and coordinates broad efforts across NAU’s academic and administrative departments to meet the university’s vision and mission.

Advisory groups

University Advisory Board

The University Advisory Board (UAB) is comprised of the president’s cabinet; the heads of NAU’s governance groups for faculty, staff, and students; and delegates from academic affairs and the diversity commissions. Through its broad representation, UAB seeks to bring greater coherence and transparency to the operations, decision frameworks, actions, and strategic contexts of the university’s cabinet units, governance organizations, and representative groups.

José Luis Cruz Rivera	President
Nick Lobejko	Vice President of Advancement & Foundation; CEO NAU Foundation
Katy Yanez	Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Relations
Josh Mackey	Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Jonathan Gagliardi	Vice President for Economic Mobility and Social Impact
Anika Olsen	Vice President for Enrollment Management
Justin Mallett	Vice President for Inclusive Excellence
Mike Marlow	Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
Michelle Parker	Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel
Ann Marie Chischilly	Vice President for Native American Initiatives
Jason Wilder	Vice President for Research
Margot Saltonstall	Vice President for Student Affairs
Steve Burrell	Vice President for Technology and Chief Information Officer
Laurie Dickson	Vice President for University Strategy and Senior Associate to the President
Jennifer Lee	GSG President
Cathryn Ellis	Faculty Senate President and Professor of Theatre
Bjorn Flugstad	Senior Vice President for University Operations and Chief Financial Officer
Roger J. Haro	Deans’ Council; Dean, College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
Laura Jones	Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning, Institutional Research, and Analytics and Chief Data Officer
Karli VanderMeersch	ASNAU President
Sarah Negovan	Staff Advisory Council President and Manager, Admissions
Julie M. Mueller	President’s Representative; Chief Economic Advisor to the President Professor, W.A. Franke College of Business
Erik Nielsen	Chief Sustainability Officer; Associate Professor, School of Earth and Sustainability
Kim Ott	Associate Vice President for Communications and Media Relations
Karen Pugliesi	Executive Vice President and University Provost
Brian Register	Chief of Staff
Oaklee Rogers	Academic Assembly and Assistant Dean for the Phoenix Bioscience Core
Harlan Teller	Chief Marketing Officer

Members semi-regularly rotate in and out of the University Advisory Board

University Budget Advisory Board

The University Budget Advisory Board (UBAB) is a representative advisory board providing input and recommendations to the president to guide prioritization and funding of university initiatives while empowering operational excellence through the budget process.

Bjorn Flugstad	Chair; Senior Vice President for University Operations and Chief Financial Officer
Megan Cunningham	Vice Chair; University Budget Director
Blue Brazelton	Faculty Representative; Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership
Tarang Jain (TJ)	Faculty Representative; Associate Professor, Physical Therapy & Athletic Training; Faculty Senate Vice President
Jacob Carter	ASNAU Representative
Diamond Price-Tellez	GSG Representative
Brenna Duke	Staff Representative; Activities and Programs Coordinator, Senior, NAU Athletics
Stephanie Del Giorgio	Staff Representative; Program Manager, Student Life
Janina Johnson	Provost’s Representative; Dean, College of Nursing
Julie Mueller	President’s Representative; Chief Economic Advisor to the President and Professor, Economics
Laurie Dickson	Vice President for University Strategy and Senior Associate to the President

University Strategic Roadmap Advisory Board

The University Strategic Planning Advisory Board (USPAB) is a representative advisory board charged by the NAU President to advise and support institutional strategic planning processes, monitor the implementation and assessment of the Strategic Roadmap, and facilitate the continuous evolution of the Strategic Roadmap itself.

K. Laurie Dickson	Chair; Vice President for University Strategy and Senior Associate to the President
T. Noecker	Vice Chair; Institutional Analytics and Strategic Planning Director
Julie M. Mueller	President’s Representative; Chief Economic Advisor to the President Professor, W.A. Franke College of Business
Deedee Pérez-Granados	Provost’s Representative; Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Catherine (Kitty) Gehring	Faculty Representative; Regents and Lucking Family Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Co-Director, Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes
Tarang Jain (TJ)	Faculty Representative; Associate Professor, Physical Therapy & Athletic Training; Faculty Senate Vice President
Theresa Rogers	Staff Representative; Director, Academic Affairs Business Analyst; Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Voting Member
Bekka Alvarado	Staff Representative; Assistant Director, Campus Living; Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Voting Member
Karli VanderMeersch	ASNAU Representative; ASNAU President
Jen Lee	GSG Representative