Office of the President
NAU: 125 years of Elevating Excellence
For 125 years, we’ve learned, grown, explored, and cheered together. Generation after generation of proud Lumberjacks built and nurtured a rich legacy of academic excellence and a vibrant community. We celebrate our rich history and look ahead to a future of unlimited possibilities.
Northern Arizona University’s 17th president
President Dr. José Luis Cruz Rivera
President Cruz Rivera joined Northern Arizona University (NAU) in June 2021. In his first year, he led the development of the Elevating Excellence strategic roadmap in collaboration with university stakeholders. This bold vision for a “new NAU” has inspired transformative efforts to deliver postsecondary value, including broadening access to record numbers of Arizona students, implementing innovative admissions and financial aid practices, and launching statewide partnerships to boost attainment. Dr. Cruz Rivera also serves as a Professor of Electrical Engineering at NAU and currently teaches a freshman course on digital logic circuits.
Before joining NAU, Dr. Cruz Rivera was President of The City University of New York’s (CUNY) Herbert H. Lehman College (Bronx, NY) and Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost of the 25-college, 500,000-student CUNY system, the largest urban university in the world.
He previously served as Provost of California State University, Fullerton; Vice President of Higher Education Policy and Practice at The Education Trust in Washington, DC; and Chief Student Affairs Officer for the University of Puerto Rico system. His academic career began as a faculty member in engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, where he rose through the ranks to become Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Dean of Academic Affairs.
A nationally recognized advocate for accessible, affordable, quality education, Dr. Cruz Rivera is a frequent keynote speaker and writer on higher education issues. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and secured funding for his work from prominent organizations, including the National Science Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education. His efforts have been featured in outlets such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Monthly, and Univision.
Dr. Cruz Rivera serves on the National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), the Arizona Commerce Authority, and the steering committee of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. He has also served on numerous boards, including The Education Trust, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), The Data Quality Campaign, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), and the Postsecondary Value Commission.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Dr. Cruz Rivera is a patented inventor, published scholar, and National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, and his master’s and doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology, specializing in optical interconnections for ultracompact massively parallel processing systems.
President’s cabinet
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 vision of Elevating Excellence and to serve the students, communities, and people of Arizona and beyond.
| Steve Burrell | Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer |
| Ann Marie Chischilly | Vice President of Office of Native American and Indigenous Advancement (ONAIA) |
| Laurie Dickson | Vice President for University Strategy and Senior Associate to the President |
| Uri Farkas | Interim VP Intercollegiate Athletics |
| Bjorn Flugstad | Senior Vice President for University Operations and Chief Financial Officer |
| Jonathan S. Gagliardi | Vice President of Economic Mobility and Social Impact |
| Laura Jones | Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning, Institutional Research, and Analytics; Chief Data Officer |
| Nick Lobejko | Vice President of Advancement and Foundation; SEO NAU Foundation |
| Josh Mackey | Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer |
| Justin Mallett | Vice President for Inclusive Excellence |
| Jeffery McKay | Vice President of Capital Planning and Campus Operations |
| Julie Mueller | Chief Economic Advisor to the President |
| Anika Olsen | Vice President of Strategic Enrollment and Marketing |
| Kimberly Ott | Associate Vice President of Communications |
| Michelle Parker | Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel |
| Karen Pugliesi | Executive Vice President and University Provost |
| Brian Register | Chief of Staff |
| Margot Saltonstall | Vice President of Student Affairs |
| Jason Wilder | Vice President of Research |
| Katy Yanez | Interim Vice President, Government Affairs |
Presidential leadership and university governance
Presidential leadership and university governance provide the strategic direction and institutional oversight necessary to fulfill NAU’s mission and ensure accountability, transparency, and student-centered decision-making. Together, presidential leadership and university governance ensure NAU remains responsive to the needs of its students and community while maintaining excellence in teaching, research, and service.
Contact the President’s Office
To request a meeting or student interview, invite the president to attend an event, or make a general inquiry, please contact president@nau.edu or call 928-523-3232.