Glen Nakata selected as vice chancellor for financial and administrative affairs at Purdue Fort Wayne

FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Purdue University Fort Wayne announced Monday that Glen Nakata has been chosen as its new vice chancellor for financial and administrative affairs. This is the culmination of a national search to identify an individual who not only possesses the type of experience the university is seeking to strengthen an essential facet of its operations, but also a clear understanding of Purdue Fort Wayne’s strategic plan and why this position is so important to the success of each of its initiatives. Nakata’s official start date is Aug. 1.

Nakata comes to Purdue Fort Wayne from the University of North Texas where he just concluded his fourth year as assistant dean for finance and administration for the College of Education. Before that, he served his alma mater, the University of Southern California, for most of a decade in roles that included senior business officer for administrative operations and director of finance and accounting for auxiliary services.

During his time in higher education, Nakata has worked to build partnerships among key stakeholders while encouraging a collaborative environment, which has enabled him to work closely with students, faculty, and staff to help them meet their goals. At USC, Nakata had financial oversight of the bookstores, housing, dining services, parking services, a hotel, and administrative operations.

“This position is of critical importance to us, and we were very fortunate to have had a deep and talented applicant pool to choose from,” said Ronald L. Elsenbaumer, chancellor, Purdue University Fort Wayne. “With the assistance of a strong internal committee, chaired by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Carl Drummond, and the executive search firm Isaacson Miller, our university has identified a leader in Glen who can help us take big steps forward as we enter the post-pandemic era.”

According to Elsenbaumer, Nakata’s experience prior to transitioning to higher education would have also made him a strong contender for Purdue Fort Wayne’s open vice chancellor position. Additional highlights of his professional journey include leadership roles such as chief financial officer for the Japanese American National Museum; chief financial officer and national director of finance and strategic planning for the Screen Actors Guild; manager of strategic planning and development for Warner Bros. Studios and manager of sales planning for Warner Home Video; director of finance for Columba Tristar Home Video of Sony Pictures Entertainment; manager of sales planning and acquisitions for Walt Disney International Home Video; and financial analyst for Apple.

“I’m excited to be joining the Purdue Fort Wayne family and look forward to working with its students, faculty, and staff,” said Nakata. “I was attracted to the university because of its bright future and the chance to be part of one of the leading brands in higher education.”

Nakata describes the building of partnerships throughout the campus and Fort Wayne communities – and doing all he can to help achieve the mission, values, vision, and aspirations of the university – as his principal goals at Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
“Being of Japanese descent and coming from an immigrant family, Glen understands the importance of bringing people of differing backgrounds and life experiences together within an organization and how those new viewpoints and unique experiences can be maximized to benefit our growth as a university,” added Elsenbaumer. “We are very excited to tap into Glen’s knowledge, his collaborative spirit, and eagerly await our opportunity to introduce him to our campus community later this summer.”

Proving that Nakata is also skilled in diplomacy, this USC Trojan also received an MBA from archrival UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

For additional information, contact Geoff Thomas at [email protected] or 260-437-7657 (mobile).