Dear Colleagues,
I hope that this message finds you well. Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in the commencement ceremonies this past weekend. Those three days showcased how truly special Chapman is.
I write to provide an update on key leadership roles in the senior administration that will be filled this fall.
The search for our next Executive Vice President/Chief Advancement Officer is off to a promising start. We received approximately 70 applications from seasoned advancement professionals from across the country who want to join the Chapman Family and bring their extensive fundraising and leadership experience to our university. The search committee reviewed the candidate materials and have selected seven highly-qualified candidates for Zoom interviews in early June. The committee will then select 3-4 finalists for on-campus interviews later in June. Based on the pool of candidates, I am confident that we will recruit a strong new EVP/CAO to help close the Inspire comprehensive campaign and grow Chapman’s philanthropic support to even greater heights in the future.
In addition, our EVP/Provost search has launched and is progressing well. The search committee – in conjunction with our search firm, AGB Search – held listening sessions with a variety of groups, including faculty, staff, deans, senior staff, and Provost Office staff. These listening sessions went extremely well, and the search committee and AGB are currently preparing the leadership profile. AGB Search will then go to market in early June to recruit a strong group of candidates for the committee to review later in the summer. The search committee will select semi-finalist candidates to interview in late August, and we anticipate finalists’ visits to our campuses occurring in mid- to late-September. The chair of the search committee, Professor Lia Halloran, will share additional updates as the search progresses.
Finally, as I continue to build our senior leadership team and reorganize its structure, I am thrilled to announce the promotion of Nidhi Vogt to Vice President and Deputy Chief of Staff, effective Sept. 1, 2025. She will also serve as a member of Senior Staff. Nidhi currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Engagement and Volunteerism, where she leads our alumni, parent, volunteer, donor relations, and annual giving efforts. In her new role, Nidhi will have a different focus, overseeing Special Events, Career and Professional Development, and the Hilbert Museum of California Art, among other duties. In particular, Nidhi will take a leadership role in external relations, assisting with Board relations and helping to build strategic relationships with community partners. As Deputy Chief of Staff, she will also play a key role working with leaders across our campuses to advance institutional priorities and initiatives.
Nidhi is one of the most talented professionals I have had the pleasure of working with in my career. With almost 20 years of experience in higher education administration, Nidhi is an accomplished leader. She has served students, alumni, families, volunteers, employers, and donors in various leadership roles at Whittier Law School, Purdue University Global, and Chapman. As Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the Fowler School of Law, Nidhi led all student affairs programming and staff and helped launch the school’s Center for Student Success. Nidhi developed several new programs and initiatives to foster community among law students, faculty, and administration during the pandemic. One such initiative received national recognition, earning the Fowler School of Law a spot on National Jurist Magazine’s list of the 25 most innovative law schools.
In each of her roles, Nidhi has inspired her teams to build relationships and collaborate with departments across our campuses to create synergies that increase engagement, philanthropic support, and volunteerism. Under her leadership, our alumni engagement effort continues to increase its sophistication and impact. We have launched the highly successful Chapman on the Road alumni event series that has strengthened alumni networks in major metropolitan areas across the country as well as the first Alumni in Healthcare Reception near our Rinker Health Science Campus. Prior to her career in higher education, Nidhi practiced trusts and estates law at a private firm in Long Beach. She earned her B.A. at Vanderbilt University and her J.D. at the University of Connecticut School of Law.
In her new role, Nidhi will continue to report to Amy Rogan-Mehta, incoming EVP and Chief of Staff. In September, Amy will also assume responsibility for the Office of Enrollment Management and the Office of Student Affairs as part of her portfolio. I have asked Amy to chair the search committee for the next Vice President of Enrollment Management.
I look forward to keeping you updated on our senior leadership searches and other related news that may be of interest to you. In the meantime, have a wonderful summer and thank you for everything you are doing to support Chapman.
Best,
Matt