New Vice President Announced

I am very pleased to announce that, following an extensive national search, Nathan Mouttet has been selected as Seattle Pacific University’s vice president for enrollment management and marketing. He will begin his new role as the University’s primary enrollment and financial aid strategist and manager on August 15, and he will oversee Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Services, Graduate Admissions, and University Communications.

I take great pleasure in this appointment because of Nate’s unique combination of skills, experience, and affinity with SPU and its mission. I think he is just the right person for SPU at this time. Nate comes to Seattle Pacific from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois, where, as vice president since 2010, he has led all aspects of enrollment management and marketing — including strategic planning, market research, and brand awareness. Both at North Park and in his previous role as vice president for communications for the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities, Nate has had broad-based responsibility for communications to external audiences.

A graduate of John Brown University and Asbury Theological Seminary, Nate has shown the ability throughout his career in higher education to think strategically about enrollment and marketing, at both a local and a national level. Having worked in the urban settings of Chicago and Washington, D.C., Nate understands the complex challenges of a crowded higher education marketplace. He admires the strong brand that SPU has established, and looks forward to building on that brand and helping Seattle Pacific attract the ideal student population for its undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. He is also energized about increasing quality in the student body while achieving greater, multifaceted diversity.

Perhaps what is equally important to know about Nate is that he loves SPU. His wife, Dr. Kristi Russell Mouttet, is a proud alumna of Seattle Pacific, and the couple has followed SPU from a distance for many years. Nate and Kristi regularly read Response magazine, and Nate has built relationships with Seattle Pacific staff members over the years, particularly through his role as CCCU vice president. “I am excited to join a community that has had a long and exemplary tradition of integrating faith and learning,” says Nate. “My wife and I are committed to Christian higher education and can see that SPU truly lives out its mission of engaging the culture and changing the world. We are so proud of the influence the University has had on the lives of students.”

I have found Nate to be bright, personable, and energetic. I have also found him to be empathetic, showing concern and offering his encouragement during the difficult times this community has experienced in recent weeks. He wanted me to let you know that the SPU community is in his thoughts and prayers even as he begins preparations to move to Seattle. I believe that professionally and personally, Nate will bring new ideas and energy to the work of enrollment management and marketing at SPU, and I look forward to working with him.

I want to extend my thanks to the firm of Carter Baldwin, which conducted the national search for our new vice president, and to the SPU interview committee led by Don Mortenson, senior vice president for planning and administration. Committee members included Debra Sequeira, dean of the arts and humanities; Joseph Williams, dean of business, government, and economics; Jordan Grant, interim assistant vice president for enrollment management; Janet Ward, associate vice president for information and data management; Jacqui Smith-Bates, dean of student learning; Ineliz Soto-Fuller, assistant director of admissions; Karisa Pierce, associate professor of chemistry; Ruth Adams, associate vice president for academic support; and John Glancy, director of graduate admissions and marketing.