2021 media guide
Dr. Chris Maggio
northwestern state
Northwestern State President Chris Maggio is a competitor for all and Dean of Students and assistant provost for student success in 2007. During his caseasons. reer at NSU, Maggio also served as director of enrollment services. Northwestern State’s fourth-year presi- Under Maggio’s leadership, the NSU Foundation completed its first capital camdent was an all-sports athlete in high school, a paign in Northwestern’s history, exceeding a campaign goal of $18.84 million and raiscollege distance runner at NSU, and a high school ing $31 million to support the university. football, basketball and track coach. He became a He has also been a faculty member in the Department of Health and Human college coach in track and field for the Demons and Performance for more than 20 years as an instructor, assistant professor and associate Lady Demons. He even spent a few years as a high professor. school basketball referee. Maggio came on board the NSU staff in 1988 as assistant track and field coach, His zeal for competition makes him a dynamic then became head women’s coach a year later. After a very successful five years in that recruiter and fund raiser for NSU, and his ability to mentor staff members and students capacity, in 1994 Maggio moved into administration as the fundraiser for NSU Athletics combines with his warmth and sincerity to produce a tremendously effective university before quickly being snapped up to become the university’s director of admissions and administrator. recruiting. Those traits, along with Dr. Maggio is a 1985 summa cum laude graduate of Northwestern State. He won Gulf U N I V E R S I T Y A D M I N I S T R AT I O N Maggio’s deep roots and farStar Conference All-Academic honors in track and field and helped the Demons win the President: reaching relationships, made 1985 GSC championship. As a senior, he was elected Mr. NSU by his fellow students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Chris Maggio him an ideal choice to take over Maggio earned his master’s of education at NSU. He received a doctorate in develProvost & VP for Academic Affairs: the presidency at his alma ma- opmental education from Grambling State University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Greg Handel Vice President for External Affairs: ter. His parents helped run a family business in Natchitoches. His father, Buddy, was . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry Pierce After a national honored as a “Natchitoches Treasure” in 2015 by the City of Natchitoches. Vice President for Inclusion and Diversity: search in spring 2017, he suc- As a young boy, Maggio became playmates with future Basketball Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Michael Snowden ceeded Dr. Jim Henderson, member Joe Dumars, whose home was near one of the Maggio’s stores. Vice President for Technology, Innovation and whose dynamic tenure spear- Dr. Maggio’s wife, Jennifer, was formerly on the NSU staff as Coordinator of Adult Economic Development: headed significant growth and Education Initiatives. They have three children, Melanie, Scott, and Emily. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Darlene Williams achievement in two years as president. Henderson moved up to run the University of Louisiana System, which includes Northwestern and eight other state universities. Maggio, 56, is a lifelong resident of Natchitoches and long-time faculty and staff member at Northwestern State. He is the university’s 19th president since its founding in 1884, and the first one who is homegrown, along with the first to be a four-year athletic letterwinner as a Demon competitor. Maggio was named vice president for the student experience at Northwestern State in 2016 after serving as interim vice president for just over a year. He maintained his role as vice president for the student experience while serving as acting president. When the NSU Student Services building opened three years ago, designers had a lovely office location for Maggio on the second floor. He asked instead for the room just inside the front door to the building, not connected to any administrative wing, but envisioned as a conference space. His reasoning: Maggio wanted to see everybody who walked in the door, and providing the ability to immediately engage them or at least be easily accessible for anyone who needed help. As vice president, Maggio led the Dean of Students and the Offices of Admissions, Recruiting, Financial Aid, Student Activities and Organizations, First Year Experience and Leadership Development, Judicial Services, Counseling and Career Services, Student Life, the Student Activities Board, Student Government Association, Student Support Services, and Greek Life. Northwestern State has recorded enrollment increases for the past four years, with record numbers in 2017-18, peaked by 11,081 in the fall 2018 semester. Maggio served as assistant vice president of external affairs for university advancement from 2013 until 2015, when he was promoted by Dr. Henderson. He has been a staff member at Northwestern State since 1988, when he joined the track and field coaching staff. After several years as director of admissions and recruiting during record-setting enrollment for NSU, Maggio was selected as director of alumni affairs in 1999, director of alumni and development in 2003, executive director of the NSU Foundation in 2005 Facebook: Northwestern State • Twitter: @NSUDemonsTF • #ForkEm • Website: nsudemons.com
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