Regina Biddings-Muro, former vice chancellor for institutional advancement, left in June to start her new role as vice president of University Advancement at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California on Aug. 1.

Serving as an administrator at PNW for 14 years, she said her time at the university was meaningful to her.

“My work at PNW offered me the opportunity to understand the hearts and passions of the university’s most ardent supporters,” Biddings-Muro said.

Serving as chief of staff for eight years beginning in 2004, Biddings-Muro went on to become the vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement in 2012 at then Purdue Calumet. Overseeing the three departments of marketing and communications, alumni relations and university events and fundraising, she helped to generate interest in and raise millions for the university.

“It is significantly easier to attract interest in areas where the university demonstrates that it is a leader. PNW’s exceptionally generous donors taught me that their joy is expressed in their ability to make a transformative difference in the lives of others,” Biddings-Muro said.

Biddings-Muro is an East Chicago native and two-time alumni of the university, graduating with her bachelor’s in 1985 and her master’s in 1996; both of which are in communication. She went on to receive her doctorate in higher education and organizational change from Benedictine University in 2015.

She credits many people in the PNW community for providing support and leaving an impact on her.

“Among them are a great many students, faculty and staff. That said, for the sake of brevity I will name only three people: Chancellor Emeritus Howard Cohen, Chancellor Thomas Keon and the late Professor Emerita YJean Chambers,” Biddings-Muro said. “In my role as vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement, I also must acknowledge the consistent and strong support of my Purdue West Lafayette Development colleagues Amy Noah, Greg Kapp, and Marcus Knotts.”

“She has found the right fit to continue her career journey, and for that we should be pleased for her. As for PNW – as well as the Region – we truly have lost a gem,” Keon said.

In her new role, Biddings-Muro looks forward to continuously improving as a leader.

“In my appointment at California Lutheran University, my goal is to reflect the legacy of my hard-working parents and grandparents and to collaborate with others to help this wonderful institution grow stronger,” Biddings-Muro said.