UA News

Carla Nunn has organized regents meetings at the UA for the past two decades.

Carla Nunn has seen a lot throughout her years coordinating Arizona Board of Regents meetings – from heated budget battles to protesters dressed as wildlife. But it was this January's meeting on The University of Arizona campus that stands out for her as one of the most memorable.

A record-breaking crowd of nearly 1,000 people turned out for the meeting in the Student Union Memorial Center's Grand Ballroom, including a number of students protesting proposed state budget cuts to higher education. Nunn, who has worked in regents affairs at the UA since 1989, said it was like nothing she's ever seen, even topping an unusual board meeting earlier in her career when environmentalists protesting the Large Binocular Telescope project on Mount Graham showed up dressed as red squirrels.

"When I started, it was at a time when the issue of Mount Graham was hot and heavy, so we had a lot of protesters come to those meetings," Nunn recalled. "We used to have to have an escape route for the regents, just a door where they could leave if it got out of hand, because people were very passionate."

When a larger-than-usual crowd, including sign-carrying protestors, attended this January's meeting, Nunn had to be ready for it. That's because it's her job, as regents affairs program director, to coordinate ABOR meetings held on the UA campus. The job includes a laundry list of behind-the-scenes duties, from reserving meeting rooms and microphones to making parking and seating arrangements to planning catering.

When proposed budget cuts were expected to draw a large audience to the recent UA meeting, organizers prepared by opening up the south ballroom with extra seating, exceeding the usual 200 to 300 chairs, Nunn said.

"It takes a village to put on a Board of Regents meeting," said Nunn, who began her career at the UA as a secretary in 1987. "You have to coordinate with a lot of people, and things can change at a moment's notice."

In between full board meetings – which are usually held six to seven times a year, rotating among the three state university campuses – Nunn stays in close communication with the board office in Phoenix and helps coordinate materials that the University submits to ABOR for review or action.

UA President Robert N. Shelton says Nunn is the "ideal professional."

"She has all the information, no matter how complex the situation. Equally valuable, Carla ensures that every detail of the multidimensional arrangements for the regents' meetings are addressed," Shelton said. "I am always confident in the materials Carla provides to prepare me for these meetings."

Nunn also helps arrange regular teleconference meetings of the Council of Presidents – made up of Shelton, Arizona State University President Michael Crow and Northern Arizona State University President John Haeger – and the Senior Associates, made up of vice presidential support representatives from each of the three universities.

"Carla's responsibilities call for her to work with colleagues across The University of Arizona and the Tucson community as well as throughout the Arizona University System – the Board of Regents office, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University," said Jacqueline Mok, UA vice president and chief of staff. "With her interpersonal skills and her ability to empathize with her colleagues, she finds ways to connect with people at all levels."

While Nunn is humble about her own work, she says her position has given her a unique insider perspective on how the state's universities are governed at the highest levels and has helped her appreciate the work of the regents and university presidents.

"They're just people that have these enormous jobs, so I've gained greater respect for them," she said.

The ever-smiling Nunn, known among her collegues for her friendliness and warm personality, says the best part of her job is that it gives her the opportunity to interact with a lot of different people, and she's gotten to know her fair share of regents over the past two decades.

"Some regents you get attached to. It can be hard to say goodbye," she said.

Board members serve eight-year terms, which are staggered so that a new regent is appointed every two years.

Nunn has also helped with the coordination of the search process for three University presidents – Manuel Pacheco, Peter Likins and Shelton.

The work involved making the presidential candidates feel at home while arranging meetings that would last from morning until night.

"It's a grueling day and I wanted to make them feel as comfortable as I could," Nunn said. "It's fun because I like people. I like helping people and I like to help people feel at ease when I can."

Nunn also coordinates agendas and meetings as program director of the P-20 Council of Southern Arizona, a forum for educational leaders at all levels to come together and talk about important issues in education.

Nunn will attend the two-day board of regents meeting that begins at Arizona State University tomorrow. The board's next meeting at the UA will be April 30-May 1.