The Purdue Alumni Association (PAA) is seeking nominations for Purdue University’s alumni trustee position for a three-year term to begin on July 1, 2027. To become the PAA nominee, interested individuals will be screened and interviewed by the trustee screening committee and the Purdue Alumni Association Board of Directors. The trustee screening committee is accepting CVs or resumes and letters of interest until 5 p.m. ET on September 1, 2026.

The Purdue Alumni Association nominees, along with any other individuals who qualify to be placed on the ballot, will be submitted to a vote by the current dues-paying members of PAA. Candidates will be published online in the spring. Voting will take place online or by paper ballot from 8 a.m. on March 29 through 5 p.m. on April 2, 2027. The election results will be ratified by the Purdue Alumni Association Board of Directors on April 16 at the annual PAA board meeting. The successful candidate will be sent to the governor of Indiana for appointment on or before June 30, 2027.

All candidates must be Purdue graduates and current dues-paying members of the Purdue Alumni Association and competent and able to serve a three-year term. The Purdue University Board of Trustees is a ten-member board, which meets six times per year. Additionally, alumni trustees are expected to attend special university meetings and two in-person Purdue Alumni Association board meetings each year, as well as several graduation exercises and other social and athletic events throughout the year.

As constituted by the Indiana Legislature, the Purdue Board of Trustees “shall be a perpetual body corporate, with the power to sue and be sued, and to hold in trust all funds and property which may be provided for said university, and to prescribe the duties and provide the compensation, including retirement and other benefits, of the faculty, administration and employees of the university.” More information about the Purdue Board of Trustees can be found online.

Interested alumni are invited to send their CVs or resumes and letters of interest to Ryan Kay (M’09), chair of the Purdue Alumni Association Board of Directors, at paaboardchair@purdueforlife.org by September 1 at 5 p.m. ET.

Selection Criteria

• Executive experience, education, availability, and motivation will be considered in determining the qualifications of potential trustees. Experience on other boards is desirable.
• There is no requirement that trustees be Indiana residents.
• Trustees serve three-year terms and have a maximum of three terms for the Purdue Alumni Association nomination. Reelection for subsequent terms is not automatic.
• Alumni trustee candidates should have the background, experience, absolute integrity, and status that will merit the confidence of faculty, students, the administration, and state government officials.
• Purdue Alumni Association nominees must be a Purdue graduate and a current dues-paying member of PAA.
• Nominees should have a background of volunteer service with the university and a demonstrated commitment to higher education.
• Nominees should have the willingness, time, and necessary potential to fulfill the obligations inherent in the position. On average, trustees will likely be on campus 15–20 times per year for meetings, graduation ceremonies, sporting events, and other events. Trustees also participate in multiple committees and other Purdue-related boards with additional time commitments.
• Nominees should not have a conflict of interest to the extent that it could be detrimental to the university. Trustees are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest in writing.
• There will be no discrimination against any candidate based on sex, color, race, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or other protected status as defined by law.

In accordance with Article IX, Section 2 of the Purdue Alumni Association bylaws, any 500 PAA members may also nominate an additional qualified candidate—as defined by Indiana law—for each vacancy on the Purdue Board of Trustees by submitting a written nomination to Katie Vanvekoven, recording secretary, at klvanvekoven@purdueforlife.org at least 90 days prior to the annual meeting on April 16, 2027. Candidates must also submit a written acceptance of the nomination. Purdue for Life Foundation staff will verify PAA membership. The deadline for these nominations is January 16, 2027.