It is with great pleasure that I announce that Dr. Bena Arao has accepted our offer to step into the position of Director of Academic Affairs Resources, effective February 1, 2024. Dr. Arao comes to Academic Affairs after 18 years at Administration & Business Affairs (ABA) and we look forward to his wise financial leadership as we navigate a challenging budget environment.
Dr. Arao’s most recent role with ABA was Senior Director of Resource and Organizational Management. He also played a key role in the growth and success of the Sustainability & Energy team, championed the Space Management Office, and provided invaluable insights on numerous special projects. Prior to ABA, he was the Controller at the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). He has 25 years of experience working in finance in non-profit, for-profit, K-12 education, and higher education institutions.
At OUSD, Dr. Arao oversaw the budget development and accounting of an annual $400 million general fund, $200 million in construction bonds, and $100 million in special funding. He began working at Sacramento State in 2006 in Facilities Management and Resource and Organizational Management. He has managed complex financial operations in the General Fund, Trust Funds and Construction Funds. He was the financial point person on numerous planning teams for many multimillion-dollar construction projects, including those that oversaw the construction of the Hornet Bookstore, Parking Structure Three, American River Courtyard and the WELL.
Dr. Arao goes above and beyond in his commitment to our campus, serving on numerous committees including the Clery Compliance Team, Marketing and Communications Council, Internationalization Committee, and the Classroom Furniture Project team, which enhances the classroom-learning environment by modernizing the furniture in each classroom at the University every summer. He was lead for the Junior Olympic Event Committee in preparation for the July 2019 USA Track & Field Junior Olympics at Sacramento State.
Bena earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Daystar University in Nairobi, Kenya in 1996. He went on to earn his Master of Business Administration degree from University of California, Davis, and his Doctor of Educational Leadership from Sacramento State. His research work has been in the areas of space management, facilities management, and the state of black administrators in the sectors of K-12 and higher education.
As you know, Academic Affairs is the largest division and budget in the university and we were fortunate to have Angel Thayer-Smith in the role of Director of Academic Resources for eight years. Filling her shoes at this critical time required choosing an individual with precisely the right combination of financial acumen, professional experience, and deep knowledge of Sacramento State’s academic priorities and operational capacity. President Wood and I agreed that Bena Arao was the obvious choice to guide Academic Affairs resources and we are thankful he is enthusiastically stepping into the role.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Bena Arao and welcoming him to Academic Affairs.
Carlos Nevarez
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Interim)
