Knudson, currently associate vice president for institutional advancement at Arizona State University in Tempe, will assume her new duties on March 15.

"I am delighted to have Ms. Knudson as a member of the university's executive team," Koester said. "With the increased expectation being placed on CSU campuses to augment their budgets and activities with external funds, and to strengthen relations and communications with local area businesses and civic and community leaders, we are fortunate to have someone with Ms. Knudson's background and experience at CSUN."

Knudson said she looks forward to coming to CSUN.

"I find this opportunity to be one of the most exciting in my career in terms of forwarding higher education," she said. "I think that the potential for linking CSUN with the community and truly making it an indispensable part of the surrounding area is exciting."

Knudson fills the last vacancy on Koester's administrative team. Earlier this month, Koester announced the appointment of Terry Piper as CSUN's new vice president for student affairs. Rounding out Koester's team are Mohammed "Mo" Qayoumi, vice president of administration and finance, and Louanne Kennedy, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Knudson assumes the position left vacant by Bill Outhouse, who left the university last year to take a job as executive vice president of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation. Dick Tyler, associate vice president of public relations and communication, has been filling the post during the interim.

Knudson has been associate vice president for institutional advancement at Arizona State University in Tempe for nearly five years. During that time she was part of an executive team that oversaw a $400 million capital campaign that has already surpassed its goal before its scheduled end date. Her other duties include managing a staff of 100 that includes external relations, community outreach, communications, a public television station and development.

Prior to her work at the Tempe campus, Knudson was vice provost for institutional advancement for Arizona State University West in Phoenix, vice president for university relations at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., assistant vice president for institutional advancement at Cambridge College in Massachusetts and director of admissions and marketing at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Knudson said she is looking forward to helping CSUN make its mark.

"I really believe that this university is positioned for greatness," she said. "It is coming into an era when it is increasingly visible and recognized for its importance not only in the Valley, but in the entire city."

Knudson is married and has one son. Her husband, Kurt Knudson, is an actor whose credits include several productions on Broadway, including "Beauty and the Beast," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Curse of an Aching Heart" and "Take Me Along," for which he received a Tony nomination. Her son, Joshua, is an associate director of development for Oregon State University's foundation.

Knudson has a master's degree in communications from the University of South Dakota and a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology, with a minor in Spanish, from North Dakota State University.

California State University, Northridge has more than 29,000 full-time and part-time students and offers 48 bachelors' and 39 masters' degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.