Cindy Parnell

Cindy Parnell, M.Ed., is Chief of Public Service for Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University.  Cindy has over 20 years of experience working in education, nonprofit, private and public sectors focusing on student leadership at scale, career development, civic engagement, cross-sector partnerships, and meaningful connections between the university and community partners. Cindy is an innovator with organizations and drives how Universities can build effective partnerships with local, national and global organizations. 

At Arizona State University, Cindy oversees at team of senior leaders in community-embedded, solutions-oriented work across the ASU enterprise, including:  Public Service Academy, Next Generation Service Corps, Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service, Design Studio for Community Solutions, Action Nexus on Housing and Homelessness and Opportunity for Youth.

Prior to serving as Chief of Public Service, Cindy was Assistant Vice President and Executive Director for Career and Professional Development where she coached and led students, faculty, staff and corporate partners in re-inventing Career Services in higher education.  Additionally, Cindy served in a University-wide role that focused on expanding corporate relationships and engagement across the University, securing ‘University of Choice’ status with Fortune 500 companies and developing partnerships with ‘new-to-ASU’ organizations that had not yet recruited ASU students and alumni. 

Contributions to publications include Expect More Arizona, ASU Now, and MASK as well as ASU GSV.

Cindy is a currently a member of the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) the Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers (NACRO).  Prior to 2017, Cindy served on the Arizona@Work - Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Board serving as a catalyst, identifying and addressing the evolving business needs of Greater Phoenix by convening partners to provide customer-centric solutions and resources that offer employers access to a skilled workforce across the State.

Cindy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Northern Arizona University.  She is a native of Phoenix, Arizona.