About Neeli Bendapudi

Neeli Bendapudi became Penn State’s nineteenth president in May 2022, bringing a deep commitment to student success and a bold vision for operational excellence, interdisciplinary research leadership, and inclusive academic achievement. An accomplished scholar and leader, she oversees a dynamic institution with campuses across the commonwealth and a top-ranked online World Campus, advancing the University’s land-grant mission of teaching, research, and public service. Since her arrival, President Bendapudi has led one of the most transformational periods in Penn State’s modern history. In just over three years, President Bendapudi has: 

• Balanced the University’s budget one year ahead of schedule, completing one of the most significant financial turnarounds. 

• Oversaw the most successful fundraising year ever for the University in 2024-25, securing more than $560 million in philanthropic commitments—including a record seventeen principal gifts of $5 million or more. 

• Advanced Penn State’s research enterprise, with record-breaking expenditures in 2023-24, top-ten rankings across disciplines, and a nationally recognized commitment to public impact research, innovation, and corporate engagement. She currently co-chairs The Pew Charitable Trusts' Presidents and Chancellors Council on Public Impact Research. 

• Initiated a multi-year reimagining of the Commonwealth Campus structure. 

President Bendapudi brings deep experience across higher education and business. Prior to joining Penn State, she served as president of the University of Louisville, where she led record enrollment gains, increased research activity, improved graduation rates, stabilized the university’s finances and health system, and expanded its reputation nationally. She has also served as provost and executive vice chancellor and as dean of the School of Business at the University of Kansas, and held faculty and leadership roles at Texas A&M, The Ohio State University, and the University of Kansas. 

Outside higher education, she served as executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank and has consulted for some of the world’s largest companies, including AIG, Procter & Gamble, and the U.S. Army. 

Her academic research focuses on consumer behavior in service contexts, with an emphasis on customer relationships with brands, employees, and institutions. Her work has been published in premier journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Harvard Business Review, and the Journal of Academic Medicine. 

President Bendapudi earned her bachelor’s degree in English and her MBA from Andhra University in India, and her Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Kansas. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum, a board member of the American Council on Education and Internet2, and a former Leadership Foundation Fellow. 

She has been widely recognized for her leadership and contributions to higher education and business, including: 

• Induction into the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame 

• Academy of Marketing Science Outstanding Marketing Teacher Award 

• Named among “25 Women Who Are Making a Difference in the Academy” by Diverse Issues in Higher Education 

• Recognized as one of Enterprising Women’s leaders making an impact in business and community 

• Named among Louisville Business First’s “Most Admired CEOs” 

President Bendapudi is known for her energy, optimism, and clarity of purpose. She leads with empathy, discipline, and resolve—and is deeply committed to the students and communities Penn State serves.