NATHAN POLFLIET

Executive Director for Advancement and Foundation

Nathan Polfliet joined the team at Southwest Minnesota State University as the Executive Director for Advancement and Foundation in October of 2021. Polfliet is a 2000 graduate of SMSU and brings over twenty years of experience working in higher education and nonprofit operations to his new role.

“Nathan has been a valuable addition to our team at SMSU,” said President Kumara Jayasuriya. “His experience and leadership have helped us develop partnerships that are providing new opportunities for students and faculty. It’s great to see the impact of this work across campus.”

Prior to joining SMSU, Nathan served as a consultant for nonprofit organizations across the Midwest as the owner and Chief Strategy Officer at 212 Strategies. From 2002 to 2012, he worked for the South Dakota State University Foundation serving on their leadership team during the comprehensive campaign that concluded in 2012. While at SDSU, Nathan returned to SMSU and received a master of business administration (MBA) degree in 2011.

“It’s great to be back at SMSU working with the Mustang Family to support our students, faculty, and staff,” he said. “My wife, Angel, and I met here, so it’s fun to look back and think about the opportunities we had and know that we are helping make an impact on the lives of current students.”

Nathan and his wife Angel have three children, Noah, Nicholas, and Alexis. Nicholas is currently a student at SMSU and will graduate with a degree in computer science in the spring of 2023.

Nathan enjoys every opportunity to connect with alumni and friends of SMSU. He can be reached at the SMSU Foundation office at 507-537-6266 or by email at Nathan.Polfliet@SMSU.edu. He looks forward to hearing from you.