Phelps and Farris join CSULB 49er Foundation
Two key corporate executives have joined the CSULB 49er Foundation Board of Directors, bringing a wealth of experience to the board that advocates for the people and programs at Cal State Long Beach.
Nelson Farris ’69 and Thomas Phelps IV were approved by the 49er Foundation at the Executive meeting in December.
Farris, who earned a B.A. in Speech Communications, serves as Senior Director at Nike, Inc. in charge of Culture & Heritage and Global Talent Management. As Nike’s longest-tenured employee, he has held more than 20 jobs during his 45-plus-year career. Most recently, Farris has been a mainstay in Nike’s education program, focusing on keeping rich culture, history, and heritage alive and vibrant with a new generation within the company.
The 2014 Distinguished Alumnus oversaw the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games marketing efforts and managed its early sales training program. Farris is a founding member of, and continues to serve on, the Board of Directors for Beach athletics.
Farris is a member of the CSULB Carillon Society for his philanthropic efforts.
Phelps is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Laserfiche, a global provider of intelligence content services and process automation software. He leads the Business Innovation and Technology organization, which includes Information Technology Services, Business Transformation Office, Product and Customer Support, and Governance, Risk and Compliance departments - along with data analytics, strategic alliances and analyst relations.
Before landing at Laserfiche, Phelps was the national cybersecurity champion for entertainment and media at PwC and led the innovation of content security best practices for the motion picture industry. He also helped launch the Telecom and Network Services business and headed million-dollar enterprise-wide engagements for Fortune 500 companies.
Additionally, Phelps was the inaugural Chairperson of the Long Beach Accelerator. He is the executive chair of Innovate@UCLA, a former adjunct professor at USC and a co-author and contributor to five books.
As a cybersecurity and technology thought leader, he has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, CIO.com, Forbes and The Economist, and is asked to speak at four to six conferences annually.
The CSULB 49er Foundation supports students and programs through the management of private support and the stewardship of donors. Founded in 1956, the 49er Foundation also manages the university’s endowment.
