Marnie Duke Mitze Papers

Before coming to Pepperdine, Marnie Duke Mitze studied music performance through graduate school and found professional success in the field of arts administration, working in Massachusetts and California. At a conference in New York in the early 1990s, she met the then director of the Center for the Arts at Pepperdine, Tom Gabbard, who was leaving his position and suggested Marnie take over.

Marnie was the Managing Director at the Center for the Arts from 1992-2007. When she started, the Arts Center had just opened to include the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Raitt Recital Hall, and the Lindhurst Theatre. During her time as Managing Director she started a recital series in Raitt Recital Hall, created ARTSReach, developed the first Parkening International Classical Guitar Competition, and several years to hugely popular and successful fundraisers.

In 2007, following a departmental reorganization, Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton and Marnie wrote the job description for and created her new position of Vice President and Chief of Staff. This position was the first of its kind at Pepperdine. Marnie held this position from 2007-2019, during which she Marnie served as liaison to the Board of Regents, committee liaison to the Board of Regent’s membership committee, executive committee, and compensation committee and provided oversight of university commencements and the awarding of honorary doctorates, was budget manager for the president’s operational areas, and served on the Emergency Operations Committee that responded to the tragic Malibu Woolsey Fire and Borderline Shooting. Marnie was also senior staff manager to seven executive searches including the deans of five schools, the provost, and the subsequent presidential search.

She retired in July 2019, but continued on a consulting basis as special advisor to the president of Pepperdine. In 2020, Marnie received her certification from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in Cyber Risk. She is currently the executive director of the Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic