Victor Cardenas has dedicated his career to public service and to Grand Valley State University. He graduated from GVSU in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, earned a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University, and completed executive education certificates at the University of Virginia and Harvard University.

Since 2010, Cardenas has served the City of Novi, Michigan, where he became city manager in 2023 after more than 12 years as assistant city manager. In Novi, he led the implementation of a citizen relationship software system that enhanced service request tracking and workflow management. Earlier in his career, he worked for the communities of Indianapolis, IN; Oak Park, MI; and Brooklyn, MI.

A committed alumnus, Cardenas joined the GVSU Alumni Board of Directors in 2007 and later was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the GVSU Board of Trustees in 2015. During his tenure, he and his fellow trustees hired the University’s fifth president, Philomena Mantella, and he chaired both the finance and academic/student affairs committees.

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