Dr. Nagai joined the University of the Pacific in 2018. As Associate Vice President for Development, she is responsible for leading the fundraising team for five academic units and four professional schools across three campuses, Stockton, San Francisco and Sacramento. The University is in its final year of a $300 million campaign, Leading with Purpose: The Campaign for University of the Pacific.

She has spent more than 20 years in higher education in various development and alumni relations roles. This includes serving as Campaign Director for California State University, Sacramento where she coordinated the launch of the University's first comprehensive fundraising campaign. She has also served as Assistant Dean for Development and External Relations at the University of California, Davis during its $1 billion campaign, Director of External Relations at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during its $500 million campaign, and Deputy Director and Class Alumni Relations Officer for the Stanford Alumni Association during the University's $1 billion campaign. Through each of these roles, she works to advance the student-centered mission of each university through fundraising and alumni relations activities.

Dr. Nagai is a cabinet member for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VII and serves as the inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Chair for the district. She is a past board member and current committee volunteer for Capital Public Radio and is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum. Originally from Watsonville, Calif., she is a first-generation college student who holds a B.S. degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, a M.Ed. degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.