Media veteran Armando Nuñez Jr., GABELLI ’82, has been named chair-elect of the Fordham University Board of Trustees, effective July 1.
A key player in the global media industry for more than 25 years, Nuñez led the international divisions of major U.S. media companies that have launched some of the most well-known content in the world. In a series of high-profile executive roles, he was responsible for shaping CBS’s global licensing and syndication business and turning CBS Studios International into a worldwide distribution leader. His focus on global access fueled the network’s marquis franchises, including CSI, NCIS, and Star Trek. He was also instrumental in the integration, separation, and reintegration of significant CBS and Viacom operations worldwide. In January 2022, he founded Peritus Global Advisors.
Nuñez first served on the Fordham Board of Trustees in 2012 and was elected vice-chair in 2021. When he takes office as chair on July 1, 2023, he will be the first Hispanic person to serve in the role.
“I am very pleased to work with Armando Nuñez as chair-elect in the coming year,” said Robert D. Daleo, GABELLI ’72, chair of the Fordham Board of Trustees. “He brings to the role strong experience in media and communications, and a deep knowledge of, and commitment to, Fordham’s Jesuit, Catholic mission. As chair-elect, Armando will have broad experience in all areas of University governance. This position, established by the Board of Trustees this year, ensures a smooth transition between board chairs in President Tetlow’s critical first year as president.”
Nuñez started as chair-elect on the same day that Tania Tetlow became Fordham’s 33rd president. She succeeds Joseph M. McShane, S.J., whose last day was June 30.
“It is an honor to be named chair-elect of Fordham University’s board, and to have the support and confidence of my fellow trustees,” said Nuñez. “I am very much looking forward to working with President Tetlow, our Board Chair Bob Daleo, and our entire board in the coming academic year.”
As president and CEO of the Global Distribution Group at CBS from 2016 to 2019 and ViacomCBS from 2019 to 2020, Nuñez was responsible for international licensing and syndication, including worldwide multiplatform distribution worth $6 billion a year. He had significant roles in CBS’s acquisition of Network 10 in Australia and several joint venture networks in Europe and Asia. He also oversaw CBS Television Distribution (now CBS Media Ventures), the largest U.S. syndicator with shows like Entertainment Tonight, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Judge Judy, during two critical periods: 2012 to 2016 and 2018 to 2020.
Nuñez joined CBS as president of CBS Broadcast International and executive vice president of CBS Enterprises in 1999. He began his career with television production and sales roles before taking executive positions at Viacom Entertainment, New World International Television Distribution, and Universal International Television.
Nuñez has been named to the “power” lists of multiple media outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter and Hispanic Business Magazine, as a major television influencer. In 2019 he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and the inaugural class of the Imagen Foundation’s Television & Film Latino Hall of Fame. He was one of the first recipients of the inaugural MIPTV Médaille d’Honneur, which recognized six international television executives, including his father, Armando Nuñez Sr., for their achievements in the industry.
A longtime leader in multiple industry groups, Nunez is a member of the executive committee and the board and co-chair of the global committee for NATPE International and a member of the board and executive committee for the International Council of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Nuñez graduated from the Gabelli School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management in 1982. In 2012, he established the Nuñez Family Scholarship Fund for full-time Gabelli School students, with preference given to students who are economically disadvantaged or part of underrepresented populations.
As a trustee, Nuñez has boosted Fordham’s presence in California—one of Fordham’s largest feeder states—by hosting high-profile events, including a tribute to sportscaster Vin Scully, FCRH ’49, held on the set of Entertainment Tonight.
A proud product of Jesuit education, Nuñez serves on the board of his high school alma mater, Xavier High School in Manhattan. He’s also a member of the executive committee of WorkingNation, a nonprofit focused on the realities of unemployment and the job skills gap in a changing economy.
