AUP Appoints Key Leaders to Drive Strategic Plan and University Growth

Hannah Westley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Hannah Westley has been a valued leader in the AUP community since 2014. First hired as a professor in the Department of Communications, Media and Culture, she has also served as program director for the MA in Global Communications, faculty advisor for AUP Student Media, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and, for the 2023-24 academic year, Interim Provost. Dr. Westley holds a BA and PhD in Modern and Medieval Languages from the University of Cambridge, where she also earned an MPhil in European Literature. Her research focused on self-representation in digital media – in particular, the body online – and news consumption in digital media. Her initial academic training was followed by a decade-long career in journalism, writing first for The Times in London and then The Mail on Sunday. Dr. Westley seamlessly melds her rigorous academic training and professional experience in her contributions to AUP, whether in her administrative capacity, in her research or in the classroom. She has taught courses as diverse as writing and composition, communication theory, and visual culture as well as journalism practica, and has collaborated with undergraduate and graduate students on student-produced news media and university-wide programming. In her more recent leadership roles, she has demonstrated her strong commitment to AUP’s interdisciplinary community and to developing graduates who are adaptable communicators with a global vision, well-equipped to become responsible actors and empowered leaders.

How has Dr. Westley seen AUP change in her ten years at the university? “I have seen the university go from strength to strength. At each step of my career trajectory at AUP, I’ve come to see, appreciate and better understand both the workings of our institution and the value of the education we offer. During these years, our student body has grown, our faculty has grown and our campus has been consolidated. These are external signs of change but the spirit of AUP has remained constant: a spirit of intellectual inquiry and cross-cultural exploration.” As Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Westley continues her steadfast engagement with AUP’s community and the life she has forged in Paris: “I remain ensconced in a small corner of Paris’s 11th arrondissement, where I have watched my two daughters grow up and where we have many

friends, including AUP colleagues! What I find remarkable about life in this city is how quartier life can become and remain very village-like – it’s easy to form and maintain friendships and support networks.”

Marie-Laure Nave, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Administration

Born and raised in the Ardennes department of France, Marie-Laure Nave earned a degree in civil engineering from the Paris School of Mines. She then embarked on a career in finance as an auditor with Arthur Andersen, then in business control for the agro-industrial company Tereos France, working in Italy and Lille. Fifteen years ago, she returned to Paris, where she has since served as a CFO, first for Tereos France, then for HEC Paris and most recently for nonprofit institutions in the social and sanitary field, including the Croix-Rouge française and Institut Marie Curie. She considers her professional role to be that of a business partner to the general management and operational services, providing financial information and activity analysis to support performance and strategy. The AUP community is fortunate to benefit from Nave’s broad range of professional skills, from her strategic financial management and audit and risk management abilities to her keen understanding of the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, legal affairs, taxation, real estate and technology.

What drew Nave to AUP? “First, its activity and multiculturalism, both of which I find highly meaningful and stimulating. Then, that the position is both strategic and operational, with a broad perimeter and the opportunity to work with many different stakeholders. Finally, the variety and scale of the projects to be carried out. I very much liked the positivity, benevolence and enthusiasm unanimously shown during the job interviews. I am really looking forward to joining AUP and working with its teams; I particularly thank Valérie Fodé, who has been most helpful in the transition.”

Audrey Kajumbula, Associate Vice President for Student Life

Audrey Kajumbula joins AUP from New York City, where she most recently served as Director of Student Engagement at the Manhattan School of Music. She holds an EdD in Leadership and Innovation from NYU, an MA in International Education from NYU, an MS in College Student Personnel from Miami University and a BA in Sociology from the University of North Texas. It was during her second master’s degree that she realized her passion for cross-cultural learning and sought to better understand the support systems available in her work with international students. She has since gained extensive experience working in residential life and programming and in global education, first at NYU and then for 11 years at NYU Abu Dhabi, where, as Director of Residential Programs and Director of Visiting Student Programs, she helped develop community engagement from a small group of nearly 300 students in its infancy to a program with nearly 1,600 students from over 100 nationalities. AUP is delighted that Kajumbula will contribute to its community not only her robust skills in student affairs strategies and policies, but also her personal dedication to creating connections and a sense of belonging among a culturally varied and globally diverse student body.

Born in North Carolina, Kajumbula has lived a global life since her early childhood years in Uganda, which has taken her to South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, New York and Abu Dhabi. Kajumbula reflects on her academic and professional journey: “I realized as a first generation college student that if I hadn’t had certain people in my corner who were asking questions and giving me guidance, I wouldn't have been able to navigate or even know what the possibilities were. As a practitioner, that's something I hope to do for others – to support their journey and get them connected, cultivating a sense of belonging for every person. Here at AUP, I've heard so much about the Global Explorer, an expression that very much aligns with my own values of stepping outside your comfort zone and thinking of ways to contribute greatly to the broader community.”