Chief of Staff

Jessica Sederquist is Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff to the Vice Chancellor, where she supports the Vice Chancellor and senior leadership on a broad range of strategic matters. In this capacity, she addresses high-level issues, policies, and situations involving all aspects of NYU Abu Dhabi’s administrative and academic operations, and provides leadership and direction for the Vice Chancellor's strategic planning initiatives, financial planning, project management, intra/inter-organizational governance, and select program development activities. Jessica oversees the offices of Government Relations, Shared Governance, Inclusion and Equity, Sustainability and Stewardship, and Equal Opportunity, and is charged with promoting an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment at NYU Abu Dhabi. She also co-chairs the Return to Campus Steering Committee, charged with ensuring safe academic and operational continuity during the global pandemic, and is leading the WorkSmart program to better utilize and cultivate the talent at NYU Abu Dhabi.

Jessica Sederquist received her BA in International Relations and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University, including a year at the University of Ghana in Accra. She holds a Master of Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Most recently, Jessica served as Chief of Staff to NYU’s Senior Vice President for Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation, addressing high-level issues and policies and representing the office with faculty, researchers, staff, students, alumni, and senior administrators, as well as government and community leaders. 

Prior to joining NYU, she was with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, managing strategic initiatives and planning in Mariët Westermann's office, which oversaw all of the Foundation’s grantmaking and research programs. She had come to the Mellon Foundation from a key programming role at the African Film Festival in New York City. At Mellon, she also co-chaired the internal committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Key People