Academic Planning, Engagement, and Communication
The Senior Director of Academic Planning, Engagement, and Communication helps to drive the planning, governance, engagement, and communication of NYU Abu Dhabi's academic priorities. Reporting to the Vice Provost, this function supports the operationalization of NYUAD's academic priorities through a multi-year and annual academic plan, and oversees the governance of the related workstreams, Senior Academic Leadership Team meetings, and the Deans' Core.
The function works in close partnership with the Office of Academic Administration and Planning, led by the Associate Provost for Academic Administration and Planning, which provides executive leadership across academic and administrative planning, faculty workforce strategy, and resource allocation for all units reporting to the Provost. It thus helps to align multi-year academic workforce modeling, financial planning, and institutional analytics with the academic plan — ensuring that academic priorities are matched by faculty, fiscal, and operational capacity. The function also collaborates with the Office of Strategy and Planning on institutional deliverables and with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning on data, targets, and progress assessment.
Beyond planning, this function leads strategic outreach on behalf of the Office of the Provost — coordinating local, regional, and international engagement with collaboration partners and peer institutions in support of NYUAD's academic priorities — and oversees internal communication in consultation with the Office of External Relations and Communications, ensuring academic planning and priorities are reflected in the Provost Office's messaging to faculty, staff, students, and the wider NYUAD community.
Alexandra (Alex) Sumner leads NYU Abu Dhabi's academic planning, engagement, and communication function in the Office of the Provost. She works in close partnership with the Associate Provost for Academic Administration and Planning to advance NYUAD's academic priorities in support of the senior academic leadership.
Alex joined NYUAD in October 2021 from the University of Adelaide, where she led the design, implementation, and delivery of projects and initiatives under the University's 10-year Strategic Plan. She brings 20 years of experience in strategic planning, business analysis, project and people management, and university administration, with a track record of delivering large-scale organizational change across the education, not-for-profit, and corporate sectors.