Sara Alaa

Director for Academic Initiatives and Mentoring Services, the American University in Cairo (AUC).

Biography

May has a professional and managerial experience that extends for more than 15 years in the field of educational management and human development at the American University in Cairo and other national and international institutions. She is currently working as the Director for Academic Initiatives and Mentoring Services at the Office of Associate Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management, the American University in Cairo (AUC).

Qualifications

She holds a Master Degree in Public Policy and Administration from the School of Public Policy & Global Affairs (AUC), June 2012 and a Post Graduate Professional Diploma in Human Resources Management, School of Business’s Executive Education in Jan, 2015. She is an expert in the science of happiness and positive psychology field as a Certified Happiness Trainer and Wellbeing Consultant from the Happiness Studies Academy (HSA), accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) endorsed by the Continuous Coach Education (CCE), Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) & University of Miami, Division of Continuing & International Education. She earned her certificate by one of the most world renowned lecturers, Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., who taught the most popular course at Harvard University on 'Positive Psychology',and the cofounder and chief learning officer of the HAS. As a Part-time Business Senior Instructor at the School of Business’s Executive Education and a Business Consultant for the Career Development & Business Studies Division at the School of Continuing Education at the AUC since 2012, May capitalizes on demonstrating her professional and personal competencies to achieve exceptional transformational results through the human developmental projects that she’s currently leading in conducting professional development programs for senior leaders, industry executives and SMEs’ for deriving cultural and organizational change and meeting the market needs. Has boosted her professional exposure and experience through building the capacities of many individuals in multiple national and multinational organizations and higher educational institutions. She is endorsed in Dale Carnegie’s human relations principles and communication skills, as well as public speaking & high impact presentation programs. She has been awarded as a best trainer of the year 2014 and 2015 consecutively under the theme “Igniting Enthusiasm in the Workplace”. She is a change driven expert who is passionate about transforming people’s lives through intensive coaching and mentoring techniques applied to enable not only senior and business leaders to overcome their challenges and have a greater breakthrough towards achieving their meaningful goals but also to nurture students’ academic and personal potentials to create self-motivated, civic minded, and inspirational future leaders who are empowered to become change agents and positive catalysts to the communities around them and to lead an intentional life and pursuit the ultimate goal of happiness and wellbeing. May has worked with a major network of distinguished corporate organizations, ministries, multinationals, governmental agencies and NGO’s and has been indulged in analyzing corporate market needs, developing customized corporate training programs, and providing consultancy services as part of her professional background, which gives her an edge in her earlier career since joining the AUC in 2005 as an Executive Training Officer at the School of Continuing Education’s Business Studies Division. She utilizes her abilities to establish and maintain effective professional development partnerships with AUC key stakeholders to promote high impact and multi-disciplinary mentoring activities, student competitions and entrepreneurial development initiatives that empower students to develop their identity and become self- driven and motivated learners.

Courses Taught by Sara Alaa