CEO and Executive Director
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Fanta Aw, PhD, is NAFSA's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. An engaged NAFSA member and member-leader since 1996, Aw has deep experience in both international education and higher education administration. Aw previously served the association as President and Chair of the Board of Directors from 2013–2016, the longest tenure of any individual in that role in NAFSA’s history. In 2018, she received the NAFSA International Education Award for Distinguished Service.
Aw spent both her academic and professional careers at American University in Washington, D.C. She came to AU as an international student from Mali and earned multiple degrees there: BS in accounting, MA in public administration with a focus in organizational development, and PhD in sociology with a focus in international education, social stratification, and transnational migration. Aw held many leadership positions in her decades at AU, most recently vice president of undergraduate enrollment, campus life, and inclusive excellence.
An award-winning teacher, Aw served as the Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer at AU’s School of International Service, teaching courses on managing exchange programs; the theory and practice of international student advising; and globalization, migration, and the emergence of transnational education. Aw sits on the Global Advisory Board of Times Higher Education and previously chaired the board of ETS TOEFL. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to international educational exchange, diversity and inclusion in higher education, and U.S. immigration. Her research interests include the political economy of international education; transnational migration and diaspora communities; and race relations.
NAFSA Annual Business Meeting and Town Hall
Thursday, May 29, 2025
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM PST