By Ari Kaufman
AACRAO is pleased to announce that Melissa Manuel has been selected to be the Member at Large for the AACRAO Board of Directors Finance, Investments, and Audit Committee. Melissa is the incoming Registrar of NEOM University, Saudi Arabia’s new smart city flagship university. With 16 years of higher education experience, Melissa’s expertise is in developing robust institutional infrastructure built on best practices, data-informed decision-making, and innovative future readiness. Melissa previously served as the Associate Registrar at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Melissa earned her MBA in 2016 from the University of Northampton in England and is working toward her Ph.D. at Indiana State University, Melissa's doctoral research is focused on organizational culture and strategic planning in higher education. Her servant leadership philosophy aims to build collaborative relationships with registrarial stakeholders including faculty, staff, and students for transparent and agile strategic planning and implementation.
With 20 applicants for the Member at Large position, we had a very competitive selection process. AACRAO very much appreciates everyone who expressed interest and applied for this role and with the hope they will continue to pursue these and other leadership opportunities with AACRAO in the future.
The Member at Large will serve a three-year term and will provide insight on the annual audit, Form 990, requests for proposals (RFP), and AACRAO's investment strategy. Congratulations again to Melissa on her selection for this important and strategic role.