Dr. Fanta Aw serves as Chief Executive Officer of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the world’s largest and most comprehensive international education association.  With close to 11,000 members representing over 5,000 institutions in over 150 countries.   

A former NAFSA president and board chair, she is dedicated to advancing international education and exchange and addressing pivotal issues shaping the global landscape. Dr. Aw is a sought-after keynote speaker on internationalization, global education trends, geopolitics, public policy, and immigration. A champion for innovation and transformation in higher education, she underscores the importance of humanity coexisting with technology and the social responsibility of educators to prepare and nurture the next generation of empathetic leaders. Dr. Aw is a sociologist who has spent more than three decades at American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., in executive leadership roles and as a Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer, in the School of International Service.   

She also serves on several influential boards, including World Education Services, the Times Higher Education International Education Advisory Board, and The Education World Forum, among others. She has been profiled in major media outlets including the New York Times, the Economist, Forbes, CNN, Agence France Press, the Middle East Broadcast Corporation, China Daily, Bloomberg, Al-Jazeera, among others.  

Originally from Mali, Dr. Aw has lived in both East and West Africa as well as the United States, gaining a broad and diverse cultural perspective. Her passion for global experiences has led her to explore more than 70  countries.