Asma holds a B.Sc in Child Development and Family Relationships from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. in Special Education with a specialization in Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders from Columbia University (New York).

She is a teacher at heart and by profession and has spent most of her career in the classroom. Asma has worked with children with and without disabilities, from early childhood through adolescence, both in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. She has undergone extensive training in child development, teaching pedagogy, behavioral modification, Applied Behavioral Analysis, development of individualized programs, and diagnosis and assessment.

After teaching for some years, Asma’s passion for education led her to transition into the public sector with the goal of impacting inclusion from the top-down.

 

 

Her work at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority included engaging with stakeholders, conducting research, developing programs and strategies for education reform, with much time spent focusing on the development of early childhood education and inclusive education opportunities and policies, including standards for service, practice and professional development.

Asma has 10 years of experience across NGOs, educational and government organizations working towards the goal of achieving education for all. She has worked with a large number of schools in Dubai and provided advice on supporting and promoting opportunities for students with exceptionalities. She is a highly goal-oriented professional with experiences that encompass operations and delivery, as well as program development and monitoring.

Dr. Sandra Willis’ passion and curiosity for people, communities and humanity led her to pursue and attain her master and doctorate degrees in Cognitive Psychology. She has over 10 years experience in academic and government organizations in the US (California State University, Fullerton) and the UAE engaging in teaching, mentoring, research (Zayed University, Michigan State University Dubai), and community development activities (Knowledge & Human Development Authority, Community Development Authority & Dubai Health Authority) leading to leadership roles that emphasize turnaround strategies with international, government and non-government organizations. A versatile professional consistently achieving goals and moving from vision, research, policy and strategy to implementation, she is adept at designing academic, social development and capacity building plans for the benefit of all. She continuously strives to bridge the gap between the ivory tower (academia) and the real world mainly by examining how persons function in and are treated by the world, which led her to work to change both. More importantly, Sandra is a mother of 2 - Mia & Jad - who continuously inspire
her to achieve more as a mother, a citizen and a professional!