By Susan Hoffman
Edge Managing Editor
On September 1, Nuno Fernandes officially took up his duties as the University’s new President. Mr. Fernandes, the fifth president in university history, has taken over from Acting President Dr. Katherine Zatz.
To welcome Mr. Fernandes to his new role, a reception with some of the University’s Board of Directors, staff and faculty was held at the Finance Center in Charles Town, West Virginia. In his speech, Mr. Fernandes said, “I am both humbled and honored to serve the exceptional students at this remarkable University, and I look forward to working closely with our faculty and staff.”
A Strong Background in Leadership, Online Higher Education and Business
Mr. Fernandes brings a wealth of leadership, online higher education and business experience to the University. Prior to his arrival, he served as President and CEO of Ilumno, a Miami-based organization providing an operational platform to 17 prestigious higher education institutions in 10 countries.
He has also served in other leadership positions, including as the General Manager of Overseas Leisure Group and the Vice President of Marketing, Branding and Product Management at Bosch. In addition to working in Florida, Mr. Fernandes has worked in Mexico, Brazil, and Portugal and is trilingual in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
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Degrees and Awards
Mr. Fernandes holds a B.S. in economics from the University of Porto in Portugal and a M.B.A. in marketing from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He has also participated in executive education programs such as the Executive Education, Leadership and Change Management program at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and the Executive Education, Business Strategy program at Harvard Business School.
Mr. Fernandes has won two awards for his expertise. He is the 2019 recipient of ACQ5’s “Gamechanger of the Year” Global Award and the winner of the 2018 ICON Award (Impact Category), recognizing the marketing executive with the most impact in the United States.
“We’re excited about our bright future with Nuno Fernandes at the helm,” said Frank Ball, Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees. “We’re confident that his leadership and expertise will help us continue making online higher education more accessible to adult learners.”
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