I am a relationship-driven leader working to build community, develop new programs and enhance visibility in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Arts programs. I am a Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The American University in Cairo.

My research and creative work look at drama, art and participatory action research as tools to build community, equality, and identity.

I have developed numerous community-based arts and education programs across the world in the US, Egypt, India, Sweden, Brazil and the Philippines. My academic writing covers diverse topics, spanning areas including documentary theatre in the Middle East, popular education in social work practices, intersections of realism and hyperbole in Indian theatre and film and arts-based ethnographic research. My work has been honored by the American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center, the Times Higher Education, the Superfest Media and PBS Independent Lens Awards and the European Union Social Fund.

I studied extensively with Augusto Boal, delivered a TEDx talk in Mumbai, wrote and produced the film The Puzzle Club and the PBS television documentary The Making of the Puzzle Club and created the first Arabic language anti-sexual harassment training videos for university students. My books include Acting Successful (2015), Western Theatre in Global Contexts: directing and teaching culturally inclusive drama around the world (Routledge, 2020) and It’s Not Your Fault: five new plays on sexual harassment in Egypt (AUC Press, 2023) which is available in both English and Arabic.