Leadership

The University of New Haven – Riyadh is led by a team of experienced academic and administrative leaders committed to delivering a world-class American education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

For the University's teaching faculty, see Our Faculty. For our campus non-teaching staff, see Campus Team.

University President

Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D.

President, University of New Haven

Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., joined the University of New Haven on 1 March 2024 as its seventh president. He is an innovative higher education leader with extensive experience in many facets of higher education administration, including enrollment management, fundraising, and academic/corporate pathways.

A native of Denmark who grew up in Luxembourg and lived throughout Europe, he holds a Ph.D. in contemporary political theory and comparative politics from Vanderbilt University.

Before joining the University, Dr. Frederiksen served at Fisk University in Nashville as Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management, where he established landmark partnerships with Vanderbilt University, HCA Healthcare, the Los Angeles Lakers and Marsh McLennan, among others.

Since taking office, he has spearheaded one of the most significant land acquisitions in the University’s century-long history and secured approval to open its first international branch campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Full biography

Riyadh Campus Leadership

Leo Lester, Ph.D., M.A. (Oxon.), CFA

Senior Vice President for NHU -Riyadh

Dr. Leo Lester serves as Senior Vice President for NHU-Riyadh for the University of New Haven, leading all strategic, operational and academic aspects of the Riyadh campus. Based in Riyadh for much of the past 13 years, he is a specialist in building new institutional capabilities from the ground up, delivering transformative change in complex, multicultural environments across higher education, government and the private sector.

Dr. Lester maintains extensive relationships across Saudi government ministries and national institutions, including the ministries of education, investment, communication and IT, and sport. He led the work to establish the campus, which resulted in the first ever granting of consent to establish an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia, and the Kingdom’s first US university branch campus. His earlier leadership of landmark programs at KAPSARC and the King Fahd Security College built deep networks across the Kingdom’s government and institutional landscape.

He holds a BA (Hons) from Christ Church, University of Oxford, a Ph.D. from the University of Reading, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM). His international career spans the UK, Hong Kong, China, India, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Full biography

Mohammed Alshagawi, Ph.D.

Riyadh Campus Dean

Mohammed Alshagawi, Ph.D., is the Campus Dean of the University of New Haven’s Riyadh campus in Saudi Arabia. He is an experienced higher education leader with extensive expertise in academic administration, strategic management, program development, institutional planning, accreditation, and international partnerships.

Before joining the University of New Haven, Dr. Alshagawi served as a member of the founding team of the KAPSARC School of Public Policy, the first school of public policy in Saudi Arabia. He played a key role in developing the School’s academic programs, policies, and faculty, including the Master of Public Policy, working with leading scholars in public policy from top U.S. public policy schools. He also helped establish international academic partnerships and contributed to planning the School’s new campus and academic facilities. He previously served in several senior leadership positions at King Faisal University, including Dean of the College of Business and Director of International Cooperation.

As a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Smith College, Dr. Alshagawi taught an interdisciplinary course on women and work in Saudi Arabia, bridging academic and cultural perspectives between the U.S. and the Kingdom.

As Campus Dean, Dr. Alshagawi is responsible for the academic leadership of NHU-Riyadh, ensuring the campus delivers the University’s standards of teaching, scholarship, and student experience in the Kingdom.