Sharon Hakakian Bergman is the Associate Director of Academic Programs at New York University’s Abu Dhabi Institute, a major hub of scholarly and creative activity, advanced research, and higher education in the Gulf, where she has worked for the last 10 years. She completed her Master of Business Administration at NYU’s Stern School of Business with specializations in Strategy and Leadership & Change Management and her Master of Arts degree at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in global affairs and public health with a focus on the Middle East. She received her Bachelor of Arts from NYU’s College of Arts and Science in Journalism and Middle Eastern Studies and spent a summer studying at Tel Aviv University. Sharon has served on a number of non-profit boards including ACCESS, the American Jewish Committee’s young leadership program, as well as her elementary Jewish day school Gottesman RTW Academy in New Jersey.