Dr. Areej Shafai
Director of Center for Executive Education / Assistant Professor
Dr. Areej Abdullah Shafai is a Director of Executive Education Center (Khobar), an Assistant Professor in Business College, a Researcher in the fields of Leadership and Management and a peer reviewer in a SCOPUS-indexed journal. Dr. Shafai is a member of the American Academy of Project Management (AAPM), in which she earned an international designation as a Certified International Change Manager (CICM). She is also a Certified Professional in International Human Resources from Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), which has made her a professional expert in delivering trainings for public and private sectors. Dr. Shafai holds a PhD in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco (2018) and a Master's degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Stanislaus (2014), and has worked in several institutions of higher education in the United States and Saudi Arabia in various fields and departments including, programs assessment, research, international student services, training and development, international and local partnerships, business development, and teaching undergraduate and graduate programs.
As Dr. Shafai has taught in different countries and institutions prior joining Al Yamamah University, she masters and appreciates differences in cultures, policies, business models and systems, which positively have influenced her career in managing different work environments and leading diverse people.
The diverse combinations of experiences gained globally have given her solid experiences, strong academic background, advanced knowledge of issues related to the strategic vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2030, and in-depth knowledge of intercultural communication. Her mentality and international perspective enabled her to master the art of communicating with others professionally, analyzing the work environment critically, and creating solutions and proposals creatively.
As a volunteer work, Dr. Shafai participated in a weekend school in the United States to teach foreign students the language. She also worked with international students as a consultant, helping them with the procedures and requirements of the Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission and the admission process for universities abroad. In addition, she has volunteered in developing and implementing an English language program for various English language institutions in the Bay Area, California. Moreover, she participated in the Teacher Performance Evaluation Project that was implemented in California to assess the teaching skills of numerous primary school teachers.
Dr. Shafai is the author of several publications in reputable peer-reviewed articles, in which she explored the concept of servant leadership in Saudi Arabia, analyzed privatization in Saudi higher education institutions, and investigated the concept of abuse of authority in the workplace. In addition, she investigated the inherited culture concept in leadership, and looked into the impact of international certifications on career advancement.
Dr. Shafai is an active participant in international events and conferences as a keynote speaker presenting various topics and themes related to management, international qualifications and certifications, and human resources. Her research interests are leadership, change management, organizational behavior, strategic management, human resources, business environment, training, research and development.