Administration

Dean Mostov joined NYU in August 2017 as the first woman Dean of Liberal Studies, bringing years of experience in global engagement, deep grounding in the liberal arts, and a commitment to interdisciplinary research and teaching. A political theorist by training, Dean Mostov is a well-known scholar on Southeastern Europe, having completed her first graduate degree from the University of Belgrade and her Ph.D. in Politics from NYU. Her research explores notions of soft borders and transnational citizenship, and focuses on the politics of national identity, sovereignty, citizenship, and gender. She has published numerous scholarly articles and books, including Power, Process, and Popular Sovereignty and Soft Borders: Rethinking Sovereignty and Democracy.

Jeffrey S. Lehman is the founding vice chancellor of NYU Shanghai. He has previously been president of Cornell University, dean of the University of Michigan Law School, and founding dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law. He has also served as chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. He is an honorary citizen of Shanghai and a recipient of China’s Friendship Award. In 2018 China named him one of the forty “most influential foreign experts” during the country’s first forty years of “reform and opening up.”

Adedamola Osinulu, Clinical Associate Professor, joined LS in 2015 and regularly teaches African Global Cultures, Global Works and Society in a Changing World, and Global Works and Society, Modernity. His academic career and scholarship are motivated by a strong, life-long commitment to the peoples of the African Continent. He earned his MA and PhD in Culture and Performance from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Culture and was the recipient of a fellowship from the Michigan Society of Fellows. Prior to his graduate studies, he worked professionally as an architect and gained additional credentials in Project Management after joining NYU. In LS, he has distinguished himself not only as a teacher and scholar but also as an engaged colleague and an enthusiastic participant in LS's efforts to globalize and decenter our curriculum.  

Allison Michaud, MA, MBA is Director of Global Programs at Liberal Studies. As director, Allison manages the global programs and experiences for Liberal Studies Core and Global Liberal Studies students. This includes First Year Away programs at four global sites, Florence, London, Madrid, and Washington, DC. Allison also oversees program development across the NYU sites, supporting a highly mobile population of globally and economically diverse students.

Previously, Allison worked at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and the Stern School of Business. She earned a BA in politics and journalism from the NYU College of Arts and Science, an MA in higher education administration from NYU Steinhardt, and most recently, an MBA from the Stern School of Business.

Jonathon White earned his M.B.A. from the NYU Stern School of Business and his B.A. from Cornell University. His career has been dedicated to student affairs in higher education, including academic advising and support, study abroad and international programs, internship and career services, student engagement and activities, honors programs and fellowships, admissions and recruitment, and financial aid. Originally from Flint, Michigan, Jon has lived in New York City since 1998 and has previously worked at institutions such as The New School and NYU Stern School of Business. Jon joined Liberal Studies in 2015.

Kevin Bonney is Assistant Dean of Faculty Development and Program Advancement and Clinical Associate Professor in Liberal Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Northwestern University, where his research focused on Chagas disease. Since then his primary scholarly focus has shifted to biology education research and the scholarship of teaching and learning, and has led to publication of a book and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles.

D Simmons Jendayi is an organizational development strategist, dedicated to building inclusive communities focused on the most marginalized among us. She is Director of Strategic Initiatives at Liberal Studies. In this culture-shifting role, she serves as Chief of Staff and directs priority schoolwide initiatives on behalf of the Dean, including strategic goals and partnerships; signature events; justice, diversity and inclusion; development and alumni relations; as well as visibility and recognition.

D is the past Chair of the NYU Administrative Management Council (AMC) and was recognized with NYU’s Distinguished Administrator Award in 2021. She has shaped her higher education career to focus on helping minoritized staff, students, faculty, and alumni thrive—especially those at predominantly white institutions that were not intended for them. She earned an MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from NYU and a BA in Organizational Communication with a focus on Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from Stanford University.

Diane Geng joined NYU Shanghai in 2011. She oversees undergraduate special programs and founded and directs the Office for Community-Engaged Learning. Diane is a strong advocate for academic experiential and service-learning. With a deep commitment to community engagement, she has started local initiatives to promote quality education in rural China, place-based education programs, and community-based academic partnerships between the university and the surrounding environment.