Dr. Lance de Masi is the President of The American University in Dubai. His career bridges experience as an academic and practicing communications professional. Prior to joining the University in February of 1997 as its Dean and Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Humanities (he had taught part-time at the University since its opening in 1995), Dr. de Masi held various high-level management positions in the US, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, the UK; and most recently, Dubai with the IMPACT/BBDO advertising agency where he served for six years as Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. Dr. de Masi’s tenure as President of the university has witnessed AUD’s transformation from a small, up-start operation to an institution of higher learning of substantial size and credible academic reputation. Dr. de Masi holds Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration (Marketing) degrees, the latter two from Indiana University where in the mid-seventies he was an Associate Instructor. In 1997, he was granted a Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Schiller International University. Dr. de Masi’s articles and speeches on marketing and advertising-related disciplines are noteworthy for their candor, insight and passion for subject areas to which he has dedicated numerous years of ponderous consideration. With the objective of remaining close to students and up-to-date in his academic discipline, Dr. de Masi offers a senior course in Marketing Communications each year. He served as President of the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) for seven years, from 2007 to 2014. While American by birth, Dr. de Masi is fluent in several languages. This is explained by his European ancestry, undergraduate and graduate work in European Language and Literature and extended periods of residence in Europe.

Business Administration