Natalie Cruz
Natalie Irby Cruz is the Associate Director of Global Strategies and Initiatives. In this role, she leads the implementation of initiatives to advance Emory’s global strategies.
Natalie has held a variety of faculty and administrator roles in higher education in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, including as an Assistant Professor of Education at Charleston Southern University, a research and teaching assistant at Old Dominion University, a faculty advisor and instructor at Zayed University, the Director of International Student Life at Emory, and the Assistant Principal of the Capstone Scholars Program at the University of South Carolina.
Natalie has published and presented her research and work extensively, and her research focuses on new modes of global student mobility, increasing access to international education experiences, and entrepreneurship in international education. She has studied, researched, lived, traveled, and led student travel to over 50 countries with longer engagements in the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, and Scotland. She also holds leadership positions within several global organizations, including as the Cross-Border Narratives Editor for the Journal of International Students and the Director of Cross Border Initiatives for the STAR Scholars Network. She earned a Ph.D. in Education from Old Dominion University, an M.Ed in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina, and a BA in Psychology from Clemson University.