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CUNY SPH is delighted to announce the appointment of Jaclyn (Jackie) Novak to the administration as senior associate dean for administration, effective Monday, May 4.
Jackie is a higher education leader and scholar-practitioner with more than twenty years of progressive experience in academic administration, finance, and operations at public and mission-driven institutions. She joins us from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, where she served as the senior administrative and financial officer for the university’s largest academic unit.
Jackie has led cross-functional initiatives spanning curriculum and strategic academic planning, faculty affairs, space utilization, enterprise systems implementation, and operational redesign, with a consistent focus on accountability and long-term sustainability. Prior to joining Montclair State University, she spent more than a decade at The New School for Public Engagement, where she supported student services, academic operations, and strategic initiatives to advance institutional change.
A first-generation college student, Jackie brings a deeply student-centered and equity-informed perspective to her professional practice. She holds a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Rutgers University and master’s degrees in psychology and anthropology from The New School for Social Research.
She is currently a PhD student in family science and human development at Montclair State University, where her research examines peer mentoring, sense of belonging, and student success among first-generation college students. She also serves as a graduate research assistant with the Institute for Research on Youth Thriving and Evaluation (RYTE) in the College for Community Health at Montclair State University, contributing to applied research in positive youth development, program evaluation, and community-engaged scholarship. Jackie has taught courses as an adjunct faculty member in education, psychology, and cultural anthropology.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jackie to the administration,” says Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. “Her experience and expertise in academic administration, finance, and operations will be a tremendous asset to our growing school.”
