SCE Continued Leadership of the Essential ETAD

While many in The American University in Cairo's (AUC) community have been of service for over a decade, and sometimes two, few have given an astounding 35 years of passion, quality, and enhancement as Azza Daoud of the School of Continuing Education (SCE). This year, she made the difficult decision of early retirement, passing on the directorship mantle of SCE’s Evaluation, Testing, and Assessments Department (ETAD) to the evermore driven and equipped Amr Fahim.

In a farewell gathering, Fahim reflected on the valuable lessons he had learned from Daoud. Starting from his interview when they spoke for nearly three hours and he understood that he would be fortunate with a manager that shares her knowledge. True to his expectation, he reflects his experience under her leadership, “Technically, there’s no doubt she boosted my understanding of managing a dynamic department like ETAD. Her remarkable work ethic is simply inspiring. She makes you feel like you’re not working alone. I knew could reach out to her anytime and that she would be supportive.”

Daoud began her journey back when SCE was called the Center for Adult and Continued Education in 1986 as a computer assistant. Her exceptional attention to detail, solution-oriented mindset, and supportive attitude qualified her to jump the ranks to IT Supervisor, followed by technical development specialist, and then assistant division director for regular programs before her final destination at SCE in ETAD. Meanwhile, she was not only also an instructor at SCE, but she also pursued the MBA with a concentration in information systems from AUC and her PhD in computer science and information. An exemplification of the ‘super-mama’ gene, Daoud is also a loving mother to her daughter.

For those that are less familiar with ETAD, the unit not only services AUC and external organizations in Egypt and abroad, as well as individual test-takers but is also the gateway to most of SCE’s programs to determine placement level and program evaluation. So, its prompt transition online in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic was essential and thankfully in good hands given Daoud’s substantial IT background. Also recently, she led the development of the first standardized Arabic language test that is aligned with international benchmarks. In addition, she managed SCE’s extensive reaccreditation processes from the International Association for Continuing Education and Training. Over the course of her service, she managed over 200 testing projects, developed more than 550 proposals to external organizations, introduced 14 IT career program certificates and over 75 IT-based individual courses that resulted in an outstanding 325% increase in income for customized IT programs, and in ETAD an increase of approximately 150%

The new ETAD Director, Fahim assumes the role with several years under Daoud’s leadership and an exceptional track record prior to joining SCE. An engineer by training whose career took off in quality at ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB), a Swiss multinational technology corporation. Before long, the Total Quality Management and Six Sigma Master Black Belt holder were leading the Middle East and Africa (MENA) Quality and Operational Excellence. The mastermind recognized the added value he could add to the staff and overall operations by leveraging the resources of the company’s training services. Fahim’s oversight on assessments and evaluations of tailormade check-instruments and overall performance garnered the attention of senior management that earned him multiple international assignments. He came back to Egypt in 2016 and was a quality assurance and processes consultant before finding a home in SCE. His vision for ETAD is ambitious but right in his wheelhouse, “I plan to expand our services in testing and evaluation inside and outside Egypt. As a unit, we are well-structured and can effectively manage to offer our services both remotely and on the ground abroad for our current suite as well as new, customized programs. AUC is synonymous with quality. Our services at ETAD are not only reliable and validated, but they are also competitively appraised, especially for an international entity, the package becomes quite attractive.”

Fahim has the good fortune to build off the legacy and leadership of Daoud with the resounding support of the ETAD, SCE, and the wider AUC. He can be reached by email on [email protected] for congratulatory messages or business inquiries.