Candidate Profile for President-Elect

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Geneva Sedgwick, JD, LL.M

Director, University Summer Programs
Associate Professor of Business Law
Seattle University

Geneva (“Eva”) has 20 years of experience working in higher education. She has been the Director of University Summer Programs at Seattle University since 2017 and in that role is responsible for undergraduate summer enrollment and pre-collegial immersions, including an emerging bridge program for students from under-represented communities. She is tenured in the Albers School of Business and Economics and has taught in the Executive MBA, Professional MBA and undergraduate business programs. Recently she began designing and teaching online courses for SU and for Microsoft on its EDx platform. For both her teaching and scholarship, Eva has been honored with national awards, particularly for her innovation.

Eva believes her ongoing role as a faculty member gives her a unique perspective as a university administrator and has greatly enhanced her ability to be successful in this university leadership role. She also believes her legal education and experience as an attorney provide her an advantage in focusing on process and procedure that are necessary to think and act strategically as Director of University Summer Programs. Eva is a skilled negotiator and collaborator. She is passionate about contributing to the creative evolution of higher education.

Past leadership roles for Eva at Seattle University include serving on the Academic Senate, the Robert D. O’Brien Endowed Chair of Business and the Director of the Center for the Study of Justice in Society, as well as chairing University conferences, grants and curriculum development committees. She has also served as President and Conference Chair for the Pacific Northwest Academy of Legal Studies in Business. Eva has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Boston College; a JD from Villanova University School of Law; and an LL.M in International Law from New York University School of Law.

Geneva’s personal thoughts on NAASS

I am so enthusiastic about NAASS and our university’s membership in the organization! I truly believe summer and special sessions are the most innovative on our campuses, allowing us freedom to create opportunities for our students that help them learn and develop holistically; and to design partnerships across our university units and with community partners that help our institutions grow enrollment and our influence. Summer sessions invite creativity in interdisciplinary degrees, blending the humanities and professional studies; specializations and courses in emerging technologies. I believe the administrators leading summer and special sessions are positioned to be leaders for the future of a rapidly evolving higher education. 

I have been mentored and inspired by NAASS leaders and members from both state and private institutions. I feel so grateful for this experience and I would be honored to serve in a leadership capacity as we continue to grow NAASS and the prominence of summer and special sessions in higher education.

Geneva’s vision for NAASS if she’s elected, including the goals she would focus on during her time as President and how they would help advance NAASS in achieving its mission

Higher education is rapidly evolving. Shifting demographics and antiquated business models are inspiring us to vision new paradigms for student success. I sincerely believe that Summer Sessions is the birthplace for the creativity urgently needed for our institutions to thrive in the next era. I call this “progressive innovation,” and I propose that NAASS is positioned to lead us in this effort. 

Progressive innovation comes naturally to Summer Sessions administrators. I will work with our leadership team to help Summer Sessions gain more visibility and influence as NAASS charts a new course in higher education. This includes the design and implementation of practices that support and advocate for all members, as well as new ways to engage our members so that we all benefit from shared expertise and shared governance as we imagine novel approaches to summer programming. 

There is a wealth of talent in our organization. We are an ambitious cohort who strive to grow our respective institutions, yet NAASS is collaborative. We have a strong foundation built on unification. This makes us unique in the world of competitive academics. Let’s use this strength to execute effective ways to advocate and support each other’s work so that Summer Sessions at each of our universities can take the lead in progressive innovation for the next era of higher education