Cynthia-Maria Ghobril Andrea

Director of the Fondation USJ

Effective July 1, 2020, Mrs. Cynthia-Maria Ghobril Andrea has been appointed Director of the Fondation USJ , whose mission is to develop a fundraising strategy to support the University’s development and outreach, as well as to foster a philanthropic culture within the USJ Community.

Cynthia Ghobril Andrea has 25 years of experience leading USJ’s Department of Publications and Communication. She is an expert in corporate and event communications, public relations, and brand management.

She established the USJ Department of Publications and Communication in 1995, which she led until 2020. She oversaw the University’s media, editorial, and visual strategy and accompanied USJ’s communications and brand management campaigns while leading a team of 16 people covering communications, graphic design, web, press, and social networks.

She has a diploma of proficiency in the professional practice of mediation, from the Professional Mediation Center of USJ and IFOMENE (Institut de Formation à la Médiation et à la Négociation), an MBA in Business Management – IAE Paris-Sorbonne, Paris Dauphine and USJ joint-degree IAE Paris-Sorbonne, and a MA in Sociology and Public Relations from the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences (FLSH) of USJ.

Cynthia also holds a Professional Diploma in Communication from CELSA (Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication), Paris IV-Sorbonne, France, and joined ARCES (Association des responsables de communication de l’enseignement supérieur) in 2002, and then EUPRIO (Association des responsables des relations publiques et de l’information des universités européennes) in 2009, actively participating in seminars, master classes, and European research. Since February 2020, she has participated in professional fundraising and philanthropy training courses, as well as membership in the French Association of Fundraisers (AFF) and CASE Institute.

The French Republic bestowed upon her the insignia of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques in 2011.