As St. Francis College’s Vice President for Internationalization and Strategic Initiatives, Reza Fakhari seeks out and establishes new relationships for SFC with institutions and businesses in the United States and abroad – creating opportunities for co-curricular learning for current SFC students and pathways to enroll more students from countries outside the U.S.

Fakhari also works with faculty and staff to help ensure the College maintains a global perspective in its academic curriculum and in its campus life. He teaches an Honors course on Diplomacy as well.

Before joining SFC in 2018, Fakhari served for 30 years at two colleges of the City University of New York: first as professor and dean at LaGuardia Community College and then as dean, associate provost, and vice president at Kingsborough Community College.

Fakhari was elected to the AIUSA (Amnesty International) Board of Directors in 2014 and served for three years as Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of Governance Committee. He chaired the AIUSA Human Rights Working Group on Strategy and Impact in 2017-18. He still serves as a Director. He also serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of Global Citizenship Alliance.

Fakhari earned a Ph.D., with Honors, in International Relations from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He received his B.A. in Chemistry (with a minor in Sociology) from Winona University in Minnesota.