valentini pappa

Program Director of New Academic Initiatives, Georgetown University in Qatar

Ambassador

Valentini Pappa is an accomplished professional with over 17 years of experience in university-level educational environments in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. As the Program Director of New Academic Initiatives at Georgetown University in Qatar, she fosters innovative programs and designs curricula with a focus on environmental sustainability, energy education, and global challenges. She also teaches a course on the global energy transition, helping to prepare students for dynamic energy sector developments.

Before joining Georgetown University in Qatar, Pappa had a seven-year tenure at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and another three years at Texas A&M University at Qatar. She led graduate studies and energy workforce initiatives that highlighted a commitment to fostering a skilled learning atmosphere with a creative and forward-thinking mentality, equality, and increased diversity for undergraduate and graduate-level students. In addition, she spearheaded Texas A&M Energy Institute’s collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to organize, manage, and host the annual C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium. Other collaborative efforts with organizations such as DOE underscore a passion for addressing climate change, food security, and the water–energy–food nexus. Pappa has also worked on several projects—both within and outside academia—related to climate change and food security in Europe.

Pappa is a co-editor of Energy Education in a Transitioning World. She holds a PhD in Environmental Sustainability and an MSc in Environmental Science from The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, as well as certificates in change management, project management, project leadership, and higher education teaching.