Leah Ben-Ami Named Executive Director for Foundations Forward

Assumption University today announced that Leah Ben-Ami has been named Executive Director for Foundations Forward, beginning in mid-October, following an extensive search led by The Ward Group. Ben-Ami currently serves as Director of the Solutions Lab at the Business-Higher Education Forum, where she leads efforts to connect faculty, employers, and students around work-integrated learning.

Ben-Ami brings 20 years of experience in higher education and workforce innovation, having built pathways that connect education, advising, mentorship, and employer partnerships. At Assumption, she will lead Foundations Forward, the University’s four-year approach to helping students explore their interests, develop durable skills, gain meaningful experience, and confidently step into their future. She will also oversee the Denecker Career Development & Internship Center.

“Leah has spent her career building exactly what Foundations Forward is meant to be: a path that treats career preparation as an essential part of a student’s holistic education from the very first semester,” said Provost Chad Rohman. “Moreover, she understands that meaningful work, grounded in a sense of vocation, is integral to a meaningful life. We are delighted to welcome her.”

At the Business-Higher Education Forum, Ben-Ami led a national cohort of 22 faculty fellows in translating industry insight into student learning experiences and convened employers to validate curriculum for new credentials. Before that, as Senior Education Designer at the Education Design Lab, she brought together more than 300 stakeholders to align curriculum and credentials with workforce demand.

Ben-Ami spent more than a decade at Northeastern University, where she taught in the Master of Science in Leadership program and held a series of program leadership roles, including Director of the Lowell Institute School. There, she launched the university’s first hybrid alumni, peer, and industry mentorship program, which connected 2,000 mentees with 920 mentors, and created an accelerated bachelor’s program in advanced manufacturing systems with General Electric and the American Council on Education. She also co-developed instructional design and training strategies with organizations including Google, Major League Baseball, and IBM with a focus on bachelor’s degree completion.

Foundations Forward builds on Foundations, Assumption’s signature program exploring enduring questions of truth, goodness, and beauty. Students move through four stages (Explore, Build, Engage, and Launch), supported throughout by a Foundations Forward team made up of an academic advisor, a career coach, and an alumni mentor. Ben-Ami joins the University as it expands the resources available for this work, including a new Director of Employer Partnerships and Career Pathways, two additional career coaches, and continued access to LinkedIn Learning for every student. The University is committed to ensuring that any student who wants an internship and is committed to having one will have one, with support from faculty, career coaches, alumni, and employer partners.

“Foundations Forward starts from a question I care deeply about: how do we help every student see the connection between what they are learning and the life they want to lead?” said Ben-Ami. “I am honored to join a community that takes that question seriously, and I look forward to working alongside students, faculty, alumni, and employers to answer it together.”

Ben-Ami holds a doctorate in higher education administration and a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Boston College.