Dr. Megahed has worked in higher education for over thirty-five years.  As an educational entrepreneur, her passion is building innovative student-centered organizations focused on student success and empowering our most marginalized populations to achieve social and economic mobility through education.

Since 2010, Megahed has served as the 11th president of National Louis University, a 137-year-old institution recognized for its leadership in professional preparation across a broad set of disciplines and for its commitment to closing the post-secondary attainment gap through cost-effective scalable models of education.   

Dr. Megahed earned her bachelor degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her master and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology were earned at the University of Rochester. 

She serves as the Finance and Investment Committee Chair for Chicago Public Media; serves as Vice Chair, Partnership for College Completion; and is a Fellow of Complete College America. She is the former Board Chair of the University of Arizona Global Campus. Dr. Megahed is also a member of The Chicago Network, The Economic Club of Chicago, and The Commercial Club. She has been sought out internationally to present on issues related to the democratization of education, women in leadership, innovation in education, and closing the achievement gap.