dr. Sandra Willis

Dr. Willis is a psychologist by profession with 20 years of experience in academic, government and non-government organizations engaging in teaching, mentoring, research, social policy and social development activities leading to leadership roles that emphasize turnaround strategies. A versatile professional consistently achieving goals and moving from vision, research, policy and strategy to implementation, she is adept at designing academic, social development and capacity building plans. 

 

Dr. Willis received her doctorate in Psychology with a specialization in intellectual & developmental disabilities and has worked in academia as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Zayed University and California State University Fullerton. In the private sector, she worked as a consultant in developing social services (early childhood development and early intervention centers and social enterprise development) and co-founded an inclusive early learning.

 

For the past 12 years Dr Willis was responsible for providing strategic advice on integrated social, health, and economic prosperity in Dubai via policy, legislative and programmatic recommendations – based on the Dubai Strategic Plans – including a Dubai-wide master plan for service delivery, human resources, partnership development and capital investment. The approach included applied research tools, rigorous analysis, monitoring and evaluation, to ensure that all strategies and policies are contextually appropriate, fiscally responsible, are evidence-based thereby meeting international standards. Specifically, she worked developing macro-level social development objectives by conducting comprehensive needs assessments measuring the current health and social status and needs of the population to inform policy development, including assessment of policy impact and cost-effectiveness. Some initiatives include the Dubai Disability, Mental Health, Early Childhood Development, Parenting and Vocational Education Strategies.