Staff Spotlight: John Abi-Najm
In December, the Department of Performance Studies hired a new Executive Assistant, John Abi-Najm. He is our most recent addition and has already made huge strides in the span of three short months. Mr. Abi-Najm is a San Diego native and has a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences (studying history) from San Diego State University. Personally, working with Abi-Najm day to day I see firsthand how he has helped the department through his organizational skills and broad technical knowledge that address a variety of problems and challenges. He’s skilled in finance, management, and event planning, each of which are important when one is tasked with using logistics in service of the big picture.
In an interview, I asked Abi-Najm why he chose a position in the Department of Performance Studies at Texas A&M. He mentioned his wife’s contentment as an A&M staff member as well as the learning opportunities involved in working in such a dynamic department: “No other Executive Assistant position gets you this opportunity to learn all the software needed to run a department.” Besides working, temporarily, not only as Executive Assistant, but also Business Coordinator and Administrative Coordinator, the most invigorating part of John’s job, in his view, is the opportunity to see, close at hand, the world of performance from many angles and see it come to life in departmental productions after having helped set the stage. Since he is the newest addition to the team, I asked Abi-Najm what he wished his colleagues in the program knew about him and he stated, “The first thing I want people to say when they think of me is, ‘amazing service, always eager to help right away.’” John Abi-Najm is a strong, invaluable addition to the department and is exactly who Performance Studies needs during this time of change and development.
