Administrative Operations
About Our Team
Administrative Operations has three distinct centers of expertise:
- Administrative Support Team
- Training and Organizational Learning
- Project Management
Administrative Support Services
The Administrative Support Team operates in a portfolio model where a group of administrators provides day-to-day administrative and department support to multiple affiliated leaders and departments. Administrative managers, senior coordinators, and coordinators provide a continuum of administrative and operational support to leaders and departments, including calendar and inbox management, travel, expenses, meeting logistics, procurement, facilities, onboarding, records, and on-site coordination. More senior roles also provide specialized executive support, coordinate with Finance and HR, manage stakeholder relationships, and serve as strategic partners on departmental priorities. Full model expected to be in place by November 2026.
The team serves the following departments and senior leaders within these departments.
Departments reporting to the FAS Dean:
- FAS Communications & Marketing
- Academic Affairs
- Office of Academic Culture and Community
- Office of the Secretary of the Faculty
Departments reporting to the FAS Dean for Administration and Finance:
- Administrative Operations
- Faculty and Academic Support Services
- FAS Dean for Administration and Finance
- FAS Finance
- FAS Human Resources
- FAS Office of Research Administration
- Office of Physical Resources and Planning
Training and Organizational Learning
Training and Organizational Learning builds the administrative capabilities of the FAS community by providing role-based training, practical resources, and individualized support on key systems, policies, and processes. The team also identifies emerging learning needs and develops consistent learning pathways that strengthen proficiency and standardize ways of working across the FAS. This team is fully operational.
Project Management
Project Management supports the launch of FAS-wide projects and is involved in planning and executing strategic initiatives related to the Dean for Administration and Finance’s priorities. This team is fully operational.
Our Core Services
- Scheduling meetings with FAS Leadership, including leadership in key functional teams like Human Resources, Finance, Communications, or Academic Affairs
- Offering role-based training on FAS administrative systems, policies, and processes
- Creating and maintaining job aids, learning pathways, and administrator resources
- Sitting on university governance, policy and engagement committees
- Convening FAS governance groups
- Maintaining a current project roadmap for FAS projects
- Identifying recurring service issues and opportunities to improve processes or develop additional training
Related Resources
A few common requests fall outside Administrative Operations, but here's where to find help:
- Onboarding staff within academic departments
- Managing local academic department or divisional strategic projects
- University research compliance trainings or lab safety trainings, such as trainings through the Office of Sponsored Programs, EH&S, or Research Compliance
- Divisional Dean’s offices, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), The Division of Continuing Education (DCE), Athletics, Library or Museums administrative support
- IT Systems training or upskilling (e.g. SharePoint training)
How to Work With Us
Colleagues can reach our team by contacting adminops@fas.harvard.edu, or by reaching out to a specific contact below. For scheduling requests, please contact the administrative coordinator listed below.
The current training schedule or curriculum can be found here.
A library of training resources, including orientations to the new administrative model, can be found here.
Key Contacts & Team Structure
Key Contacts
| Name | Title | Coverage Area |
|---|---|---|
Associate Dean for Administrative Operations | Administrative Operations | |
Senior Director of Administrative Operations | Administrative Support Services, Training and Organizational Learning | |
Manager of Training and Education | Training and Organizational Learning | |
Senior Director of Project Management | Project Management |
Administrative Support Contacts
Our administrative support model will provide departments and leaders with a named point of contact for their administrative support needs. Our administrative support teams will support portfolios of departments and leaders with overlap and affinity, ensuring that coverage can be consistently backed up across the portfolio. The resource below reflects coverage including but not limited to the assignments known at the start of our transition period in October 2026.
| Administrative Manager | Administrative Support Team Primary Contacts | Departments Served |
|---|---|---|
Dean for Administration and Finance, Administrative Operations, Faculty Support Services, Office of Physical Resources and Planning | ||
| ||
Bridget Duffy Starts Oct. 26, 2026 | Senior Coordinator (2) - vacant Dayla Umana | Academic Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, FAS Communications, Office of Academic Culture and Community |
| ||
FAS Office of Research Administration, FAS Finance, FAS Human Resources |
New Organizational Design
By October 13.
Live systems training covering B2P, Concur, Aurora, PeopleSoft, HART, Chart of Accounts, and Financial Journals are available on a monthly training cycle, and the ASAP training team is creating HTP curriculums for each administrative role.
One-on-one and small group trainings can be arranged to meet specific or time-sensitive needs: contact rapidresponse@fas.harvard.edu to schedule.
Yes. Starting January 2027, project-based Operational Excellence support will be available to diagnose and develop plans for process and service improvement.