023: Gabriella Ganugi - President & CEO, Florence University of the Arts – The American University of Florence

Gabriella Ganugi is an architect and the founder of Florence University of the Arts – The American University of Florence, an institution for higher education situated in 6 campus locations in the historic center of Florence, Italy. FUA-AUF currently collaborates with over 140 colleges and universities worldwide. The institution features a distinct educational model developed by Gabriella and copyrighted in Italy where learning is integrated in and supported by community engagement.

Community-facing projects are grouped under the university’s non-profit foundation and include the Palazzi Community Center (an intercultural and intergenerational space for the Florentine community opened during the pandemic in Fall 2020), Fedora Pastry Shop, Sorgiva Spa, Dimora Guest Apartments, Pomario Botanical Retail Store, Ganzo Restaurant, the exhibition galleries Corridoio Fiorentino and F_AIR (which includes a residency program for artists), the fashion store FLY, CCIS Center for Cultural and Italian Studies, FUA-AUF’s university press Ingorda, and EntrepreLearn Lab.

Gabriella is the recipient of the 2010 AIAE Association of Italian American Educators “Educator of the Year” award and the Florence Chamber of Commerce award for extraordinary female entrepreneurs. She also received the University of South Florida President's Global Leadership award in 2012 for her efforts in cultural and international crossovers in education.

Her memoir, published by Ugo Mursia Editore in Italy, recounts the story of a young Tuscan girl who grew up to make an impact on international education and was spotlighted in several events and presentations in Italy, the US, and Belgium. She lives in Florence and New York City.

On this episode of What's Burning, Gabriella’s chat with Host Mitchell Davis includes conversation around the idea that to learn you need to be a good teacher, the beauty of connecting students with community and why a meal isn’t just something you eat at your desk in Italy.

Follow Gabriella on Facebook @gganugi and on Instagram @gabriellaganugi

For more on Gabriella and her work, visit: https://www.gabriellaganugi.com/en/, http://fua.it/ and https://apicius.it/