Asenath Asha Lutabingwa is an experienced international education leader with nearly three decades of expertise in global engagement and immigration services. She was named Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Lehigh University on October 13, 2025.
As Director of OISS, Asenath will oversee all aspects of Lehigh’s international student and scholar services, including immigration advising, visa sponsorship, regulatory compliance, and advocacy. She will lead a team dedicated to ensuring that Lehigh remains both compliant with federal requirements and responsive to the needs of its global community.
Asenath personal perspective to the position, having been an international student herself. Born in Kenya, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi before completing a master’s in educational administration in 1994 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.
Before joining Lehigh, Asenath served as Executive Director of International Faculty and Scholar Services at Rutgers University. During her tenure at Rutgers University, Lutabingwa provided strategic leadership and guided institutional compliance with complex federal immigration regulations. She collaborated with senior academic and administrative leaders to support more than 1,400 international faculty and scholars.
Prior to Rutgers, she led international programs and advising offices at The Juilliard School and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, building extensive experience in F-1 and J-1 visa programs, employment-based petitions, and federal compliance.
She has been an active leader in NAFSA: Association of International Educators, serving in multiple volunteer and training capacities. Asenath is also the founder of a nonprofit in Kenya that empowers rural Kenya’s women and girls economically through impactful programs.
She is a recipient of U.S. Department of State funding to implement programs that strengthen communities’ resilience, including mentorship and development initiatives supporting women and girls in Kenya. Asenath has also been the international development adviser to Rutgers’ Engineers Without Borders for eight years.