Title: Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions
Company: Rory Meyers College of Nursing at New York University
Location: New York, New York, United States
Amy J. B. Knowles, EdD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions at Rory Meyers College of Nursing at New York University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Higher Education Administration.
Dr. Knowles’s distinguished career in higher education is marked by visionary leadership, a student-centered philosophy and a steadfast commitment to mentoring the next generation of professionals. Since 2005, she has served as the associate dean for student affairs and admissions at the Rory Meyers College of Nursing at New York University (NYU), where she oversees recruitment and admissions for nursing students, manages student affairs, coordinates with university offices, such as financial aid and residential life, and administers scholarships for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral nursing candidates. Under Dr. Knowles’s guidance, the college’s enrollment grew from 900 to 1,500 students, reflecting her strategic vision and ability to set and exceed enrollment goals through tactical recruitment planning.
In addition to her primary responsibilities, Dr. Knowles has been a contributing writer and editor for the NYU Meyers Alumni Magazine since 2010, a respondent facilitator for students accused of sexual misconduct at NYU since 2015, and a member of the university’s student conduct panel since 2018. Her expertise encompasses encouraging a student-centered philosophy, setting strategic direction for student affairs teams, assessing national trends in admissions and student services, promoting diversity and inclusion, implementing retention strategies using predictive modeling and developing innovative solutions during challenging times. Dr. Knowles is widely regarded for her authentic leadership skills, team-building acumen and dedication to mentoring employees.
Dr. Knowles excelled on campus as the director of admissions at the college of dentistry at NYU from 2001 to 2005. In this capacity, she managed all aspects of dental school admissions while fostering relationships with prospective students and faculty. Hailing from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut, she served as the director of admissions at the college of chiropractic between 1998 and 2001, where she worked closely with pre-medical students before advancing to lead the chiropractic college’s admissions efforts.
Before pivoting into higher education, Dr. Knowles began her professional journey as a high school English teacher and special education teacher in reading from 1989 to 1997. Her early teaching experiences fueled her passion for supporting students who struggled academically, a commitment that continues to inform her work in higher education.
Dr. Knowles’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, completed in 1988. She later acquired a Master of Science in higher education administration from the University of Southern Maine in 1994 and a Doctor of Education in higher education administration from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at NYU in 2014. Further enhancing her leadership skills, Dr. Knowles was a participant and graduate of the NYU Global Inclusive Leadership and Management Institute in 2020.
Maintaining active membership in several professional organizations, Dr. Knowles is affiliated with NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the Graduate Nursing Admissions Professionals Network through the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions.
Dr. Knowles’s civic engagement includes longstanding service work with homeless populations and volunteering as an alumni admissions interviewer for the College of the Holy Cross. Since 2005, she has also served as a team captain for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk of Central Park with the American Cancer Society Inc., leading fundraising initiatives alongside nursing schools each October. As a breast cancer survivor since 2012, Dr. Knowles was honored as a keynote speaker at the event’s launch party in 2025.
Highlighting her achievements, Dr. Knowles was a keynote speaker on “The Nurse Practitioner Show” on Doctor Radio Sirius XM Radio LLC. Another hallmark of her career was her tenure at NYU, where she helped build the admissions and student affairs office from its inception. Over two decades, she has been recognized as a builder, creator and mentor, shaping a team whose members have advanced under her tutelage. Today, Dr. Knowles remains dedicated to the university, with aspirations to advance into vice president for student affairs and continuing her lifelong commitment to educational leadership through purposeful action.
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