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SiG MT 16 S MT URBAN AFFAIRS Introducing isiting Central Montana on a -23 degree-Fahrenheit day last January didn't cool Gaby Hawat's enthusiasm. Instead, he says, "Everyone was—and is—warm and welcoming here. It's all about the people." Now the executive vice president, COO, and CFO at the University of Providence, Hawat saw in Great Falls a "great place to raise the family and use my experience to help a mission-driven university." On the job since May, Hawat points to the university's "focus on both the intellectual piece and the spiritual aspect" as core strengths. Previously, Hawat oversaw a large budget and team as senior vice president of Operations and Global Affairs at Florida Institute of Technology. He's a principal with Catalyst Partners, a Washington, D.C. government relations and public affairs firm that helps companies, nonprofits, and associations do business with federal agencies with a focus on homeland and cybersecurity. Clients include Boeing, NFL teams, Major League Baseball, and the Port Authority of New York. He additionally chairs the National CyberWatch Center's National Visiting Commiee. His role at UP is to develop and implement a strategy for increasing revenue through growth and enhanced operational efficiency. "As an engineer, I look at the whole picture," Hawat says. e goal is to move the university in a positive direction without compromising the mission or integrity of the curriculum, without losing the academic spirit." Hawat is looking beyond the Ivory Tower, forging relationships with local leaders, economic development agents, and nonprofits. "We need to have a lot of partnerships with big and small companies and organizations. e goal is for the university to be deeply embedded in the community. We play a good economic development role in this community and the region needs that infusion." One opportunity, Hawat says, is the school's new University Center, which is under his purview along with the rest of UP's campus buildings and grounds. A one-stop shop for prospective students, the center is Great Falls' fourth largest event venue, Hawat says. Hawat is particularly impressed with the "natural beauty of Montana" as well as "the intellectual environment for a town this size," noting the many cultural aributes such as the symphony and a strong infrastructure: "schools, the airport, and hospital." Originally from Byblos, Lebanon, Hawat came to the U.S. in 1982 as a "non-English speaking Christian teenager fleeing a war-torn country." He learned English within a year as a student at the Florida Institute of Technology. His higher education career later came full circle when he served FIT as senior vice president. "Only in America," he proudly says. "Education is my passion. It's the answer to our social challenges. When you have people invest in themselves, it's the only thing you can't take away. It's the most powerful tool in the world." Hawat's wife, Samar Salame Hawat, an opera soprano based in Paris, will soon relocate to Great Falls. ey have two children, Valentina, 3 and Alexander, 1½. Text by Denise Czuprynski • Photography by Sara Young V Gaby Hawat New University VP: Community Is Key

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