Associate Director of People Operations
asmailagic@aldergse.edu

Pronouns: she/hers

Aida Smailagic is the Associate Director of People Operations at Alder GSE. In her most recent role in higher education, Aida served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Sofia University in Palo Alto. She earned her MBA from San Francisco State University, and her bachelor’s degree in business economics is from her native Bosnia & Herzegovina. Aida holds a current SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) as well as a Certificate in Human Resources Management from UC–Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley extension. She decided to fully focus on the human-resources field following more than a decade of managing high-performing teams for international luxury brands such as Cartier, Ferragamo, and Loro Piana.

Aida is most passionate about building and retaining a positive and productive work culture, fostering trustworthy and genuine relationships, and ultimately strengthening her organization. She deeply believes that the role of human resources is to serve the organization and to allow people to work freely and develop their full potential.