After hosting a virtual program in 2021, UC Davis enthusiastically welcomes our 2022 Mandela Washington Fellows in person this summer. Twenty-five young African leaders from 15 countries will participate in the six-week Leadership in Public Management Institute at UC Davis, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. This is the first Mandela Washington Fellowship cohort to join us on campus since the COVID-19 global pandemic began.

“After a year of virtual connection, we are thrilled to be able to meet and collaborate with this year’s cohort of Mandela Washington Fellows in person,” said Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs, which leads and organizes the university’s Mandela Washington Fellowship program. “We value these in-person connections to create partnerships and strengthen our working relationships.”

Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa. Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 5,100 Mandela Washington Fellows from across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals. The cohort of Fellows hosted by UC Davis will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at 27 educational institutions across the United States.

“We are so excited to have our Fellows back on campus and for the honor to host this Fellowship for the sixth time,” said Jennie Konsella-Norene, administrative director of the Mandela Washington Fellowship and associate director of global professional programs in Global Affairs.

UC Davis began hosting the summer Fellowship in 2016, welcoming and connecting with more than 150 Fellows in that time. As in years past, throughout their time at UC Davis, Fellows will participate in programming in collaboration with departments and partners across campus and in the local community, focusing on science-based public management and leadership strategies.

The Leadership in Public Management Institute at UC Davis will build practical knowledge and leadership capacity in topics such as public management, community engagement, transportation, climate and energy policy, food security, local government and social equity and the intersection of public health. Fellows will also continue to build their leadership skills through public speaking, training and networking.

A few of the speakers and special guests this year will include Chancellor Gary S. May, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan, Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Renetta Tull, and Vice Provost and Dean Regulska, along with faculty members and community partners, including the mayor and vice mayor of Davis, Gloria Partida and Lucas Frerichs, respectively.

The 2022 cohort will participate in the Fellowship through the middle of July, bringing to UC Davis their expertise in fields including software engineering, medicine, agricultural business, childcare, renewable energy, transportation, climate change, youth engagement, gender equity, urban planning, clean water management, technology and administrative policy.

“Our Fellows arrive at UC Davis with various backgrounds and experiences that give them unique perspectives on some of today’s most pressing challenges,” said Konsella-Norene, who has led the UC Davis program since its inception. “We are eager to learn from each other, engage in meaningful intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange, and support future collaborations as our Fellows create a positive impact in communities across the world.”

For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute at UC Davis, please contact Administrative Director Jennie Konsella-Norene and Academic Director Karen Beardsley.

Meet the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellows

• Prince Yeboah Agyemang, Ghana
• Marilyn Azumah, Ghana
• Petronille Dusingizimana, Rwanda
• Mohamed Elmubarak, Sudan
• Immanuel Freeman, Liberia
• Mohamed Djama Guedi, Djibouti
• Kurutsi Tabki Joshua, Nigeria
• Melissa Kalitera, Malawi
• Kaustella Kialain-Sarsih, Liberia
• Tracy Koske, Kenya
• Barbara Kumi, Ghana
• Deborah Mashala, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Zengani Mbambara, Zambia
• Doffou Marc Elisee Monsoh, Cote d'Ivoire
• Christian Bakole Mukulu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Abnet Muluneh, Ethiopia
• Margret Nakawooya, Uganda
• Gloria Namanya, Uganda
• Lithakazi Nxiweni, South Africa
• Adeline Nyole, Kenya
• Andiswa Nyongwana, South Africa
• Collins Obi, Nigeria
• Daniel Oladoja, Nigeria
• Yaye Sene, Senegal
• Nanyangwe Siuluta, Zambia

About Global Affairs at UC Davis

Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 10,000 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty learning and researching globally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges through more than 150 global partnerships.

Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives, and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All.

About the Mandela Washington Fellowship

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org and join the conversation at #YALI2022.