Global Founders

Meet Rado Rakotosamimanana, a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus, who recently completed a Reciprocal Exchange to benefit Women Lead Movement's work in Madagascar. In this conversation, Rado reflects on the Exchange with Jillian Randolph of Chaski Global. Established in 2015, the Reciprocal Exchange component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship provides U.S. professionals with the opportunity to engage in collaborative projects with Fellowship Alumni in Sub-Saharan Africa, building upon strategic partnerships and professional connections developed during the Fellowship. Learn more on the Fellowship website. Introductory music titled “Supernova” by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi Listen to more episodes of the Global Founders Podcast here.

Episode Notes "As much as we have achieved, as much as others think that we've accomplished, there still is a bit more that we can do." Hear from Dr. Riyad Insanally, former Ambassador of Guyana to the United States, about the key steps in his career and his continuous desire to keep learning for the benefit of his family and his country. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Racheal Inegbedion and Sarah Cohen are reducing the barriers to employment for persons with disabilities in Nigeria. Listen in to hear more about their recent Reciprocal Exchange - a component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship that provides funds for U.S. professionals to travel to sub-Saharan African countries or implement hybrid or virtual projects. This collaboration resulted in a disability employment manual for Nigerian Employers of Labour and a 7-minute documentary film that shares the experiences of three young adults with barriers that hinder their participation in inclusive workplaces. Racheal & Sarah hope that the film will shift attitudes from a "culture of compliance" to an increase in truly inclusive workspaces. Watch the documentary here: https://youtu.be/Ct1RzX8v5LQ

Episode Notes Have you ever wanted to make a big transition in your career? Are you searching for a means of creative expression, or for new inspiration in your work? Takwa Khelifi is a 2019 Alumna of the Precinct's Global Leadership Forum, now working as a Consultant with the United Nations Development Programme. She is a communications expert and a commited promoter of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically those involving women's empowerment, gender equality, and human development. Learn more about Takwa's story and her search for balance between myriad accomplishments and the practice of slowing down to appreciate the world around her. View Takwa's art profile: https://www.artstation.com/takw_art1 LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/takwa-khelifi-b21728b2/ Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/artiste_takwa/

Episode Notes Lala Touray is a 2021 Alumna of the Mandela Washington Fellowship's Civic Engagement Institute at the Presidential Precinct. She is an award-winning poet, activist, and mentor to young girls and women in the Gambia. Lala is also the recipient of the 2022 Youth Excellence Award by She Awards Gambia. In this episode, Lala shares her vision for increasing women's participation in Gambian politics and a call to #BreakTheBias for the benefit of all people.

Episode Notes Johnathan Miller is President of the Airborne Lifeline Foundation and a member of the Presidential Precinct's Global Advisory Council. He served from 2018-2021 as the Africa Regional Director for the United States Peace Corps, where he was responsible for overseeing Peace Corps programs in 26 countries across the African continent. Listen to our latest episode of Global Founders to learn more about the Airborne Lifeline Foundation and hear some key takeaways from Johnathan's career of service.

Episode Notes Melene Rossouw, 2019 Alumna of the Mandela Washington Fellowship at the Presidential Precinct, is the External Leader of Siyabuya, a national advocacy campaign and movement to #makeSAbetter in the wake lives and livelihoods that have been destroyed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In conversation with Presidential Precinct Board member Francois Baird, a South African himself, learn about Melene's work to encourage South Africans to get vaccinated and give back to the benefit of their communities and country.

Episode Notes Tobiloba Ajayi and Racheal Inegbedion are Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni, completing their Institutes at the Presidential Precinct in 2016 and 2021, respectively. Long before the Presidential Precinct brought these two together, their shared passion for improving quality of life of families with special needs children was fueling a force for good across Nigeria. Listen in to this conversation with Rae & Tobi, sharing the latest impact of their collaborations and the daily challenges faced by children living with disabilities in Nigeria. Click here to read Rae & Tobi's recent monitoring and evaluation report. Click here to participate in a mentorship survey, recently launched by Rae.

Episode Notes His Excellency Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, Ambassador for Botswana to the United States, joins Neal Piper at the Presidential Precinct for a conversation around Botswana's role in the future of global democracy. Learn more about Botswana's history and longstanding multi-party democracy, while considering how all countries must work to maintain their democratic processes day-by-day.

Episode Notes The Presidential Precinct is fortunate to have John Olajide, Founder and CEO of Axxess, as a part of its global network. We welcome John on the Global Founders Podcast as he shares about leadership journey from Nigeria to Dallas, Texas. You won't want to miss this conversation, packed with good words for any entrepreneur or community leader. Listen in as John is interviewed by Presidential Precinct Board member Francois Baird. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/.

Episode Notes Twenty-five years ago in Beijing, China the UN Fourth World Conference on Women set forth a powerful global agenda to achieve women’s equality. While much progress has been made, millions of women and girls around the world still face discrimination, violence, and unequal access to resources. The gender gap in the economic sphere is particularly striking. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020 reveals stubbornly low levels of women in managerial or leadership positions, and women’s wage stagnation, low formal labor force participation, and lower incomes. This conversation will highlight ways that men can serve as visible, vocal champions for women’s advancement in the workforce, with a focus on concrete actions that major global companies can take to achieve gender equality. This Campfire Conversation was presented by the Presidential Precinct Network. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/. Introductory music titled "Supernova" by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi

Episode Notes In the rapid transition to living in a virtual world due to COVID, there have been a wide range of reactions and questions around what is effective practice. In this talk, Dr. Kristin Palmer will review the essential research framework behind effective online education. She will illustrate this framework in action by walking through the African Scholarship Cohort (ASC) with Distance Education of Africa (DeAfrica). In the ASC program, over 20,000 scholarships have been provided with learners from every country in Africa over the past five years. Attendees will take away from this talk an understanding of how to design effective online courses with practical advice for building a sense of belonging and encouraging engagement. This 20/20 Talk was presented by the Presidential Precinct Network. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/. Introductory music titled "Supernova" by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi

Episode Notes Twenty-five years ago in Beijing, China the UN Fourth World Conference on Women set forth a powerful global agenda to achieve women’s equality. While much progress has been made, millions of women and girls around the world still face discrimination, violence, and unequal access to resources. One major obstacle to women’s empowerment is societal norms that dictate who has power and privilege. It is therefore critical to enlist men and boys in changing these norms and acting as visible allies for gender equality. This discussion will explore creative effective ways to engage men and boys in understanding how gender equality is good for society as a whole and the role they can play in promoting equal rights and opportunities for women and girls. This Campfire Conversation was presented by the Presidential Precinct Network. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/. Introductory music titled "Supernova" by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi

Episode Notes COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on economies and employment around the world, including across the African continent. The world’s 1.2 billion young people have been particularly hard hit, with a sharp decline in job prospects and risks to their socioeconomic well-being. At the same time, young African business and social entrepreneurs are a tremendous asset for catalyzing economic growth, driving poverty eradication, and ensuring job creation. If provided with support, access, and opportunities to launch and grow their ventures, African youth can play a powerful role in driving positive change as we navigate this pandemic and meet important societal needs for the future. During this conversation, participating experts will highlight examples of how young people are changing the face of entrepreneurship in Africa and discuss ways to unlock their potential.

Episode Notes This 20/20 Talk features Gordon Wong, Regional Advocacy Manager for the ONE Campaign. For 16 years the ONE Campaign has led innovative and highly successful global campaigns to eradicate poverty and preventable disease. But what are the factors that led to these wins? ONE’s Regional Organizing Manager Gordon Wong will share the kind-of, sort-of “secret sauce” to ONE’s global advocacy work and how you can apply them to your work.

Episode Notes This 20/20 Talk features Presidential Precinct Alumna Grace Jerry - a music artist, disability rights advocate, and peace promoter in Nigeria. Since coming to the Precinct in 2015, Grace has remained consistent in her passion to mainstream disability in development issues. She shares best practices for leaders working to promote inclusive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with examples of effective advocacy for people with disabilities. Grace also shares how she has used music as a tool to share key messages in her community and bring hope to our world when we need it most.

Aziz Ullah, 2018 Alumnus of the Presidential Precinct, shares key concepts, insights, frameworks, and strategies to help entrepreneurs sustain and grow their startups in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.This 20/20 Talk was presented by the Presidential Precinct Network. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/.Introductory music titled "Supernova" by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi

As we all respond to the pandemic through our work and community engagement, how can we ensure that the poor and vulnerable are not overlooked? What can COVID-19 teach us about our community's strengths and weaknesses, and how can we use this unprecedented time to highlight and address longstanding injustices?This Campfire Conversation was presented by the Presidential Precinct Network. Special thanks to our moderator, Doug Smith. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/.Introductory music titled "Supernova" by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi

Former White House Director of Global Engagement and Georgetown Professor of crisis communications Brett Bruen shares some of the latest skills and strategies companies need to adopt in order to survive and thrive.This 20/20 Talk was presented by the Presidential Precinct Network in partnership with Brett Bruen and Global Situation Room. Learn more at presidentialprecinctnetwork.org and presidentialprecinct.org/covid/.Introductory music titled "Supernova" by Presidential Precinct Alumnus David Hofisi

Episode Notes In this episode, hear from two leaders in the fight against climate change, Dr. Manuel Lerdau and Yasmin Abulkadir. Dr. Lerdau is a Environmental Science Professor at the University of Virginia, specializing atmospheric chemistry and air pollution with a general interest in climate change policy and the environment. Yasmin, in her role as a lawyer for the largest wind farm in Africa, is helping Kenya to reach its goal of 100% renewable electricity production by 2020. Listen as these two individuals discuss the present consequences of climate change across the world, the strengths and possibilities in different energy sources, and the responsibility of the international community to confront climate change. For more information on Yasmin Abdulkadir, check out this link. For more information on Dr. Manuel Lerdau, check out this link.

A conversation between two individuals championing the fight for transparency and reconciliation in the face of egregious historical injustices. Ebrima Sonko, 2019 Mandela Fellow, is a leader in the Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission that investigates human rights abuses committed by the country’s former government. He joins Dr. Jody Allen, Director of the Lemon Project, which is an organization dedicated to investigating the history of race and slavery at our partner university - William & Mary. Join them in their powerful discussion on global histories and the possible paths towards reconciliation. Episode Notes For more information on Ebrima Sonko, check out this link. For more information on Jody Allen and the Lemon Project, check out this link.

A conversation between two individuals championing the fight for transparency and reconciliation in the face of egregious historical injustices. Ebrima Sonko, 2019 Mandela Fellow, is a leader in the Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission that investigates human rights abuses committed by the country’s former government. He joins Dr. Jody Allen, Director of the Lemon Project, which is an organization dedicated to investigating the history of race and slavery at our partner university - William & Mary. Join them in their powerful discussion on global histories and the possible paths towards reconciliation. Episode Notes For more information on Ebrima Sonko, check out this link. For more information on Jody Allen and the Lemon Project, check out this link.

Reem Ahmed, 2019 Mandela Fellow, works as a national consultant for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality. She joins Louis Nelson, Vice Provost for Academic Outreach at the University of Virginia, to discuss the importance and challenges of community partnerships and the role of NGOs and nonprofits in activism and peacebuilding. Episode Notes Learn more about Reem. Learn more about Louis.

Hewan Berhane, 2019 Mandela Fellow, is an Ethiopian urban architect working to protect a complex historical narrative in Addis Ababa. She joins Sara Bon-Harper, archeologist and Executive Director of James Monroe’s Highland, to discuss shared practices and cultural intricacies on the journey to promote inclusive and accurate histories. Episode Notes Learn more about Hewan. Learn more about Sara. Learn more about James Monroe's Highland.

Hear from Elinor Steele, the Vice President of Global Communications and Women's Initiatives at Tupperware Brands Corporation. Elinor joins us in the studio on the week of the 2017 Global Leadership Forum, presented in partnership with Tupperware. In this episode, Elinor tells the story of Tupperware, giving context to the alignment of the Precinct's and Tupperware's commitment to empowering women all over the world. Global Founders is a monthly podcast produced by The Presidential Precinct and hosted by Neal Piper. This podcast is recored at the Potter Studio at Montpelier, the home to President James Madison, the Father of the Constitution and Architect of the Bill of Rights.

Powerful and personal stories narrated firsthand from two of our 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni. Kyapalushi Kapatomoyo (Zambia) and Christian Fonye (Cameroon) are strong advocates for peace in their countries. Hear what motivated them to grow into the roles where they serve today.

Bukky Shonibare describes the longstanding personal impact of the Presidential Precinct on her daily work, promoting girls' education in Nigeria. Bukky is a Presidential Precinct alumna, having attended the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Bukky Shonibare, a Strategic Team Leader for the Bring Back Our Girls movement, discusses the recent freeing of 82 Chibok school girls from Boko Haram in Nigeria, along with underlying challenges regarding access to education for young girls. Bukky is a Presidential Precinct alumna, having attended the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship.

On the third episode of Global Founders, we sit down with Cindy Colson, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville, and Liz Silva, the Co-founder & CEO of Ink, a social business incubator in São Paolo, Brazil. Cindy & Liz just completed a Reverse Exchange opportunity in Brazil through the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. They bring wide perspectives on the role of nonprofits around the world.

On the second episode of Global Founders, we sit down with Mirabel Ngong, a Project Manager with World Vision for Education and Development in Bamenda, Cameroon, and Kat Imhoff, the President & CEO of the Montpelier Foundation. Kat & Mirabel represent a wealth of global knowledge in leadership experience, women's empowerment programs, and the future of women in leadership.

Our inaugural episode of Global Founders delves into the history of the Presidential Precinct, how our past five years have impacted communities around the world, and lessons learned in entrepreneurship from our Founder, James B. Murray, Jr.