Biography: John Bonnell is Capacity Development Specialist with Michigan State University’s Global IDEAS. He designs and implements capacity strengthening programs with and for faculty at MSU and at partner universities. His fields of expertise include international and comparative education, higher education in developing countries, organizational change, and faculty and leadership development. He has conducted educational research and development projects in numerous countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining MSU, John served for four years as a faculty member and head of department at a private university in Kenya. John earned a PhD from MSU in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, with specializations in African Studies and International Development. John has co-lead institutional capacity development initiatives for the Global Center for Food Systems Innovation (Innovation Scholars Program), the Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development program, and the Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research, Capacity and Influence.

Biography: Dr. Chakrani is Assistant Professor of Arabic in MSU’s Department of Linguistics and Languages, and he is currently MSU's Arabic Language Coordinator. He earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Biography: Dr. Damaris Choti is the Coordinator of Student and Alumni Programs at the African Studies Center, Michigan State University (MSU). She holds PhD and MA degrees in Educational Administration from MSU. Damaris oversees alumni and student engagement initiatives and activities for the center. She is a co-founder of MSU’s African Female Students Empowerment Program (AFSEP); advisory board member at the Greater Lansing African Female Empowerment Program (GLAFEP) and advises Africa-oriented student organizations at MSU. Her areas of interest include educational leadership; women leadership; girls’ education and empowerment; student advising and mentorship and alumni relations. She has authored two book chapters: Learning from What Has Worked in Women School Leadership and Girls’ Education in Kenya (Lexington Books, 2021) and Where did the Girls go?: The Role of Socialization and Institutions in Silencing Female Voices (SUNY, 2015). She is a recipient of MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) 2022 Inspiration Award in the category of Culture of Empowerment.

Biography: Jeff Conroy-Krutz is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, where he began work in 2009.  His research focuses on political decision-making, particularly surrounding elections, in Sub-Saharan Africa.  He is currently working on a book manuscript on mass media, access to political information, and electoral decision-making in Africa, and is beginning a research project on comparative electoral campaign behavior in Africa.  To date, he has conducted fieldwork for various research projects in Senegal and Uganda.  Jeff received his PhD in Political Science from Columbia University in 2009.  In 2009-10, he will teach undergraduate courses in African Politics and Introduction to Comparative Politics at MSU.

Biography: Dr. Lisa D. Cook is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and in International Relations (James Madison College) at Michigan State University. Among her current research interests are economic growth and development, financial institutions and markets, innovation, and economic history. As a Senior Economist at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during the 2011-2012 academic year, Dr. Cook worked on the euro zone, financial instruments, innovation, and entrepreneurship.