Executive Leadership Team
Rym KAKI, Ph.D.
Chair
Associate Professor of Governance & Management at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and former Fulbright scholar. Her research and teaching foci pertain to human behavior in public and non-profit organizations, international development project design and evaluation, comparative public policy analysis, and social finance innovations as applied to urban poverty reduction policy. Prior to joining academia, she hails from the global social finance industry working on community-oriented economic empowerment and financial inclusion, with global consultancy assignments taking her to the North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia regions.
She is currently the Program Director of the Master of Public Administration Program and Master of International Public Policy and Management at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and Management. She has also been nominated a member of the International Commission on the Accreditation of Public Administration and Training Programs (ICAPA) Steering Committee, established by the United Nations’ sponsored International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA). Dr. Kaki is Founding Member and current Chair of SAPA (2019-2021; 2021-2024).
Gedeon M. MUDACUMURA, Ph.D.
Vice Chair
Professor Emeritus of Public Administration. He taught graduate public administration courses at Penn State University, School of Public Affairs, and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania where he was the coordinator of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. His academic and professional experience has primarily focused on antipoverty, governance, and sustainable development. He published books and several articles in peer-reviewed journals. In 2016, he became the Founder/CEO of the Interdisciplinary Action Research Centers (IARC- Interdisciplinary Action Research Centers). The mission of IARC is to provide vulnerable groups a successful path to productive community engagement by relying upon interdisciplinary evidence-based research to design comprehensive, sustainable solutions. He is the former Chair of ASPA’s Section on International and Comparative Public Administration (SICA); President of the Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) and member of the National Academy of Public Administration / Africa Working Group (AWG).
Bakry ELMEDNI, Ph.D.
Treasurer
Associate Professor of Public Management at Long Island University, Brooklyn. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware. His research interests include the role of leadership in bringing about good governance, the role of social networks in public decision-making, affordable housing programs and organizational rationality.
Simone MARTIN-HOWARD, Ph.D.
Secretary
She holds a Ph.D. in Global Affairs from Rutgers University-Newark, a Master of Arts in International Relations, and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She also received three Advanced Certificates of Study in Health Services Management and Policy, Conflict Resolution, and Security Studies from the Maxwell School. Simone received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, magna cum laude, with a minor in Spanish from St. John’s University. Dr. Martin-Howard’s multidisciplinary background has formed her research interests which include healthcare administration and policy, global health, maternal and child health, transnational crime, prisoner re-entry, and addressing violence as a public health issue. In addition to teaching at the graduate level at her current institution, Simone has taught at the undergraduate level at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Rutgers University-Newark.
SAPA Advisory Board
Genevieve MEYERS, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of the Pre-law Program and Department of political science. She teaches courses on American Government and Politics, African Politics, Politics of the Developing World, Public Management and Statistics. Her research focuses on administrative reforms, decentralization, democracy and democratization, ethics in public service and politics and governance in Africa. She is the author of various peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her work has appeared in Public Integrity, Public Money and Management, Public Organization Review, African Journal of Public Administration and Management, and Administration Publica among others. Prior to joining Detroit Mercy, she held the position of first Multicultural Faculty-in-Residence at Marshall University.
Peter F. HARUNA, Ph.D.
Professor of Public Administration and Government at Texas A&M International University, Laredo Texas and a Senior Fulbright Scholar to Ghana. He holds Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Visiting Research Associate of Public Management appointments at the Ghana Baptist University and the University of Johannesburg respectively. Founding Chair and Board Member of ASPA’s Section on African Public Administration, Dr. Haruna is lead co-author of two books—Public Budgeting in African Nations [2016] and Public Administration Training in Africa [2015] both published by Taylor & Francis. His peer-reviewed articles have appeared in prestigious and most widely cited journals such as Public Administration Review, African Studies Review, Journal of Public Administration Education, Administrative Theory & Praxis, African Journal of Public Affairs. He is recipient of Texas A&M System’s Chancellor’s award for diversity, equity, and inclusion (2020) and his university’s Master of Public Administration Program 20th Anniversary Award (2019).
Jessie Rose MABUTAS, Ph.D.
Currently a member of the Accreditation Panel of the UN Adaptation Fund (AF) in Washington DC, a non-regional member of both the Executive Board and the Audit and Risk Committee of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in Harare, and member of the Panel of Experts for the Office of the Auditor General of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. She brings 21 years of professional experience in the UN system working in different capacities as Assistant Secretary-General at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) both in Rome; Director of Audit in WFP, UNDP, UNOPS, UNIFEM and lately as ad interim Director at the UN Women in New York. In these roles, she led many initiatives in instituting organizational changes and reforms, particularly in the adoption of best practices and international standards in audit, investigations, ethics, finance, treasury operations, budget, human resources, and all aspects in administration.
Oluwole OWOYE, Ph.D.
Dr. Oluwole Owoye is Professor of Economics at Western Connecticut State University, Department of Social Sciences/Economics; He holds a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University and has published numerous articles in periodicals/journals such as Applied Economics, Applied Economic Letters, Journal of African Economies, Economia Internazionale/International Economics, The Journal of Developing Areas, Public Finance Review, Global Economic Review, and The Journal of International Trade and Economic Development. He teaches Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics, Labor Economics, and Economic Development. He has presented research papers in these areas at national and international economic conferences. Dr. Owoye was a visiting Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Economics at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2003, where he was among the initial group of professors who taught in the collaborative Ph.D. program for West, East, and Southern Africa at Ibadan, Nigeria. From 2004 to 2008, he was a visiting professor of Monetary Economics in the collaborative Ph.D. program’s Joint Facility for Electives, African Economic Research Consortium in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition, Owoye is a member of the American Economic Association (AEA), International Atlantic Economic Society (IAES), and Western Economic Association International (WEAI).
Shin Kue RYU, Ph.D.
Associate Professor at Idaho State University Department of Political Science. He received his Ph.D. from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He received his Masters’ degrees from Queen Mary University of London and Washington University in Saint Louis. His primary field of teaching and research is public administration. He advances academia by serving as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Policy Studies along with serving the ASPA’s Section on African Public Administration and Section on Environmental and Natural Resources. He bridges scholarship and practice as evidence in his past work at the World Bank and other consulting work for the InterAmerican Development Bank and leading international NGOs. A continuous engagement evidenced in his on-going multi-year grant work for the State of Idaho and local leadership work as the Vice-Chair on the Planning and Zoning Commission. His works are referenced at the World Bank along with local long-term development goals.
James Agbodzakey
Professor of Public Leadership and the Director of the Urban SERCH Institute at UNT Dallas. He has taught in areas such as General Public Administration, Public Policy, Organizational Studies, Budgeting and Finance and Nonprofit Management. His research pertains to healthcare, public policy, public administration/bureaucracy, collaborative governance, nonprofit management, succession planning, public procurement, crime mapping and forecasting, oil/gas sector governance, education reform, housing, and sustainable development. His public management and health services research using the collaborative governance framework has helped shape policies and strategies as a conduit to promoting health and general wellbeing of target populations at the local and regional levels across the U.S. He has also worked at and with Nova Southeastern University, the College of The Bahamas/University of The Bahamas, International Monetary Fund/Kelly Services, The United Nations, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Save Lower Volta Network (SALVONET), Hillel at Ohio University, Research International, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, FAU Public Procurement Research Center/National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, and Broward and Palm Beach County’s HIV Health Services Planning Councils, among others. He studied at the University of Ghana, Ohio University and Florida Atlantic University. His professional association membership and service cut across local, state, regional, national and international levels. He recently served on the Executive Committee, and National Council of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), and as the President of the Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) in 2020-2021.
Deborah L. TRENT, Ph.D.
Founder of Civil Strategies and currently independent consultant in diplomacy, international development, nonprofit management, public private partnership and diaspora engagement. Dr. Trent’s professional career and research have focused on educational and cultural partnership program design, monitoring, and evaluation. She earned her doctorate in public policy and public administration from The George Washington University. Earlier, she managed Fulbright fellowship and postsecondary partnership programs at the United States Information Agency. Within the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA), Dr. Trent is a current Executive Committee member and former chair of the Section on Effective and Sound Administration in the Middle East as well as a member of the Professional Development Committee of the Section for Women in Public Administration. Currently, she is chairing the Section of African Public Administration (SAPA) Communications Committee.
Atta CEESAY, PH.D.
Associate Professor and Non-Profit Track Coordinator at Buffalo State University, New York. Her area of teaching and research expertise pertain to human resource management for Nonprofits, Government Finance and Budgets; Program performance evaluation, Strategic planning for public and nonprofit. She is a 2015 Recipient of Indiana University Northwest Board of Trustees Teaching Award and a 2019 Buffalo State President’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Mohamed Alaa ABDEL MONEIM
Associate Professor in the Public Administration Department, Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS), Cairo University, Egypt. He graduated with a BSc in Political Science from FEPS, received a Fulbright pre-Doctoral grant, obtained an MPA degree from the George Washington University, and a PhD degree in Public Administration and Policy from the School of Public Affairs at American University (AU). Previously, Dr. Abdel-Moneim worked for five years as a Professorial Lecturer at AU’s School of International Service (SIS), and for two years as Assistant Professor in the School of Public Administration and Developmental Economics (SPADE) at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. He also taught at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD). His research focuses on public administration reform in the Middle East, as well as education policies and outcomes, and the political economy of policy reforms in the region. His recent book is titled: “A Political Economy of Arab Education: Policies and Comparative Perspectives” (Routledge 2015).
Bok Gyo JEONG, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Affiliated Faculty of Asian Studies Program at Kean University, New Jersey in the United States. His research interests include comparative public administration, international development, nonprofit management, nonprofit higher education, and social entrepreneurship. He recently got elected as the President of the Global Issues and Transnational Actors (GITA) Interest Group within the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). He has written multiple book chapters and published his research in numerous journals including Asian Survey, Social Enterprise Journal, Korean Journal of Public Administration, Korea Observer, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, and Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. Dr. Jeong has the goal of facilitating inter-continental collaboration among scholars and practitioners. His consultancy and professional experience cover global and transnational issues including the United Nations and multi-national organizations, and international NGOs. Dr. Jeong has worked with, or researched, grassroots organizations and social enterprises in numerous countries in multiple continents including Asia, Africa, and America.
Dr. Aminata SILLAH, Ph.D.
Aminata Sillah is an assistant professor of public administration and nonprofit management in the Department of Political Science at Towson University. Her current research focuses on urban government and politics, public administration and nonprofit management, international development, community development and civic engagement, metropolitan and urban planning.
Sombo Muzata CHUNDA, Ph.D.
Sombo Chunda holds a Ph.D. from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Information about Sombo’s research interests and career progression can be found at https://meritpages.com/Sombo1.
SAPA Committees (2023-2024)
Academic Affairs Committee
Shin Kue Ryu (Chair), Berhanu Mengistu, Peter Fuseini Haruna, Oluwole Owoye, Liza Van Jaarsveldt, James Agbodzakey, Erika Mamley Osae, Genevieve Meyers, Gedeon Mudacumura, Cecilia Idika-Kalu, Michael Tunde Ajayi Kelechi Uzochukwu, Rym Kaki, Esechiel Sentama –
Marketing & Membership Committee SAPA
Atta Ceesay (Chair), Erika Mamley Osae, Biruk Alemayehu, Darlene Pierre-Louis, Sombo Muzata -Jean-Claude Mansanga Ndongo, Bok Gyo Jeong, Cecilia Idika-Kalu, Keba Sylla, Frank Ohemeng
Practitioners Capacity Building Committee
Adebayo Andari (Chair), Genevieve Meyers, Joel Weaver, Gedeon Mudacumura Jessie Mabutas, Keba Sylla, Papa Tandia, Bismark Mutizwa, Ibrahim Abdu Mairiga, George Atisa, Richard Gregory Johnson III, Russel Manning,Nigel Blampied, Rym Kaki
Fundraising Committee
Jean-Claude Mansanga Ndongo (Chair), James Agbodzakey, Darlene Pierre-Louis Gedeon Mudacumura, Bakry Elmedni, Rym Kaki, Simone Martin-Howard, Adebayo Adanri; Cheryl Nathaniel, Nigel Blampied, Jessie Rose Mabutas, Adebayo Adanri
Global Outreach Committee
Liza Van Jaarsveldt (Chair), Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Laila El Baradei, erhanu Mengistu -Gedeon Mudacumura, Shin Kue Ryu, Peter Haruna, Aminata Sillah , Kim Moloney, Chipiliro Kalonde Elizabeth S. Overman, Rym Kaki, Erika Mamley Osae, Nafisatu Okhade
Communication, Newsletter & Website Committee
Debbie Trent (Chair), Cecilia Idika-Kalu, Rym Kaki, Simone Howard-Martin, Jean-Claude Mansanga Ndongo, LaSonya Thompson, Bakry Elmedni, Kristina Misha Dixon Merlene-Patrice Bourdeau-Quispe, Atta Ceesay