• Humphrey Fellowship Program

  • Thirteen Hubert H. Humphrey fellows from a dozen emerging democracies and developing countries are spending the year at the Maxwell School partaking in graduate study, professional development and cultural exchange.

    This year’s fellows hail from: Brazil, Central African Republic, China, India, Mozambique, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, Suriname, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

    The fellows’ diverse professional experience and academic interests include: NGO management; post-conflict reconstruction, public administration, journalism, urban and rural development, IT policy and management, cybersecurity, public affairs, public-private partnerships, and policy implementation among other areas.

    While at Syracuse University, Fellows engage with students, faculty, civic organizations and their professional counterparts in diverse learning and exchange opportunities. This collaboration can take any number of forms, including resources for faculty, classes, clubs and organizations.

    The fellows are part of a cohort of 150 Humphrey fellows from 97 countries. Syracuse University is one of 13 campuses across the country to host fellows.

    The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program was initiated in 1978 to honor Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and his life-long commitment to international cooperation and public service. The program is sponsored and funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education.

  • 2018 Fellows

    Serge Adouaka-Ngoimale

    Serge Adouaka-Ngoimale is currently the Country Security Manager at Ecobank Car, where he managed the business continuity plan. Previously, he held the position of Head of Card Operations, Head of IT Division and the Country Head of Infrastructure IT.

    His area of interest is Technology Policy and Management. Serge wants to study e-government in order to set up secure databases to improve the government's performance; promote transparency, participation, and collaboration through technology; provide citizens with meaningful opportunities to provide input and feedback; and introduce technology in basic education. He holds a License in Telecommunication from University of Bangui and Superior Technician Diploma in Information & Technology.

    Rakesh Arya

    Rakesh Arya has been an officer of the Indian Police Service for 15 years and currently the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Administration and Training for the Haryana Police. As District Head of Police, he worked on the issues of crimes against women (CAW) and women’s empowerment.

    Rakesh wants to expand his knowledge to continue working on women’s empowerment; developing a model for women’s safety in India; violence against women; female feticide; discriminatory work environment; and trafficking in girls. He’ll also focus on cybersecurity and social media management/policy. Rakesh is completing a law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University and holds a Masters in Philosophy from Jawahar Lal University, a Master of Arts (Economics) from Kurukshetra University, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Dronacharya Government College.

    Mavrick Boejoekoe

    Mavrick Boejoekoe was most recently a District Commissioner responsible for the strategic leadership in a tribal river side community residing in the Sipaliwini district rainforest of Suriname. In 2016 he founded the Youth Education and Leadership Foundation where he works to empower the youth of these communities.

    During his Humphrey year he wishes to develop a better understanding of how governments in crisis implement reform programs and how poor rural communities benefit from these programs. Mavrick has a Master in Public Administration from Anton de Kom University of Suriname and a MBA from the Business School Nederland.

    Gabriel Ferreira Menezes Guimarães

    Gabriel Ferreira Menezes Guimarães is a Public Policy Specialist for the State of Minas Gerais Secretariat for Planning and Management.

    He would like to learn more about bidding and contract rules in the United States and the design, implementation and evaluation of policies regarding public procurement and their contribution to the development of specific productive segments, such as family farmers and small businesses. Gabriel has a law degree from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Joao Pinheiro Foundation Government School.

    Ha Thi Thanh Huong

    Ha Thi Thanh Huong has been a senior investigative reporter for print and online newspapers in Vietnam for over a decade covering politics, public policy, and environmental issues. She has earned her several awards for her work, including the National Press Award for her exposé of the secret Vietnam-China border war of 1979-1989. As a Humphrey fellow, she is focusing on the complex relationship between political policy-making and the media. Huong plans to return to Vietnam better able to play a leadership role in improving public policy. She completed her BA at the Academy of Journalism and Communication.

    Isaura Mauelele

    Isaura Mauelele is a law specialist working in public policies for non-governmental organizations since 2007.

    She focuses on gender and land policies, specifically public policy, governance, land and agriculture investment. Isaura’s primary interests are public policy and public administration in order to better address challenges implementing public policies in Mozambique. She has a law degree from Polytechnic University in Maputo, a degree in communication from Maputo Journalism School, a Young Women’s Leadership degree from Africa University in Zimbabwe, and a certificate from the Young Women’s Leadership Institute in Senegal.

    Magda Monteza

    Magda Monteza is a strategic planning specialist at the Panamanian Department of Government, as well as an editor for a socio-economic think tank's publications.

    Her main focus is public policies and public private partnership for development. Magda's goals are to further her understanding of public-private collaboration for development, as well as the formulation of public policies to move the country towards a more cohesive society. Most recently, Magda earned a Coaching Certification in Organizational Ontology from IESA. She has Master’s degrees in Maritime Business Management and International Commerce from ULACEX and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Panama.

    Gideon Bingo S. Obore

    Gideon Bingo S. Obore was most recently South Sudan’s diplomat to Kenya where he served as a technical focal person to United Nations Environment (UNEP) and United Nations Habitat (UN-HABITAT). He had also volunteered for a community based organization (CBO) in the field of peace building, dialogue and Reconciliation.

    He wants to gain practical experiences from the local, federal and international organization in matters of policy process and administration with emphasis in post conflict reconstruction, social cohesion and integration. He earned a Master of Diplomacy from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelors in International Relations and Diplomacy and a Diploma in Social Philosophy.

    Anton Shevchenko

    Anton Shevchenko was most recently the Senior Project Officer for Ukraine at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), an international NGO. He also gained experience with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Ukrainian military.

    Anton focuses on nonprofit management, humanitarian and development policies, public administration and reconstruction in conflict-affected areas. He earned a Master of Advanced Studies in International and European Security from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, an MA in International Law from Varna Free University, Bulgaria, and a Military Studies diploma from the National Technical University Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine.

    Su Wang

    Su Wang is an editor and reporter of the Public Policy News Department at Caixin Media in China. She used to lead a news desk committed to recording, exploring and responding to the complex policy challenges in urban and rural development, including farmers’ rights, migrant workers’ rights, land reform, welfare system building, civil society development, inclusive urban planning, and poverty alleviation. Her and her team’s reports played an important role in public discussion in these areas in China.

    She aims to enhance understanding of public policy and expand networks to bring other countries’ experience to China. She has an MA in Media Economics from Renmin University of China and a BA in Japanese Language from East China Normal University.

    Francis Wau

    Francis Wau currently manages Information Technology Services in one of the Provincial Health Authorities of Papua New Guinea. He firmly believes that information technology is of great importance to developing countries, especially concerning issues of public health and education.

    Among many subjects, Francis wants to study how to develop quality ICT policy, risk management policy, cyber security policy, and information technology innovation as it all relates to e-governance. He has a BA in Commercial Computing (IT) from PNG University of Technology.

    Islam Zaib

    Islam Zaib is a civil servant in the federal government of Pakistan where he has been managing different districts as executive head of the district. He also has been working in the finance and planning departments in the northern part of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Islam coordinated development projects with international donor agencies for FATA of Pakistan as DG Projects.

    His major area of interest is public policy and administration focusing on the analytical and administrative sides of public policy. Islam has an MBA in Public Service from the University of Birmingham United Kingdom, a BSc (Hons) in Naval Sciences from the University of Karachi, and a Specialized Training Programme certificate from DMG Campus Upper Mall in Lahore.

    Lala Zinkevych

    Lala Zinkevych was most recently the Head of the Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Department of the leading NGO Center for Strategic Communications “StratCom Ukraine.” Here she developed and implemented public affairs and crisis response capacity-building projects for the Ukrainian Government in liaison with NATO, EU, UK and US diplomatic missions. Lala has also served as an advisor in public affairs to the Reforms Office of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. She wants to enhance her skills in managing public policy, public diplomacy, collaborative governance and NGO management. Lala earned a Master’s in Marketing Management from Kyiv National Economic University.