Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg

Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is the Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).^[1] Wanjiru is also the Founder and past Executive Director of Akili Dada,^[2] an award-winning leadership incubator with a mission to contribute to nurturing transformative leadership in girls and young women.

Education

Wanjiru has a Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, where she concentrated on International Relations, Gender Studies & African History. Her dissertation titled Impact of Ethnic Politics on Women’s Rights legislation during Kenya’s Democratic Transition.

M.A. Political Science: the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

B.A. Politics:Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington.

Career

In 2005, Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg set up a leadership incubator, Akili Dada, for girls in Nairobi to address the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in Africa. She paid scholarships for the first 4 scholars using money from her wedding gifts. To date, Akili Dada has awarded 121 scholarships to bright girls from underprivileged backgrounds in Kenya. The organization invests in high- potential young African women from underprivileged backgrounds who are passionate about driving social change in their communities.

She was an Assistant Professor at University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA from August 2008 to March 2014. During her tenure, she focused in several fields namely International Aid and Development, Politics of Global Philanthropy, African Politics, International Relations, Politics of Race and Ethnic Identity Faculty Committees: African Studies, African American Studies, Global Women’s Rights Forum and Masters in International Relations Faculty Committee. Wanjiru returned to Kenya and worked as Lecturer for International Relations at Hekima College, a Constituent College of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, from August 2013 to January 2014.

In March 2014 she was appointed the director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) which is hosted by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya. AWARD invests in agricultural scientists, research institutions, and agribusinesses, strengthening their ability to deliver gender-responsive agricultural innovation for inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for Africa.

Awards and Honors

• 2017: Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa), Whitman College, WA USA
• 2016: Africa’s Most Influential Women, New African Magazine, London, U.K
• 2014: Top 40 women under age 40,^[3] Business Daily, Nairobi, Kenya.
• 2013: Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government, Winner, Civil Society category, Nairobi.
• 2012: 100 Most Influential Africans, New African Magazine
• 2012: Champion of Democracy in East Africa, Ford Foundation
• 2012: White House Champion of Change,^[4] United States White House and the United States Department of State
• 2011: Thomas I. Yamashita Prize, Center for the Study of Social Change, University of California at Berkeley
• 2010: Winner, Marketplace of Ideas, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2006: Doctoral Fellow, Women in International Security (WIIS)
• 2006: International Doctoral Fellow, American Association of University Women, Washington D.C.
• 2005: Honourable Mention, American Political Science Association (APSA) Alice Paul Dissertation Prospectus Award of the Women’s Caucus.
• 2003: MacArthur Doctoral Fellow, Interdisciplinary Program on Global Change, Sustainability and Justice, Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Minnesota.
• 2002: International Human Rights Fellow, Minnesota Human Rights Center, University of Minnesota.

References