Yale Daily News

The Jackson School of Global Affairs announced its 2022-2023 senior fellows last month, featuring three leading practitioners who will join 14 returning fellows.

Joyce-Ann Wainaina, one of the three new fellows, is a managing director at Citibank based in sub-Saharan Africa and the former CEO of the bank’s Kenya and East Africa division. The other two fellows include Robin Miller, the director of consulting firm Dalberg’s Africa division and Hanscom Smith, a former foreign service officer who headed consulates across Asia. The new fellows were announced on August 18.

Jackson senior fellows spend a semester or a full academic year in New Haven teaching courses, conducting research and mentoring students.

“I think that the senior fellows are a fantastic way for practitioners to help share their insights from their experiences and careers with students,” Smith said. “What I hope to do is share some of the insights that I got from my experience to give students a chance to see what the different options are for public service.”

In addition to her work at Citibank, Wainaina is the founder of Chui Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in African businesses.

Wainaina is teaching a seminar this fall entitled “Catalyzing Private Sector Investment in Africa.” She told the News that the course will focus on sketching out Africa’s future economic and industrial performance, paying particular attention to economic inclusion, technological advancements and intraAfrican trade.

“I will leverage my 30 plus years at Citi across Africa as well as invite various illustrious guest speakers to share their immense wealth of knowledge and experience building the continent,” Wainaina wrote in an email to the News. “I look forward to a riveting exchange of ideas with the new generation of leaders at Yale University.”

Miller, global consulting firm Dalberg’s regional director for Africa, is teaching “Digital Transformation for Inclusive Growth” this semester. The course will explore how technology and digital economies can be used to increase accessibility and inclusion in systems of healthcare, education and for businesses.

In addition to her work at Dalberg, Miller serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council focusing on the future of the workplace.

Smith served as the Consul General in Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai, and is now teaching a graduate seminar on China’s international economic policy.

Having worked in the foreign service for 32 years before retiring, Smith spent most of his career overseas.

“One of the strengths of Jackson is the opportunity for practitioners to share those experiences and insights with students to give them a sense of real world options for making a contribution,” Smith told the News. “I am really looking forward not just to teaching but to getting to know students inside and outside the classroom and to working with other faculty members and fellows.”

Smith also told the News that he had previously visited Jackson as a guest lecturer for a class, where he was “very impressed” by the students, faculty and administration.

Jim Levinsohn, inaugural dean of Jackson, told the News that each of the three fellows brings their experiences in nonprofits, government and business to the program — sectors that Jackson graduates tend to work in.

“I’m thrilled to welcome three new Senior Fellows to the Jackson Senior Fellows Program,” Levinsohn told the News. “They’re a great complement to Jackson’s traditional academic faculty.”

This year marks the twelfth cohort of Jackson senior fellows.