New leaders-in-residence appointed

In 2021, the Atlantic Institute appointed Dr. Amara Enyia and Tracy Jooste as Leaders-in-Residence to collaboratively shape thought leadership to help guide the social impact strategy of the Atlantic community. They followed Professor Mvuyo Tom who, in 2019, was the Institute’s inaugural Leader-in-Residence and was integral in researching the various understandings of equity across the global community.

Having worked as a grassroots organizer and activist, Amara is also a strategist, social innovation and social impact professional as well as a public policy expert with experience at both the national and international level. She is the Policy and Research Coordinator for the Movement for Black Lives, chairs the International Working Group for the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and provides strategic advisory services for corporations, organizations, and governmental bodies globally.

An Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity, Tracy is a public policy practitioner who has worked toward equity, inclusion and budget transparency in South Africa for over 15 years. She has served in leadership positions in government, academia, the private sector and civil society. She has expertise in housing, water and sanitation policy, and advocacy with a focus on improving access to basic services for the urban poor.

Since being appointed, Amara and Tracy have been working together to better understand:

— The relationship between policy and social change in the community.

— How the Atlantic Institute and Atlantic Fellows community can accelerate policy change toward the eradication of inequities.

— The different forms of support that can be offered to the community to scaffold their work in policy change.

— Identifying other values-aligned organizations that might be engaged to accelerate policy change work.

We are delighted to announce the upcoming publication of their report in April this year. This report is one of the Institute’s flagship projects and we look forward to sharing an executive summary with an external audience and the report, itself, within the global Atlantic community.

As a result of Amara and Tracy’s tenure as Leaders-in-Residence, as well as the work of Professor Tom, the Institute has expanded its focus to other critical strategic areas within the Atlantic community.  

Consequently, drawing on the network of the global Atlantic programs and following a rigorous interview process with selected Executive Directors, we are excited to announce the following appointees who will support the community in 2022:

·        Leader-in-Residence: Pedagogy
Julie McLeod is a professor in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Capability) at the University of Melbourne. She joined forces with the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity program at the University as one of the leaders of the Curriculum Working Group, which now offers a Graduate Certificate in Social Change Leadership and Master's in Social Change Leadership to incoming Fellows. Julie brings extensive experience in innovative curriculum design and research-led educational programs.

·       Leader-in-Residence: Leadership‍

Professor Chellie Spiller is at the University of Waikato Management School, New Zealand. With a focus on Indigenous leadership, she is the author of the popular book "Wayfinding Leadership." Her other books include "Authentic Leadership," "Practical Wisdom Leadership and Culture" and "Indigenous Spiritualities at Work." Chellie brings extensive executive corporate experience to her academic work and leadership development programs across New Zealand and internationally.

An Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity and Director of Policy and Research at Coworker.org, Wilneida Negrón is also a co-founder of the Startups and Society Initiative, a multi-stakeholder Initiative to accelerate responsible company-building practices in tech. Most recently at the Ford Foundation, she is currently part of the steering committee team for the Foundation’s and Mozilla’s public efforts to continue fostering the impact and sustainability of public interest technology projects in the U.S., Europe and the Global South.

Additionally, in support of the work of our new Leaders-in-Residence and in further exploring ideas, the Institute has appointed two Scholars-in-Residence:
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- Dr. Max Price - Consultant and former Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. As a public health expert and academic at the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Cape Town, Max had an enduring relationship with Atlantic Philanthropies which established the seven global Atlantic Fellows programs. He was part of the consultation process ahead of the founding of Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity, based at Tekano in Cape Town.

- Bruce Miller, MD, A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor in Neurology; Director, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Co-Director, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI). Founder of the Memory and Aging Center at UCSF, Bruce also helped to establish GBHI. Based at UCSF and Trinity College Dublin, GBHI houses the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program.

The Scholar-in-Residence role draws inspiration from an idea currently modeled in the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity program where "Pou" (or recognized elders), reflecting the relationship between ancestors, environment and the reputation or standing of the people, are appointed to act as intellectual leaders and cultural advisors. In providing overall guidance, Pou are “teachers and experts, who guide and protect others and anchor a particular project or philosophy in place.”

For more information please contact Khalil Goga at k.goga@atlanticfellows.org