Serge Adouaka-Ngoimale

Serge Adouaka Ngoimale is from the Central African Republic and holds a degree in telecommunications and IT engineering. In 2007, he started with the World Food Program in Central African Republic as a field technology specialist. He then became the Head of Shared Infrastructure and Telecommunications at Ecobank Central African Republic. Later, he was promoted to the position of Business Continuity Manager. Then in April 2017, he became the Head of Card Operations for electronic banking. Serge is excited to study English and American culture at the University of Montana and to continue his program at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. His long-term goal is to overcome corruption, poverty, and high illiteracy rates and to set up information systems for education, public administration and financial services that meet international standards guaranteeing security and education for the people of his country.

Kokou Alinon

Kokou Nouwame Alinon is from the Republic of Togo in West Africa. He is a doctor in Clinical and Health Psychology and holds certifications in drug control strategies, palliative care and patient education. He has worked for Togo’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection, where he focused on providing pain relief and improving quality of life for patients with serious illness through palliative care. He also worked on the research-action project ENSPEDIA to improve health care for children in West Africa.  Dr. Alinon has taught in the Applied Psychology Department at the University of Lomé and is an author and co-author of many national and international articles and books. His future goal is to help build efficient and sustainable palliative care programs and to integrate these into health systems at all levels. To achieve these goals, he has joined the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program with an emphasis on Health Policy and Management.

Hossein Babazadeh

Hossein Babazadeh, from Iran, is an associate professor in the Science and Research Branch at the Isalmic Azad University (IAU), I.R.Iran with an emphasis on agricultural water sciences.  He completed his graduate and post-graduate work at the University of Tehran and the Ph.D. at Science and Research Branch (IAU). He has been teaching and researching for over 15 years and has been commended for his commitment to excellence in teaching. He has also contributed to his field by writing numerous articles for national and international journals. In addition to his work at IAU, he has consulted on many water projects as a water resources planner, modeler, and project manager. He was chosen to participate in the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in field of Natural Resources, Environmental Policy, and Climate Change and hopes this experience will help him re-envision his future work in researches, project management and education.

Yasmira Calderon

Yasmira Calderon, from Cuba, received her degree in psychology from the University of Havana in 2001. She also holds a master's degree in human resources with an emphasis on design, assessment and development of professional competencies. She has been working as a professor and counselor of organizational psychology in different universities and at the Capacitation Centers in Havana and Venezuela and worked as a counselor with the International Forum for Social Innovation for over 10 years. In 2015, she became an entrepreneur and has been teaching entrepreneurship through the Incuba Empresas Project. Currently, she coordinates the impact assessment of the services offered by this Project. After completing her Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, she hopes to share the knowledge and experience she gain in the program with colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs in Cuba.

Nino Elbakidze

Nino Elbakidze, a lawyer from Georgia, started her career in human rights in 2002 working with an organization called Article 42 of the Constitution. Ms Elbakidze worked as an intern, lawyer, project coordinator, human rights trainer and an executive director, Now days, she is a member of the Article 42 volunteering as a lawyer. From 2014-2017, Nino was chairman of the board for Human Rights House Tbilisi and worked to support human rights defenders. Nino is also a member of the Georgian Bar association and the National Preventive Mechanism in the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia. In January 2017, she established the Human Rights Advocacy and Democracy Fund and is currently working as its executive director and senior researcher. She has written about human rights issues and is particularly interested in human rights and conflict with an emphasis on the occupied territories of Georgia.

Tuguldur Enkhtsetseg

Tuguldur Enkhtsetseg, from Mongolia, has been a field biologist for The Nature Conservancy since 2009, working to expand effective conservation efforts in protected areas in Mongolia. Tuguldur graduated from the Mongolian State University of Education B.Sc. in Biological Science. From 2006 to 2009, he worked as a laboratory assistant and lecturer at the Zoology department of the Mongolian State University of Education.  As a student, he taught zoology to undergraduates, studied with the Denver Zoo, and worked at the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in Mongolia. Tuguldur started his professional career as a biologist with the Mongolian Steppe Conservation program.  Over the last 9 years, he has conducted a wildlife monitoring and grassland health survey in Tosonkhulstai Nature Reserve in Eastern Mongolia.   During his time in the United States, Tuguldur hopes to gain first-hand experience working with the natural resource management, environmental policy and climate change in American academic system.

Jorge Andrés Forero-Gonzalez

Jorge Andrés Forero-González, from Colombia, has studied economics, organic agriculture and political science at the National University of Colombia, COAS, and the University of the Andes. He has experience in the public sector specializing in urban and rural youth programs, human rights advocacy, and non-profit management. He works as a researcher and consultant focusing on environmental and land conflicts in Colombia and Latin América. Currently, he is working with indigenous peoples, the Afro-Colombian community, and agricultural community to create a process for implementing the peace agreement. During his Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program at the University of Montana and the University of California at Davis, he hopes to continue to learn more about peace building efforts and designing public policies shaped by new perspectives in urban and regional planning.

Hadiza Gagara Dagah

Hadiza Gagara Dagah was born and raised in Malbaza, a small town in Niger (West Africa). She attended the National School of Administration in Niamey to study public finance and treasury (2000-2004) and then attended business studies at Abdou Moumouni University earning a master’s in business administration (2007).  She started her career as a civil servant in the Treasury Department. In 2009 she joined Ecobank Niger (one of 35 affiliates of the Ecobank Group) as a tax manager in the Finance Department and developed a strong background in financial reporting and performance management.  In 2012 she became Chief Financial Officer for the bank. She led the financial team and was responsible for financial reporting and compliance and is now a member of the senior leadership team.  With the Hubert H. Humphrey Program, she intends to strengthen her knowledge and competence in international accounting standards (IFRS and US GAAP) in order to adequately assist financial authorities and institutions in the on-going process to improve international standards. 

Lal Bahadur Kunwar

Lal Bahadur Kunwar, from Nepal, is the deputy director of a community health care program which contracts with the Ministry of Health in Nepal where his main role is to design, oversee and implement integrated healthcare through the Community Health Workers (CHWs) network.  His work also involves the use of technology to strengthen the delivery of community-level follow-up care for chronic disease patients. He is passionate about developing effective, affordable healthcare systems that integrate hospital and home-based services for rural patients. Lal has more than 10 years of experience in public health including as a lecturer of public health at Pokhara University, as a program manager of Aasaman Nepal, and as a government health assistant. Through the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, he aims to understand how to better manage non-communicable diseases, maternal health, neonatal health, and mental health. In particular, he also wants to explore how surveillance of maternal health and non-communicable diseases can be successfully conducted in rural areas.

David Luna

David Luna is a Colombian lawyer who has dedicated 20 years of his life to public service including as a councilman, a congressman, the Deputy Minister of Labour, the Presidential High Counselor and the Information, Communication and Technology Minister. He has also been involved with La FM Radio and La Cariñosas´s work-table and is the author of the book “Punto de Partida. 9 propuestas para el buen gobierno de Bogotá”. After the University of Montana, David will continue his fellowship at MIT to study planning and urbanism.  He will focus on solutions to improve air quality and to increase his knowledge about building smart cities.

Jesus R. Monreal Carvajal

Jesus Monreal Carvajal, from Mexico, studied architecture (2006 - 2011) at the National Institute of Technology of Mexico - Los Mochis, obtaining his degree with the thesis called ”Vision 2030: Strategic Plan for the Physical Development for the ITLM”. Since graduation, he has been working to improve the quality of life in cities through urban design.  He is co-founder of the Urban Observatory of Los Mochis and founder of a firm that offers services such architectural design and construction with experience working on more than seventy projects. After finishing the first part of his Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program at the University of Montana, he will take part in the Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Zull-Kifuly Moumouni

Zull-Kifuly Moumouni is from Benin in West Africa and graduated with a master’s degree in English-African Studies at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. He started teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in middle schools in his native community of Zogbodomey. In 2015, he began collaborating with the Peace Corps on diverse projects including teaching English, leading the English Club at his school, and organizing seminars for students and community members on gender-based violence, hand washing, self-confidence, STD prevention, and more. In addition, he created ZOBOZA ENGLISH DAY, an annual event for English teachers to share classroom techniques to for teaching EFL.  Zull-kifuly is also the co-founder and the secretary of AMAZ  (Association des Ambassadeurs pour un Meilleur Avenir de Zogbodomey) where he leads projects to help children in his community. After his Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program at Penn State University, he will go back to his country and launch new and efficient academic and social development projects in his community.

Nyan Win Myint

Nyan Win Myint was born in Yangon, Myanmar. He graduated with a medical degree and  masters degree in public health from the University of Medicine 2, Yangon. He also holds a PhD in tropical medicine from Mahidol University, Thailand. He has more than fifteen years experience working in public health which includes working at the university level, with the World Health Organization, and in the Ministry of Health. He is currently working as Deputy Director (Epidemiology) at the Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar. He is also active with the Myanmar Centers for Diseases Control in cooperation with US CDC and other partners.  His expertise is in the areas of epidemiology of communicable diseases, public health emergency management, international health regulations and health security issues. After completing his Humber H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, he hopes to take on a leadership role in health policy management and public health emergency issues with different national and international public health organizations.

Marlen Navarro Boulandier

Marlen Navarro Boulandier, from Cuba, obtained her PhD in Agricultural Science from the Agrarian University of Havana in 2009. She is now a senior researcher and professor at the Research Station “Indio Hatuey” at the University of Matanzas. Marlen has experience in seed production and seed technology, specifically in pastures, forages, turf grass, and leguminous and non-food oilseeds. In 2013 she participated in a postdoc in Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, with a focus in seed technology. She is a member of the National Seed Technical Group (Ministry of Agriculture) and has also conducted national research projects, collaborating with international organizations. As a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, she would like to design a multidisciplinary program that includes seed research, seed production and seed business. Her long-term professional goal is to develop an innovative seed program that links the public and private sector both inside and outside Cuba.

Coumba Ndokh Ndiaye

Coumba Ndokh Ndiaye, from Senegal, has a master’s degree in English Literature from Gaston Berger University in Senegal. After a two-year training in judicial procedures, she became a court clerk and worked for two years in the investigation office in the Regional Court of Thies. In 2013, she was selected by the International University of French Speaking Countries and given a grant to complete a second master’s degree in Governance and Public Management, completing a thesis on mechanisms to combat economic and financial crime in Senegal. Since 2015, she has been the clerk of the Court of Appeal and has also worked for the Senegalese Virtual University as a tutor and an activity leader.  She joined the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program with a goal to end trafficking and child exploitation in her community building on her experience working in the Senegalese courts and resources gained from her fellowship program.

Luisa Trujillo Cordova

Luisa Trujillo Cordova was born in Quito, Ecuador. As a child, she was encouraged by her grandparents to investigate the lives of plants and animals. She studied biology at the Central University of Ecuador, working part time at the National Herbarium of Ecuador as an assistant researcher. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) gave her a fellowship for graduate study at the Center for Agriculture and Tropical Higher Education (CATIE) in forest management and biodiversity conservation.  Specializing in agroforestry, she has worked to modernize cacao farming in Bolivia and has worked with small farmers and organizations from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Ecuador to implement sustainable agroforestry systems. She has also worked for Nestlé R&D France to coordinate its cacao and coffee experimental farms. Currently she is working with the Ministry of Agriculture on a project in the Ecuadorian Amazonia to recover degraded lands and promote native species. Her future goal is to help farmers utilize crops that promote sustainable agroforestry systems, eliminating deforestation and creating new Amazonian products for national and international markets.

Jenny Urrutia Viveros

Jenny Urrutia Viveros, who was born in Temuco, Chile, graduated as a history, geography and  civic education teacher from the University of the Frontera in 2003. In 2007, she obtained her master’s degree in Human Development.  Jenny started her career as a teacher.  From 2003 to 2007, she worked as the regional literacy coordinator leading an innovative program in her region which was aimed at improving the education and skills of young people and adults in Chile. Currently she works as a technical pedagogical supervisor in the Ministry of Education where she promotes educational policies and the development of management skills with a focus on improving learning through pedagogical reflection with school leaders.  Jenny’s interest in knowing and learning new and innovative educational strategies and strengthening her abilities to improve the quality of education in her country motivated her to participate in the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program.