AAMU Selected as First-Time Institute Partner

Alabama A&M University is honored to announce its selection as an Institute Partner for the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. For the first time, AAMU will welcome 25 of Africa’s most promising young business professionals to campus for a six-week Leadership Institute beginning in mid-June.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). It is designed to empower young leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, and meaningful engagement with American institutions and communities.

Alabama A&M will serve as one of several U.S. universities hosting Leadership in Business Institutes, which offer participants an immersive experience in American entrepreneurial strategies. The program focuses on developing practical skills in innovation, technology, business plan development, and financial management, all with a global perspective and particular relevance to the African context.

“I worked with the Mandela Washington Fellows at the beginning of the program in 2014,” said Dr. Charles Richardson, professor of marketing in the College of Business and Public Affairs. The award is competitive as less than one percent of those who apply are selected. Alabama A&M being selected as a Business Institute partner will create business ties to Huntsville throughout the African continent.”

In addition to faculty involvement, four Alabama A&M students from the College of Business and Public Affairs have been selected to work with the program: Paris Eskridge, a junior from State Line, Mississippi; Taniyah Maze, a junior from Madison, Alabama; Ryan Morrow, a senior from Maplesville, Alabama; and Jaeveon Jordan, a senior from Washington, D.C. These students will have the opportunity to work closely with the Fellows, gain hands-on experience in international leadership exchange, and contribute to the program’s overall success.

Alabama A&M will also collaborate with Jacquelyn Shipe, Chief Executive Officer of Global Ties Alabama, a long-standing partner in international exchange. Her expertise will further enrich the Fellows’ engagement with the North Alabama community and expand opportunities for cultural and professional exchange.

Throughout the program, Fellows will interact with local business leaders, community members, and AAMU faculty, gaining insight into the development and success of U.S. enterprises. Just as importantly, they will enrich the local community by sharing their own expertise, ideas, and cultural experiences.

For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship and to learn more about this year’s cohort, visit https://www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org/2025/04/17/u-s-educational-institutions-to-host-mandela-washington-fellows-2025/

(Photo L-R) Sonya Merritt, Director, Experiential Learning Opportunities Program, Dr. Charles Richardson, Professor of Marketing, Dr. Sherice Janaye Nelson, Associate Professor of Political Science