Press Release
PRESS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stith appointed to Africa 2.0 Foundation Advisory Board
Former US Envoy joins Pan African Leadership Development Initiative
Johannesburg, 18 November 2015 - Ambassador Charles R. Stith, Chairman of The Pula Group, was recently appointed to the Africa 2.0 Foundation Advisory Board. Ambassador Stith was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania during the Clinton Administration. Among other members of the board are Former First Lady of South Africa Graca Machel, Former President of Federal Republic of Nigeria HE Olesogun Obasanjo, Vice President of Transparency International Akere Muna, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Former President of the Republic of Mozambique HE Joaquim Chissano, and CNN Anchor Isha Sesay.
"We are excited to have Ambassador Stith as part of this esteemed group - his experience working across Africa, driving cross-continental business and opportunities, and his passion for empowering African youth as the new leaders of the future, is completely aligned with our vision and we look forward to working with him in the years ahead," said Sarah Owusu, Managing Director for the Africa 2.0 Global Secretariat.
Ambassador Stith along with other members of the Africa 2.0 Foundation Advisory Board will be officially inaugurated at this year’s Annual Leadership Symposium in Maputo, November 24-26. Africa 2.0 is a pan-African civil society organisation focused on empowering a new generation of African leaders to transform the continent. The organization's vision is to be a significant catalyst of accelerated and sustainable growth on the African continent, building an inspiring and prosperous Africa. Africa 2.0 is more than a network – all of its members, from across Africa and the Diaspora, are visionary leaders in their own right and together they make up a community dedicated to the transformation of Africa. Founded in 2010 by Mamadou Toure, Africa 2.0 provides a platform and unifying vision for emerging and established African leaders to leapfrog the development of Africa with sustainable solutions.
In addition to Africa 2.0, Stith is currently on the Africa Advisory Committee of the U.S. Trade Representative, the board of Net Oil Africa, and a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of South Carolina, Elizabeth City University, Clark Atlanta University, ITC, and Baker University. Ambassador Stith is a coeditor of the recently published African Americans in US Foreign Policy: From the Era of Frederick Douglass to the Age of Obama (University of Illinois Press 2015); author of For Such a Time as This: African Leadership Challenges (APARC Press, 2008); and Political Religion (Abingdon Press, 1995). He was the Senior Editor of the annual African Leaders State of Africa Report, and author of many articles which have appeared in such publications as the African Business Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Denver Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Chicago Sun Times.
Ambassador Stith is a graduate of Baker University, the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, and Harvard University Divinity School (Th.M). He is also the founder and former National President of the Boston-based Organization for a New Equality (O.N.E.). Ambassador Stith has served on the National Advisory Boards of FannieMae and Fleet InCity Bank, the editorial board of WCVB-TV, among others.
For more information on Africa 2.0 Leadership Symposium visit www.africa2point0.org.
Media contact:
Gavin Rash
Operations Manager:
Jane Tambwe
Tel: +27 11 804 2423
Ra’eesah Moosa (South Africa)
raeesah.moosa@thepulagroup.org
Tel: +27 83 673 4337
Myriam Michel (United States)
Tel: +1-617-595-1980
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