H.E. former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Chair Emeritus

2016 - present

H.E. former President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf served as the president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018, becoming the first elected female head of state in Africa. During her time as president, Mdm. Sirleaf advocated for freedom, justice, and peace. In 2011, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in fighting for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work. Mdm. Sirleaf was awarded the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2017.

Prior to serving as president, Mdm. Sirleaf worked for five years as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Program, as Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, and was the first woman to lead the United Nations Development Project for Africa. She received her Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University.