Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg

Wanjiru wakes up every day thinking about how to find and support the leaders needed to solve society’s hardest problems. She is passionate about unleashing the potential of human capital for social transformation especially for Africa and its Diaspora. An Executive in Residence at Schmidt Futures, she is currently building a global program focused on Black Women in Executive Leadership (B-WEL). Her service commitments are at the intersection of gender equality, climate change, food systems and scientific research. She is a Member of the Africa 

Food Prize Committee, the Malabo-Montpellier Panel, sits on the boards of the Global Food Banking Network, the Syngenta Foundation, Landesa, and is an advisor to the Co-Impact Gender Fund and the African Climate Foundation among others. Previously she was Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) and she is also the Founder and past Executive Director of Akili Dada, a leadership incubator for African girls and young women. She was also Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg has won numerous awards for her work including being named among 100 Most Reputable Africans, 100 Most Influential Africans, A Ford Foundation Champion of Democracy, and a White House Champion of Change by the Obama administration.