Lysa has a background in human rights, international development and social justice, with over 25 years of experience working for grassroots, national, and global networks. She has designed and coordinated programmes, campaigns and advocacy initiatives aimed at empowering communities, holding governments accountable and advancing sustainable development. In her most recent role as Secretary General of CIVICUS, she has led a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists working to strengthen citizen participation and defend civic freedoms. Other professional highlights include working with urban poor movements in India, leading transnational campaigns for the Millennium Development Goals, serving as the Head of Outreach for the UN panel that drafted the Sustainable Development Goals and working as the Global Campaigns Director at Save the Children. She contributes to the work of several remarkable networks as a Board member. This includes the International Budget Partnership, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Data Development and the World Benchmarking Alliance. Lysa stays grounded through a daily practice of yoga, meditation and gratitude. She loves reading, being outdoors and celebrating the people who make her deeply happy – her family across India and South Africa and her worldwide network of friends and fellow activists.

Khalil is an Associate Executive Director (Community Engagement, Programing and Impact) at the Atlantic Institute. He previously served as the Director of Dialogue and Advocacy at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg where he was also a Senior Director with the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity program. Prior to this, he was a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies where he conducted analysis on the impact of organised crime on governance. He previously lectured at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, from where he received both his undergraduate and Masters degrees.

Abi is the Associate Executive Director of Communications and Impact at the Atlantic Institute. She is responsible for supporting a learning culture and leads on the design and implementation of the Institute's learning and evaluation plans. Prior to joining the Institute Abi was Managing Director of the social research organisation CFE Research for eight years and she brings over a decade’s experience designing and developing evaluation tools to evidence the impact and effectiveness of social change programs. Abi is passionate about innovative evaluation methods and participatory approaches, and aspires to ensure that stakeholders all have ownership of and investment in the learning and evaluative process.

Alice is experienced in using augmented and virtual realities to interrogate power structures and drive change and has worked at the intersection of art, technology and social justice. She has worked for leading institutions and brands, including Magic Leap, U2, The Gates Foundation, The Global Goals for Sustainable Development, Tate and Penguin Books. Driven by developing virtual experiences that do not compromise the humanity of the user, she says she is looking with hope to a future where technology enables everybody to reach their full potential and creates a fairer and more inclusive society.

Amanda will design and deliver an exceptional, non-precedent setting fund for Atlantic Fellows’ collaborative projects, with responsibilities including the design of the fund’s objectives, and application and review processes. She has significant experience in the international development sector with a proven track record in Programme and Grant management, MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning) and fundraising. She is passionate about creativity, innovation, co-creation and collaboration and intrinsically believes in the greater ideals of service and transcendence.

An Atlantic Fellow for Social & Economic Equity, Daniel has a background in journalism and has most recently been working as a Data Researcher at Data4Change. As a fellow he is deeply committed to this community and "family". Daniel has devoted the past 11 years to communication projects relating to tax accountability, climate change and media literacy. He has also taught students of journalism how to analyze data as part of a drive to investigate issues like corruption and advance a fairer world.

David provides operational and administrative support to the Atlantic Institute team to ensure the smooth running of its meetings, events and special projects. Previously, he worked in events at Oxford Brookes University and as a primary school teacher.

Deepa Mann-Kler is Chief Executive of Neon; Director for Belfast XR Festival; Executive Producer for Virtual Production at Aura Studios; Visiting Professor in Immersive Futures at Ulster University, an award winning Artist and a member of Euromersive and BAFTA Connect. Neon is a multi award-winning studio that harnesses the power of immersive technologies to create authentic augmented and virtual reality narrative driven experiences. Most recent achievements include The Metaverse & Me and Discover ME which shares real life stories of people living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long Covid. Neon launched The Metaverse & Me, AR Peace Wall and AR Street Art apps freely available on iOS and Play Store as part of their commitment to create equal access to emerging technologies. A TEDx speaker “Being Human” and thought leader Deepa regularly keynotes on the intersection of storytelling, digital transformation, technical innovation, leadership, inclusion, ethics, bias, data, AI, design and creativity.

An Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Fionnuala leads on multimedia content by creating and delivering films, animations, and podcasts to amplify the Institute's and Atlantic Fellows' work both within the global Atlantic community and externally. She is also responsible for the development of the atlanticfellows.org website and creating content for it, working closely with Fellows to tell their stories in their collaborative pursuit of equity. Before becoming an Atlantic Fellow, Fionnuala was an anchor and correspondent with CNN International. She was part of the broadcast team which received an Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, a Peabody in 2012 for coverage of the Egyptian Uprising, a 2012 Emmy for Outstanding Live Coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and an Emmy nomination in the same category in 2012 for Breaking News Coverage of the Libya Revolution.

As events coordinator, Ha supports the Atlantic Institute’s convenings and programming. Originally from Vietnam, Nguyen holds a master’s degree in international events management from Leeds Beckett University. Ha has six years of experience bringing conference and social events to fruition, and has a passion for promoting health, fairness and social justice. In her spare time, Ha volunteers locally, organizing fundraisers for children’s health care in Africa, and participates in advocacy campaigns in Vietnam

Jemma is a feminist, passionate about values-based practice that centres collective leadership and local knowledge in the work of shifting power for greater social equity. At the Atlantic Institute, Jemma is Programme and Impact Lead for Innovation and Special Projects, supporting an ecosystem in which Atlantic Fellows lead the changes they wish to see for equity. Jemma has held a range of roles focused on gender justice and social justice, supporting survivors of gender-based violence, women involved with the criminal justice system, and men serving custodial sentences. Most recently, at Oxfam International, she focused on feminist organisational development, co-leading Oxfam’s Global Culture Strategy, and working to embed feminist principles and practices to address power inequalities. Jemma is an experienced facilitator and curriculum designer in face-to-face and virtual settings.

Katherine is responsible for the Partnerships strategy for the Institute and the community of Fellows it supports. She believes passionately in the power of collaboration to drive social, economic and health innovation and brings extensive experience of working across international communities and multi-stakeholder environments. Prior to the Institute, Katherine was director of the Cultural Institute at King's College London, working at the interface between the university and the creative and cultural sectors; she has also held leadership roles within creative, policy, diplomacy and non-governmental organisations. Katherine began her career directing theatre and music and continues to advocate for the arts as a platform for health and social change as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Kim provides high-quality support as coordinator for grants and funding in support of the work of Atlantic Fellows and program staff. Before arriving at the Institute, she was involved in managing student fees, academic records and scholarships. She has worked with charitable organizations, corporations and foreign education ministries to promote and manage the University of Oxford scholarships schemes.

Maria delivers the Institute's communications strategy, using internal and external channels to build connections across the Atlantic community, and capture and amplify the voices of the Fellows. She spent many years as a reporter in fast-moving TV and radio newsrooms before working in media relations and communications roles for Oxfam GB, the Public Affairs Directorate of the University of Oxford, and one of the Oxford colleges. Maria provided media support for emergency work, development programs, fundraising and campaigns. At the University of Oxford, she dealt with media issues relating to signficant University policy; supported the vice chancellor and chancellor on their media work overseas; and promoted the University's social sciences division.

Mel will take up a newly created position as Finance Coordinator. Previously, Mel handled the management accounts for a Bicester-based company, Memoria, which has 12 sites across the U.K. She also worked for the Oxford Women’s Training Scheme, an organisation advocating gender equality that offered skills workshop opportunities to women.

Patronella is part of the team seeking to develop the Atlantic community and broaden its global impact, particularly in strengthening the links with Atlantic Fellows who live in Africa or have links with the continent. Previously, she was the Network Director for Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity and concurrently held a leadership position at the Nelson Mandela Foundation (AFRE’s anchor partner). At AFRE, she led the program’s strategic outreach to identify and recruit applicants from diverse international networks and communities and led the program’s Senior Fellow community. She also contributed to network development and program planning. At the Nelson Mandela Foundation, she conducted analysis on governance and social activism and supported the Foundation’s anti-racism activities and efforts to build democracy.

As XR (Extended Realities) specialist, Richard Smith leads the day-to-day running of the XR Lab at Rhodes House, Oxford. The role is shared between the Atlantic Institute and the Rhodes Trust. He leads demonstrations in virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed/merged reality and other immersive technologies. Richard also manages the equipment loan store, assists with workshops and supports Fellows to help them realize their XR projects. Richard has almost 10 years of experience in working with XR, 3D printing, 3D scanning and other new technologies. Previously, he spearheaded the establishment of the first free VR equipment lending service at the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. He introduced the University to XR through creation events, training and the establishment of the Oxford X-Reality Hub. He also led the development of several University of Oxford XR research projects, including EdTech in the Cloud, a VR app aimed at bridging attainment gaps experienced by disadvantaged secondary students. He works with Alice Wroe, XR Lead, supporting the Atlantic and Rhodes community with XR projects for storytelling.

Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity, Salman Usmani has joined the Atlantic Institute as communications coordinator. A communications expert and campaign strategist he will work with the Institute to amplify the impact of the Atlantic Fellows community by promoting their work around the world . Salman has worked in journalism, advertising and media production across themes ranging from climate change and public health to democracy and human rights. He holds a master’s degree from LSE where he studied inequalities, political communications, social network analysis, and media and technology policy. Salman's work as a Fellow includes new storytelling techniques, narrative change, and developing information architecture and methods to map networks of hate and disinformation.

Shanjitha provides support for the Atlantic Institute's convenings and programming. A Tamil-Canadian, she has a passion for social change, equity and inclusion. She spent has six years working in the philanthropic sector, working previously at the Catherine Donnelly Foundation in Canada. She has a batchelor's undergraduate degree in Women & Gender Studies and Sociology from the University of Toronto; and holds a postgraduate certificate in digital media marketing from George Brown College, Toronto. In her spare time, Shanjitha loves teaching yoga and is a great believer in its transformative, healing and uplifting powers. She supports people in living physically well and mentally resilient lives.

Tanya is an African feminist who has years of experience working to advance women’s rights, gender equality and social justice across Africa and globally. She has expertise in research, policy development, curriculum design and relationship management. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and Inequality from the London School of Economics and a Master of Philosophy in Justice and Transformation (Human Rights Law) from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Tanya is an Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity 2018-19. At the Atlantic Institute, she provides strategic support to the Global Atlantic Fellows Advisory Board, manages the flagship Global Atlantic Fellows Annual Convening, and develops programming (webinars, skills training and place-based) for Atlantic Fellows and staff.

Originally from California, Vincent moved to England in 2019. He has been a personal/ executive assistant for over seven years, with experience in providing support to high-profile individuals, including HM King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales. Outside of work, you can find him tending his garden alongside his 11-month-old son and their three chickens.

Elleke Boehmer is a writer, scholar and lifelong activist for justice and greater inclusion. She is Professor of World Literature in English and Executive Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at the University of Oxford, UK. She is a Fellow of the English Academy, of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Historical Society. She is a Professorial Governing Body Fellow at Wolfson College and an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford. She has been a Rhodes Trustee since 2016 and became the Rhodes Trust’s representative on the Atlantic Institute Governing Board in October 2024. She believes passionately in giving back and in the power of storytelling towards reparation and repair. She is the award-winning author of many books, both academic and fictional. Indian Arrivals 1870–1915: Networks of British Empire (2015) was the winner of the biennial ESSE prize 2016. Elleke’s fiction includes To the Volcano, and other stories (2019; commended for the Elizabeth Jolley Prize), which is her second collection of short stories, and The Shouting in the Dark (winner of the Olive Schreiner Prize 2018). Her novel Ice Shock is forthcoming. Her work has been translated into many languages, including German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Thai and Mandarin. In 2024 she held an International Visiting Fellowship award at the University of Adelaide, Australia and in 2025 she is STIAS visiting fellow in South Africa.

Nicolette Naylor is a Pan African feminist lawyer and senior philanthropic executive who has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of justice, feminism and philanthropy. She has led the Ford Foundation's Southern Africa office and International Program on Gender, Racial & Ethnic Justice where she was responsible for directing the Foundation’s strategy and team in the Southern African region as well as global programming on gender, racial and ethnic justice. Her work has focused on increasing resources and financial support for civil society in the global South and a commitment to strengthening the feminist funding ecosystem for Black and Indigenous feminist movements as well as LGBTIQ+ and gender expansive movements. She retired from Ford Foundation in September 2022 and is now providing consultant support to philanthropic organizations, feminist movements, civil society organizations and academic institutions whilst completing her book project which spans deeply personal and political reflections, celebrations, and critiques of her time in philanthropy.

Kevin is a violence prevention practitioner with a passion for fostering men’s holistic well-being, championing gender equality and eradicating violence against women, girls and gender-diverse individuals. Based in Trinidad and Tobago, he collaborates with various local and regional civil society organizations to advocate for legislative reforms prioritizing victim safety and enforcing perpetrator accountability

Armine is executive director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE) program and a professor in the department of social policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She also co-convenes the Politics of Inequality research program at the LSE International Inequalities Institute. She provides institutional and strategic oversight of AFSEE to achieve its vision, mission and goals, supporting the team in building a powerful, effective program at the heart of the LSE International Inequalities Institute. She also curates the academic content of, and provides facilitation during, the Fellowship modules, ensuring a clear, cohesive learning arc within and across modules. Her work was recognized with LSE’s Excellence in Education Award 2019-2020.

Georgia Giatras is Deputy Warden and Chief Finance and Operations Officer at the Rhodes Trust. She has almost two decades of experience in finance and operations leadership roles, a deep understanding of higher education, and a passion for global learning and educational opportunity. Most recently, Georgia was Chief Operating Officer at the Science and Technology Facilities Council of UK Research & Innovation. Her previous roles include Vice Provost for Resource Planning at Carnegie Mellon University, Senior Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration at UC-Berkeley School of Law, and Director of Business Planning and Finance at Stanford University School of Medicine. She also spent two years in Berlin as COO at Climate Analytics. Georgia grew up in New Jersey and is the proud daughter of Greek immigrants. She is a graduate of Fordham University (B.S. in Finance) and holds an MBA in Accounting, Finance and Management from the Stern School at New York University. 

Kofi Appenteng is the President of the Africa-America Institute (AAI), which was founded in 1953 with a mission of promoting enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training and dialogue. AAI has more than 15,000 African alumni from more than 50 African countries. Throughout his career, Kofi has been active with numerous civil society organizations. He is currently: a member of the International Advisory Board of IE University; a member of the board of Poets & Writers, Inc; and chairs the board of the Greentree Foundation. He is also a past chair of the board of the Ford Foundation, the International Center for Transitional Justice, and the Community Service Society of New York.

Dr. Roger Glass became president of the China Medical Board in January 2023. His distinguished career in global health spans five decades and includes leadership roles in public service, research, capacity building, and international collaboration. Most recently, he served as the director of the Fogarty International Center and associate director for international research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the longest-serving director of the Fogarty International Center (2006-2023), he led efforts to support and facilitate global health research conducted by U.S. and international investigators, building partnerships between health research institutions in the U.S. and abroad, and training the next generation of scientists to address global health needs

Amina is a committed advocate for gender, reproductive health and human rights in the Philippines. She is the founding executive director of Roots of Health and Ugat ng Kalusugan, a local reproductive health organization she started in 2009. In this role, she leads a team of 40 advocates in their work to reduce unplanned pregnancies, maternal deaths and HIV incidence in the Philippines