Steinhardt Alumna Receives Keogh Award

The 2009 Euguene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service was presented to Steinhardt alumna Ambassador Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, 1980, Early Childhood and Primary Education.

The Keogh Award is bestowed upon an NYU alum who is a respected and distinguished public figure of recognized stature or identity who has clearly demonstrated a record of outstanding public service in his or her professional, vocational, social, and cultural endeavors.

Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika is the Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the United States of America. Her impressive career has been marked by her tireless devotion as an international advocate for women and children.

Prior to her appointment to Washington D.C., Mbikusita-Lewanika was Ambassador and Special Envoy to the Zambian President during his term as Chairman of the Organization for African Unity (OAU) and served as a Member of the Zambian Parliament from 1991 to 2001. In 2001, Mbikusita-Lewanika chaired the National Crisis Committee of the Alliance of Opposition Political Parties and became a candidate for President of the Republic of Zambia. From 1997 to 2002, she served as President of Federation of the African Women's Peace Networks (FERFAP) and contributed to the mobilization of peace activities. In that capacity, she was selected to be among ten prominent African Women Peace Workers who visited Rwanda soon after the genocide. She later led a United Nations delegation to Burundi and Rwanda to assess the effects of the genocide on women and children and recommend intervention strategies. Mbikusita-Lewanika is also a founding member of the AMANI Forum, African Parliamentarians for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Mbikusita-Lewanika's passion for child and youth development led her to pursue her PhD in early childhood and primary education from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University. An educator by nature, she has been a member of the Haggai Institute Faculty since 1987, and has worked in various levels of education, both nationally and internationally. For nine years, Mbikusita-Lewanika served as a founding Board Member of the International Youth Foundation, and currently serves on a number of boards as an Advisor for children and youth, including the Nike Foundation Advisory Board. Mbikusita-Lewanika also serves as Chairperson of YAPYA, the Zambia Youth Investment Fund.

In recognition of her outstanding work on behalf of the world's children, Mbikusita-Lewanika has also been honored with the UNICEF Award for Distinguished Service for the Children of the World, and was heralded as "the most knowledgeable person about the children of Africa." She has also received the Athena International Award for leadership and improving the lives of others.