Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg

Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is an Executive in Residence at Schmidt Futures. Before that she was Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).^[1] Wanjiru is also the Founder and past Executive Director of Akili Dada,^[2] a leadership incubator for African girls and young women and a former Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco.

Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg
Born	Kenya
Alma mater	University of Minnesota Whitman College
Title	Director, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development
Spouse	Isaac Rutenberg

Education

Kamau-Rutenberg earned a Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, where she concentrated on International Relations, Gender Studies & African History. Her 2008 dissertation on the Impact of Ethnic Politics on Women’s Rights legislation during Kenya’s Democratic Transition theorised about the intersection of gender, (re)production of ethnic identities and democratisation processes in emerging economies. Her essay using a gender lens to explore forced circumcision of men during Kenya's 2007-08 Post Election ethnic violence^[3] was one of the first of its kind to use African men's experiences of political violence as a point of departure to theorise the intersection of gender and politics and was published in the Oxford University Transitional Justice Research Working Paper Series.

She was also awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) by Whitman College, Washington. This Honorary Doctorate^[4] recognised her scholarly work and activism towards gender equality especially in Africa. She delivered the commencement speech^[5] to the graduating class of 2017 as part of the award ceremony.

Kamau-Rutenberg also holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis awarded in 2005,^{[citation needed]} and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington awarded in 2001.^{[citation needed]}

Career

In 2005, Kamau-Rutenberg established Akili Dada,^[6] a leadership incubator for girls and young women based in Nairobi, Kenya to address the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in Africa.

Kamau-Rutenberg also served as an Assistant Professor^[7] at University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, from August 2008 to March 2014. During her career in academia she focused on the politics of International Aid and Development, Politics of Global Philanthropy, African Politics, International Relations, Politics of Race and Ethnic Identity.

Kamau-Rutenberg also served as a Lecturer in International Relations at Hekima University College, a Constituent College of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, from August 2013 to January 2014.

In March 2014 she was appointed the director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)] which is hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. AWARD invests in agricultural scientists, research institutions, and agribusinesses, strengthening their ability to deliver gender-responsive agricultural innovation for inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity across Africa. In 2017 AWARD announced the One Planet Fellowships,^[8] a $20M, 5 year initiative to invest in the careers of 600 scientists working towards research to help African smallholder farmers adapt towards a changing climate.

Board Roles

Wanjiru has, and continues to serve in numerous Boards. In 2021 she was appointed to Board of Landesa,^[9] the world's largest land rights organization, and the Board of the Syngenta Foundation. She also serves on the Selection Committee of the Africa Food Prize,^[10] the Board of the Wangari Maathai Foundation,^[11] and the President's Advisory Board^[12] of Whitman College.

She also sits on the Councils of the African Climate Foundation^[13] and The Center for Development Research^[14] at the University of Bonn. She is a member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel,^[15] a high-level panel of independent experts that supports African governments and civil society identify and implement policies that enhance agriculture, food and nutrition security across the continent. She also serves on the Board of Twaweza,.^[16] East Africa’s largest public and policy engagement platform.

Awards and honors

• 2003: MacArthur Doctoral Fellow], Interdisciplinary Program on Global Change, Sustainability and Justice, Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Minnesota^[17]
• 2010: Winner, Marketplace of Ideas, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil^[18]
• 2011: Thomas I. Yamashita Prize, Center for the Study of Social Change, University of California at Berkeley^[19]
• 2012: 100 Most Influential Africans, New African Magazine^[20]
• 2012: Champion of Democracy] in East Africa, Ford Foundation^[21]
• 2012: White House Champion of Change,^[22] United States White House and the United States Department of State
• 2013: Africa's Most Influential Women in Business and Government, Winner, Civil Society category, Nairobi.
• 2014: Top 40 women under age 40,^[23] Business Daily, Nairobi, Kenya.
• 2016: Africa's Most Influential Women, New African Magazine, London, U.K^[24]
• 2017: Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa), Whitman College, WA USA^[4]
• 2018: Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow,^[25] African Leadership Institute, Oxford University, & Cape Town, South Africa
• 2018: 20 Faces of Science,^[26] Africa Science Week, Kenya
• 2021: 100 Most Influential African Women, Avance Media^[27]
• 2021: 27 Inspiring Women Reshaping the Food System^[28]
• 2021: 100 Most Influential Women in Gender Policy, Apolitical^[29]

Bibliography

Book and journal contributions

• Mbo'o-Tchouawou, Michèle; Mulei Musembi, Leornard; Bayene, Hailemichael & Kamau Rutenberg, Wanjiru (30 November 2019). "Chapter 3:Gender and Leadership in Africa: Exploring The Nexus, Trends, and Opportunities" (PDF). In R. Quisumbing, Agnes & Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela (eds.). 2019 Annual trends and outlook report: Gender equality in rural Africa: From commitments to outcomes. International Food Policy Research Institute. pp. 32–43. ISBN 978-0-89629-364-9.
• Nkwake AM, Kamau-Rutenberg W, Mentz M (2017). "Catalyzing and Measuring Women Leadership and Empowerment in African Agricultural Research and Development". Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security. 2 (1).
• Kamau-Rutenberg, Wanjiru (17 July 2009). "Watu Wazima: A gender analysis of forced male circumcisions during Kenya's post-election violence". online: African Arguments. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
• Kamau, C. W. (March 2006). "Kenya & the War on Terrorism". Review of African Political Economy. 33 (107): 133–141. JSTOR 4007116.

Op-eds

• Kamau-Rutenberg, Wanjiru (8 March 2020). "Ending global hunger requires tackling gender inequality". CNBC Africa. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
• Kamau-Rutenberg, Wanjiru (April 2018). "Gender equality in African agriculture: An innovation imperative". WIPO Magazine. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
• Kamau-Rutenberg, Wanjiru (12 April 2018). "Guest Commentary - Want to Make Agriculture Attractive for Africa's Youth? More Bitumen Please". online: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
• Kamau-Rutenberg, Wanjiru (9 February 2018). "The Path to Empowering Women in Agricultural Science". Farming First. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
• Kamau-Rutenberg, Wanjiru (4 November 2015). "Cultivating More Female Plant Scientists". CropLife International. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2020.