Aïda Lewis

Aïda is a Visiting Instructor & Language Lab Instructor at Macalester College in Minnesota and a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) from Fielding Graduate University with a focus on Human and Organization Development (HOD). Her topic of interest is Educated Diasporic West African women in leadership positions. She received her M.A.s in International Leadership from the University of Saint Thomas (Minnesota), and in HOD from Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara (California), her B.A.s in Psychology from Metropolitan State University (Minnesota), and in Lettres Modernes (French) from UCAD (Senegal). Aïda is a trained Montessorian and French teacher in the Twin Cities. She too taught for many years at the Alliance Française and tutors also in French. Aside from being at Macalester, she does translation work for Multilingual Word, Inc., and Alma International Translation (AIT). She also does Education Consultancy for Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center in MN (Audubon), and is a reviewer for the Michigan Charter Schools. Aïda Lewis has recently joined the board of Directors of the Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment (CREATE!). She is a Human Rights trained advocate from CODAP (Switzerland) and a founding member of RADDHO (Senegal). She has spent decades mentoring, and assisting women and children in their rights, education and needs. She has a breadth of experience in educating, exploring possibilities, and connecting people with the right resources. Aïda is an active member of the Senegalese Association of Minnesota (S.A.M.) and has recently acted as its Vice-President for many years. She also spearheads the Educational Committee of the Kaolack Bi Niou Bok, Association .s.,Kaolack, Senegal. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, staying healthy and spending time with family and friends, meeting people and connecting with them and getting them connected. She is known as a people’s person, an innovative, resourceful thinker, skilled in clarifying issues, identifying, and advocating for effective solutions, mobilizing cross-functional teams, and facilitating decision-making in complex situations. She believes in positivity, productivity, advancement, and taking personal responsibility for her commitments.