Africa Discussion Group Description

The Africa Discussion Group will concentrate on a broad range of issues throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Monthly themes will include functional and/or regional topics such as peacekeeping and the African Union, HIV/AIDS, economic development, ecotourism and country analysis such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Somalia. Topics will be driven by the professional and personal interests of group members.

Discussion Group Chair: Elizabeth Sullivan

Elizabeth Sullivan currently serves as program coordinator for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Africa Program where she works on a broad range of U.S.-Africa policy issues such as regional security, nontraditional security assistance reform, and global health. Prior to joining CSIS, Sullivan served as a political and economic intern at the U.S. embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, where she worked on refugee issues, PEPFAR grants to combat HIV/AIDS, and economic development. Previously, she worked for the Foundation for Security and Development of Africa in Accra, Ghana, where she facilitated peace-building initiatives and conducted regional conflict analysis. Sullivan graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in political science, emphasizing international relations and a minor in history. Sullivan’s honors thesis analyzed the impact of private and public funding on microenterprise development.