“Africa’s Growing Prosperity: The U.S.-Africa Partnership to Advance Democracy, Development, Health & Security” will be presented by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Monday, Nov. 9, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Winship Ballroom of the Dobbs University Center.

Thomas-Greenfield is U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Her career in the Foreign Service spans 34 years, including serving as ambassador to Liberia and postings in Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria and Jamaica.

Monday's event is co-sponsored by the Laney Graduate School, the Institute for Developing Nations (IDN) and The Carter Center.

“IDN was asked to host her public presentation at Emory because of our partnership with The Carter Center and our connections with the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], development NGOs in Atlanta and diaspora communities in Atlanta,” says Sita Ranchod-Nilsson, director of the IDN. “The talk at Emory is a way for Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield to address multiple partners at one time about U.S. priorities in Africa.”

Africa is a priority region for IDN, according to Ranchod-Nilsson. “At Emory, we have the Institute of African Studies and many faculty in public health, medicine and nursing who work on Africa," she says.

In addition to the talk and meeting with partners at The Carter Center and the CDC, Thomas-Greenfield is also using this visit as an outreach opportunity to recruit students for the foreign service.

Ranchod-Nilsson says the ambassador will meet with students at Spelman and Morehouse colleges as well as at Emory. She is also visiting a Stone Mountain high school.