Anisah Ari | Civic Engagement Manager

Anisah Ari has had an enduring commitment to social justice, and this has influenced her life decisions on career and education. She has an undergraduate degree in public administration, a masters in peace and security, and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Leadership Communication. Her current research commitment focuses on understanding emerging leadership practices among hyperlocal women leaders, embodying everyday acts of peace in settings experiencing entrenched and perennial communal conflicts. Anisah believes community engagement is central to creating locally relevant shifts in systems that surface ecological perspectives, thereby empowering local capacities to not just survive, but thrive through evolving complexities.

Anisah purposefully seeks out co-learning opportunities that proliferate a value system of intentional civic-mindedness, and people keeping their mind where their feet are. She has worked extensively with both public sector and non-profit institutions on policy reforms and practice shift on challenges around health systems, gender justice, peace and conflict resolution, organizational development, leadership and governance.

Prior to joining KLC, Anisah taught public speaking at Kansas State University, and has continued to provide support to groups of organizations working on coalition building aimed at elevating collaborative solutions in Africa. Her deepest aspiration is a world where equity is a privilege for all.

Anisah enjoys spending time with her sons and having intellectually captivating, even heated debates on what this world should or shouldn’t look like, but always with a sense of humor. After these conversations, she is left with questions like, “Who are these people?”!!!