Dr. Lelei is the Associate Director of the Center for African Studies. In this role, she leads the Center’s day-to-day operations and strategic and programmatic initiatives with a focus on promoting education about Africa and advancing positive appreciation of Africa's contributions to global civilizations. Dr. Lelei has been with the Center since its founding in 2001 when she served as a Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) responsible for assisting the program director with student advising and program development. She received her formative education in her home country of Kenya where she also obtained her bachelor’s degree in education from Kenyatta University. She was a high school teacher in Kenya before coming to the United States to pursue graduate education where she obtained her master's degree in library science and PhD in Education from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Lelei enjoys working with students, advising and providing information and assistance to navigate African Studies within Pitt’s international Studies framework. She particularly encourages interested students to take African Studies content courses, travel to Africa for study abroad, internships or service-related activities to allow them first-hand experience and help them enhance their knowledge and appreciation of Africa. She works in close collaboration with faculty affiliates on strategies to offer more learning opportunities for students through new courses with enriched content on Africa, and out of the classroom learning activities such as seminars, workshops, events, and activities that promote cross-cultural exchanges and networking. She has developed programming that enhance learning about Africa not only for Pitt students but also for K-12 students in Pittsburgh areas schools. She continues to explore opportunities to advance the center's goals and enrich student-learning experiences, as we prepare them to become global citizens who are aware of and understand their wider world-and their place in it.
Additionally, Dr. Lelei holds a part-time faculty appointment in the School of Education where she teaches Education and International Development and special topics courses for students seeking independent study. Her research focuses on the development of education in Africa with specific interest in educational access, equity, quality and policy in East Africa. She has published books and articles including: the (2015) chapter "Toward Achieving Universal Primary Education in Kenya: The Free Primary Education Policies" in the Book "Comparative International Perspectives on Education and Social Change in Developing Counties and Indigenous Peoples in Developing countries, and Education Development in Kenya: Enhancing Access and Quality (2012).