The Atlantic Council named Constance Berry Newman, former US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, as a nonresident senior fellow in its Africa Center.

Newman is best known for her work in addressing issues related to poverty and civil and human rights, as well as advancing democracy around the world. She currently serves as special counsel for African affairs at the Carmen Group and is an adviser on Somalia to the US African Development Foundation.

At the Council, Newman will lead the Africa Center’s new education initiative launched in partnership with the BMCE Bank, whose charitable foundation has created Medersat.com, an award-winning initiative that provides high-quality, culturally-appropriate pre-school and primary education to under-served youth in Morocco and other African countries. The Africa Center will produce a report and host an experts’ conference exploring how the challenges of Africa’s rapid urbanization must be met with a renewed focus on high-quality education to ensure Africa’s booming youth population enjoys and enhances the continent’s growing economic prosperity.

Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham said, “I am very excited, both by the prospect of taking on the important issue of providing educational opportunities for underserved population groups in partnership with BMCE Bank, an institution that has blazed a trail of innovation, and by the opportunity to work once again with Connie Newman, whose truly remarkable passion and commitment is matched by an extraordinary record of achievement.”

From 2004-2005, Constance served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs. From 2001-2004, as the assistant administrator for Africa at the US Agency for International Development, she oversaw the United States Government’s economic development in Africa and was a key participant in the launching of the African Education Initiative to expand children’s access to basic education and increase the number of teachers, especially at the primary school level, across the continent. From 2002 to 2005, Constance acted as President Bush’s G8 personal representative on Africa. Throughout her career, Newman has held seven presidential appointments, five confirmed by the Senate, in both Republican and Democratic administrations. In 2012, Government Executive magazine selected Newman as one of the twenty all-time greatest civil servants

Please email press@AtlanticCouncil.org for more information or to arrange an interview with Constance Berry Newman.