Lecturer

Course(s) Taught: Introduction To Finance; Financial Accounting; Finance for Non-Finance Students & International Finance

Qualifications: M.Phil, University of Ghana, Legon; Chartered Accountant, Ghana; BSc Administration, University of Ghana, Legon.

Biography

Anthony Essel-Anderson is a Chartered Accountant and a Lecturer at Ashesi University College. Having served in various capacities at institutions of higher learning such as Advanced Business College, Accra and University of Ghana, Legon, he began lecturing in August 2008 at Ashesi. He has been lecturing in accounting and finance and is presently the chair of the Academic Programmes Committee of Ashesi. As a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana), Essel-Anderson has been involved in the training of student-members of the Institute and has been the resource person for Financial Management at the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) School at Legon since January 2010.

Essel-Anderson passed the final examinations of the professional accountancy programme of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) in May 2008. He was admitted into membership in March 2009 and has since been a member in good standing.

Academic Interests

Essel-Anderson has special interest in budgeting and control, enterprise risk management, financial reporting, and personal finance and accountability. He is currently in the process of developing a framework for personal accounting.

Assistant Professor
Business Administration Department
ecooke@ashesi.edu.gh

• PhD (Economics), University of Sussex
• MSc (International Economics), University of Sussex
• MPhil (Economics), University of Ghana
• BA (Economics with Political Science), University of Ghana

Teaching Statement

Economics is a fun subject and students can find the theory presented in the textbook quite different from reality or practice (and sometimes plain boring!). My approach is to have a number of in-class activities in the form of problem solving, case-studies, economic games/simulations and discussion of news worthy articles on economics. This requires a combination of lectures to teach the principles and theory required and active participation in class discussions by the students to grasp the theory.

One thing I am yet to do but I look forward to introducing in my class is going beyond traditional theory to teach heterodox concepts which challenge the classical view of economics and thereby provide students with an opportunity to question the standard economic theory in textbooks.

Courses Taught:
Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and International Trade

Research Statement

I am an economist interested in applied international trade, poverty, inequality, growth and applied econometrics (with a heavy focus on microeconometrics, policy evaluation and some macroeconometric methods). 

Publications

• Cooke, Edgar F. A., Sarah Hague, John Cockburn, Abdel-Rahmen El Lahga, and Luca Tiberti (2014), Estimating the Impact on Poverty of Ghana's Fuel Subsidy Reform and a Mitigating Response". Working Papers MPIA 2014-02. PEP-MPIA. http://ideas.repec.org/p/lvl/mpiacr/2014-02.html.
• Cirera, Xavier and Edgar F. A. Cooke (forthcoming) "Trade Preferences" in Oliver Morrissey, Ricardo Lopez and Kishor Sharma (Eds.), Handbook of Trade and Development. Edward Elgar.
• Cooke, Edgar F.A., Javier Lopez-Gonzalez and Xavier Cirera (2012), "Export Barriers", report for Trade Mark East Africa.
• Antwi-Asare, Theodore, John Cockburn, Edgar F. A. Cooke, Ismaiel Fofana, Luca Tiberti and Daniel K. Twerefou (2010), "Simulating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis and Policy Responses on Children in Ghana", Innocenti Working Paper No. 2010-05, UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa, Dakar, and UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence (available at:http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/601).

Assistant Professor
Business Administration Department
searmah@ashesi.edu.gh

Courses Taught

Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Development Economics

Professional Biography

Dr. Stephen E Armah is an econometrician by training and is currently an assistant professor of Business Administration at Ashesi University College. He is the author of several published articles in development economics especially on the subject of inflation, foreign aid and the economics of the cocoa sector. He is considered an expert in econometrics, foreign aid and cocoa. Stephen also serves as an associate editor of several USA-based journals in addition to being the chief editor of Ashesi University’s Economic Lecture Series Journal. Dr. Armah regularly contributes to economic discourse in Ghana through the release of Economic Policy Briefs by Strategy 3, an economic think-tank where he is also the director of economic policy analysis.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D Agricultural Economics, University of Illinois
• M.A. Economics, Emory University
• BSc. Engineering, Swarthmore College

Areas of Interest

Econometrics, Growth and Development, Economics of Competition (Antitrust), Corruption, Oil and Gas, Media and Telecoms.

Publications

• Osiakwan, R and S. E. Armah (2014) “The Fashionable Inflation and "Food Inflation" Rhetoric in Ghana: Is there any substance behind all the hype?” International Journal of Agriculture and Economic Development, 1(1), 1-36, Dec. 2013 1
• Osei-Owusu Alexander and Stephen E Armah (2014) "Investigating the Applicability of Dynamic Pricing to Ghana’s Telecom Infrastructure Market International Journal of Emerging Science and Engineering (IJESE)” Volume-2, Issue-5, March 2014.
• Osiakwan, R and S. E. Armah (2014) “Clearing the Muddy Waters: An attempt to decompose the impacts of inflation on the welfare of Ghanaian citizens in light of recent political rhetoric on inflation” Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance and Marketing, 5(2), 32-65 Sept 2013
• Armah S. E. A., Garcia, P and C. Nelson (2014) "Optimal Hedging under Joint Price and Production Uncertainty: Rolfo Re-visited" Journal of Developing Areas, 2014, accepted, forthcoming
• Armah, S.E and Apt, N.A. (2012), eds. Ashesi Economics Lecture Series Journal. London: Mot Juste Publishers for Ashesi University College.
• A. Pinnamang-Tutu and S.E. Armah (2011) “Cost-Benefit Analysis of Moving up the Cocoa Supply Chain: The Case of Ghana Cocoa” Journal of Marketing and Management, 2 (1), 27-50, May 2011.
• Armah S. E. A. (2010) "Establishing the Feasibility of Using the Futures Market for Risk management" Journal of Marketing and Management, 1 (1), 21-48, November 2010
• Armah, S.E.A (2010) "Does Political Stability Improve the Aid-Growth Relationship? A panel evidence on selected Sub-Saharan African countries" The African Review of Economics and Finance, Vol 2, No 1.
• Armah S. E. and L. G. Adu Amoah (2010) “Media Freedom and Political Instability in SSA” Journal of Econ Development, Management, IT, Finance and Marketing, 2(2): 41-67, September 2010.
• Armah S. E. A. (2009) "Will the Internet Stimulate Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Dynamic Panel Analysis" Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance and Marketing. 1 (1): 78-102.
• Armah S. E. A. (2009) "Investigating the Influence of Political Stability on the Aid-Growth Relationship in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Panel Data Approach" Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance and Marketing. 1 (1): 35-56.
• Armah S. E. A. (2009) " Explaining Ghana’s Recent Good Cocoa Karma: A Reverse Smuggling Incentive Argument" International Journal of Global Business June 2009, 1 (2): 127-128.
• Armah S. E. A. (2008) "Should Cocoa Exporters Hedge Cocoa Price Risk: A Focus on Over-looked Factors" International Journal of Global Business 1 (1): 101-128.
• Armah, S.E.A. (2007). "Strategic Risk Management for Cocoa Exporters" Journal of Global Management Research Dec 2007 3(2): 45-52.
• Apronti Marian and Stephen Armah (2014) An Evaluation Of Governmental Policies Used In The Management of Natural Resources: A Focus on Botswana and Nigeria and Lessons for Ghana” Monograph Publication. London, Mellon: Publishers, Forthcoming
• Daniel Torku and Stephen Armah (2014) “Are Ghana’s current policies sufficient to avoid the occurrence of the resource curse?” in Apt, Nana (2014), Ed, “Position Ghana in the Global Context” Nigeria: IFRA Publishers, Forthcoming
• Armah Stephen and J. Amegatche (2014) “Investigating Anti-Competitive Behavior in Ghana’s Bourgeoning Telecom Industry: Is there a Need for the Enactment of Anti-trust laws?” in Amoah, Lloyd (2014) (Ed) “Impacts of the Knowledge Society on Economic and Social Growth in Africa” London: IGI Global Publishers, Forthcoming

Research Summary

My research is interdisciplinary and focuses on addressing the problems that plague developing countries in their quest for development. This includes inflation, access to capital, access to reliable power, institutional challenges, foreign aid, how to graduate from primary resource dependence to a diversified economy, how to foster competition where it is absent and corruption.

Awards & Honors

• Fellow, Global Strategic Management Institute (GSMI), USA. [2010-2013] 
• The Ralph Joseph Mutti Dissertation Award, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [2009] 
• Graduate School Recognition for Significant Leadership in an Academic Discipline, ACE UIUC. [2008]
• Best Doctoral Research Award, 1st Int. Bus Conference, Dearborn, MI [2008] 
• Best Graduate Student Paper, Illinois Econ Assoc. Grad Paper Contest [2008] 
• Best Grad Student Paper, Southwestern Economics Grad Paper Contest [2008] 
• Recognition for Outstanding Service to Minorities in Agriculture (MANNRS) [2007] 
• Recognition for High Achievement in Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta [2006]

Assistant Professor
Business Administration Department
eansah@ashesi.edu.gh

Dr. Ansah is a social scientist who teaches Human Resource Management, Leadership IV, Negotiation and Creative Problem-Solving and Organisational Behaviour. She is a product of top-ranked Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast (Ghana).  She earned three Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, International Affairs and French from Florida State University in 1999, graduating in three years cum laude (with honors).  She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago (2004) and a Master of Science degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University in Chicago (2002). She holds a PhD in Public Administration (2008) from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Dr. Ansah loves teaching and research, and is highly engaged in various initiatives in the academic community. She was voted by students as the Outstanding Faculty Member in 2008 and 2010, and also as the Most Inspiring Faculty Member in 2010.  Esi’s academic and professional interests include Service Delivery Reform in the Public Sector and Human Resource Management and Social and Public Entrepreneurship. 

Esi is also a founding partner and the current CEO of Axis Human Capital Ltd. Since 2008, Esi has managed Axis, growing its client base and establishing it as a respectable partner in supporting organizations in their development, providing business advisory services and recruiting high-calibre candidates for clients. Esi also uses Axis as a platform to provide mentoring and career coaching to job seekers and young professionals (CV Writing, Interviewing Skills, Career Planning, Entrepreneurship etc.), and is especially passionate about working with young students and professionals. 

Esi is actively engaged in various roles in her community, and also serves on the boards of the Longevity Project and Women’s Trust. She is a fellow in the Aspen Institute’s Africa Leadership Initiative (West Africa), and was honored in 2010 by the New York-based The Network Journal (TNJ) as one of the journal’s “Forty under Forty” African Achievers. She describes herself as a simple, high-energy person who never runs out of ideas (she maintains a detailed Idea Bank), and also as a “grounded idealist” with a sense of urgency and an aim to bring positive transformation wherever she finds herself.

Courses Taught: Human Resource Management; Organizational Behaviour; Leadership; Negotiation & Creative Problem-Solving

Qualifications

• PhD, Public Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
• MSc, Public Service Management, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
• MA, Social Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  BA International Affairs, French & Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 

Research Interests

• Service delivery and service quality across sectors (public, private, non-profit)
• Human resource development in the public sector (street-level bureaucracy)
• Social and public entrepreneurship in African development
• The role of Research and Development (R&D) in African development
• Social marketing and public sector branding

Work History

• Assistant Professor/Acting Head of Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, Labone, Ghana (08/2008 - Present)
• Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Axis Human Capital Ltd. (07/2007 – Present) 
• Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2004 - 05/2007)
• Research Assistant, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2004 – 05/2007)
• Junior Consultant, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (03/2006 -11/2006) 
• Adjunct Professor, Harold Washington Community College, Chicago, IL (01/2004 – 05/2004)
• Graduate Assistant, DePaul University, Chicago, IL (09/2002 – 06/2004)
• Adult Literacy Instructor, Blue Gargoyle Adult Learning Program, Chicago, IL (03/2001 – 08/2002)
• Technology Accounting Specialist, GATX Technology Services, Tampa, FL (01/2000 – 09/2000)
• Professional / Academic Memberships

Memberships

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)
• International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR)
• Pi Alpha Alpha, National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration
• Golden Key International Honor Society
• Phi Beta Kappa, National Undergraduate Honor Society
• W. E. B. DuBois Honor Society for Black Scholars
• Psi Chi, Psychology National Honor Society
• Pi Gamma Mu, Social Science National Honor Society
• Pi Delta Phi, French National Honor Society

Awards/Grants/Fellowships 

• Ashesi University College - Outstanding Faculty Award (12/2008, 12/2010)
• Ashesi Ubora Awards - Most Inspiring Faculty Award (11/2010)
• The Network Journal (TNJ) 40 Under 40 Achievers’ Award, (11/2010)
• Dissertation Excellence Fellowship Recipient, Rutgers University – Newark, NJ (2007 – 2008)
• Founders’ Forum Fellow - ASPA Conference, Milwaukee, WI (03/2005)
• David Gould Scholar - ASPA Conference, Portland, OR (03/ 2004)
• Florida-West Africa Linkage Program Award (1997-1999)

Academic Publications & Contributions

• Educational Planning – Building Bridges between Academe and Industry in Ghana (Upcoming Book Chapter in “Re-positioning Ghana: Challenges and Innovations”, by Prof. Nana Araba Apt, Ashesi University College)
• Piotrowski, S. and Ansah, E. (2010).Organizational Assessment Tools: Report Cards and Scorecards of the Federal Agencies. Public Administration Quarterly, Vol. 34: 1. Available at < http://www.spaef.com/article.php?id=1161>
• Contributor: Research and Information Resources for Public Administration (2005).
• Associate Editor: Frontiers of Public Administration Proceedings of the Second Sino-U.S. International Conference: “Public Administration in the Changing World”, Beijing, China, May 24 - 25, 2004.
• Theorizing The Brain Drain (2002).  African Issues Vol. 30: 1(21-24)  

Conference Papers

• Sustainable Development: The Social Enterprise Engine and Positive Social Change Paper to be presented at the Sixth International Conference on Public Management, Policy and Development (CIMPAD). Monrovia, Liberia. June 20 – June 22, 2011.
• Sustaining Development Through Civil Servants – The Crucial Role Of Human Resources In Civil Service Reform. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Public Management, Policy and Development (CIMPAD). Kampala, Uganda. June 17 – June 21, 2007.
• Co-Author: Identifying Student Needs In Academia: Understanding The Concerns Of Doctoral Students In Public Affairs Programs In The U.S. Co-Author: Weiwei Lin, Rutgers University.  Paper presented at the 68th Annual American Society For Public Administration National Conference.  Washington DC, March 23 – March 27, 2007.
• Co-Author:Competing Performance Appraisal Tools: Report Cards And Scorecards Of The Federal Agencies. Co-Authors: Suzanne Piotrowski, David Rosenbloom.  Paper prepared for the American Political Science Association Annual Conference.  Philadelphia, PA, September 2, 2006.
• Co-Author: Reinvigorating Public Service: The Case For Branding In The Public Sector. Co-Author: Weiwei Lin, Rutgers University.  Paper presented at the 67th Annual American Society For Public Administration National Conference.  Denver, CO, March 31 - April 4, 2006.
• Reframing Capacity-Building In Africa: Recognizing The Importance Of Street-Level Civil Servants. Paper presented at the Fifth International Conference On Public Management, Policy And Development. (CIMPAD).  Dakar, Senegal, June 18 – 23, 2005.
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• An Exploration Of Diversity And Methodological Frameworks: Positivism And Non-Conventional Contributions To Intellectual Inquiry In Public Administration. Paper Presented at the 2005 Annual National Association Of Schools Of Public Affairs And Administration Conference.  Washington, DC,  October 13-15, 2005

Current Research Projects

• Project Leader/ Facilitator - Qualitative Research Methods Network, Ashesi University College (regional hub for West Africa), in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies (University of Sussex, UK). 01/2009 – Present)
• Understanding and Improving Service Quality in the Ghanaian Public Sector (Follow-up study and book in Progress)
• Ashesi Case Study Series Project (06/2010 - present)

Thesis Supervision

Topic areas include:

• Human Resource Management – organizational culture and human resource practices, workplace bullying and employee productivity, ethics training and employee performance
• Social Capital - recreation for the elderly, street hawker intervention programs, prisoner rehabilitation
• Marketing and Branding - nation branding in Ghana,  corporate social responsibility and brand awareness, service quality and corporate image, advertising and competitive strategies
• Natural Resource Management - Ghana’s oil discovery and the resource curse, water privatization (micro finance), Ghana’s progress in reaching the MDG 7 (deforestation)

Research Assistance

• Public Administration: Government Transparency - Analysis Of Report Cards And Scorecards Of Federal Agencies. Dr. Suzanne Piotrowski. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2005 – 08/2007)
• Public Administration: Citizen Participation In Local Government. Dr. Kathe Callahan. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2004 - 08/2005)
• Public Service Management: Comparative Studies Between The French And American Health Care Systems – Laying The Foundations For A DePaul – France Course Exchange Program. Dr. Sara Gooding-Williams.  DePaul University, Chicago, IL (09/2002 – 06/2004)
• Sociology: New Political Cultures: Africa. Dr. Teri Clark, University of Chicago, Chicago IL (05 -08/2001)
• Psychology:Social Perception And Aggressive Behaviour In Children. Dr. Janet Kistner, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (05-08/1997)

Academic Committee Memberships

• CODESRIA, Prize for Doctoral Thesis - Award Selection Committee, Dakar, Senegal (04/2010)
• Trust Africa, Investment Climate and Business Environment (ICBE) Research – Pan African Juror, Dakar, Senegal (08/2010)

Non-Academic Publications

• Timely Reminder for the 2010 HR Manager, Business World, February 2010
• Training Frontline Service Personnel, CIO Business World, Ghana Edition. October/ November 2009
• Bringing Out Superior Performance In New-Hire Graduates, CIO Business World, Ghana Edition. September 2009
• Of Obamamania and Electionmania in Ogyakrom and Africa, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.18, Pg. 24 (November, 2008)
• More Issues to Consider for 2008 Elections, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.16, Pg. 22 (October, 2008)
• Africans and the Social Sciences, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.15, Pg. 22 (September, 2008)
• The Real Educational Reform That We Need, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.14, Pg. 27 (September, 2008)
• Let's Talk About Issues, Not Personalities or Parties, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.13, Pg. 21 (August, 2008)
• Paul Archibald Vianney Ansah: A Biography, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.11, Pg. 4 (July, 2008)
• Excerpts from the Writings of Paul Ansah, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.11, Pg. 25 (July, 2008)

Service & Leadership 

• Aspen Institute’s Africa Leadership Initiative - West Africa Fellow (09/ 2009 - Present)
• Leadership Project: Empowerment through Education and Entrepreneurship (Triple-E Project)

Speaking Engagements

Dr. Ansah is a Career Development Specialist/Career Coach who often speaks to multiple groups of people, mainly young adults. Her talks are often aimed at facilitating a creative thinking process where workshop participants develop personal vision and mission statements. She also challenges students to explore academic disciplines and career options, tying their interests, skills, academic training and other factors together. A consistent theme in her discussions with students is on passion driving excellence in career pursuits. 

Some past speaking engagements:

• Bridging the gap between Academia and Industry – Business Sense (02/2011)
• Managing Your Boss, Citi 97.3 FM Business Edition (02/2011)
• Less Talk, More Action - Legacy & Legacy Springboard Roadshow (01/2011)
• How to Quit Your Job, Citi 97.3 FM Business Edition (07/2010)
• Proposal Writing – Pioneers Africa (04/2010)
• Interview Skills – ICGC Legon Campus Chapter (04/2010)
• Career Planning & Development – Springboard Show, Joy 99.7 FM (03/2010)
• Talent Management & Retention – CareerNation HR Conference (10/2009, 07/2010), Brighter Futures Africa (07/2010)
• Mission & Vision Development – V.O.I.C.E.S. Ghana (10/2009), History Makers Leadership Institute (06/2009)
• CV Writing, Job Search Strategies – HuD Group Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation (06/2009), Akwaaba Expo (12/2009)
• The Art of Public Speaking – Holy Spirit Cathedral Youth (07/2009)
• Personal Branding – Ashesi Alumni Workshop (02/2009)
• Entrepreneurship – DUES Club, HuD Group (12/2008)

Volunteer Activities

• Longevity Project Ghana, Accra, Ghana (06/2005 – Present)
• Borstal Senior Correctional Center, Accra, Ghana (06/2008 – 03/2010)
• Shriners Hospital, Tampa, Florida (01/2000 – 08/2000)
• Musgrave Girls’ Home, Kingston, Jamaica (03/1999)
• Neighbourhood Health Centre, Tallahassee, Florida (03/1999 – 08/1999)
• Educational Research and Child Development Centre, Tallahassee, Florida (01/1997 - 08/1997)
• Regents Family Shelter, Manhattan, New York (06/1996 – 08/1996)
• Borstal Youth Institute, Accra, Ghana (07/1995 – 06/1996) 

Interests

• Volunteering in social service agencies and in church activities
• Idea generation for entrepreneurial ventures
• Helping young people with strategic academic and career development planning
• Writing poems (Collection of about 65 poems) and articles on social, economic development and spiritual issues, Blog: Drumbeats from Ogyakrom www.ogyakrom.blogspot.com
• Travel - countries visited include the USA, England, Canada, Liberia, Jamaica, France, Monaco, Spain, Senegal, Guatemala and Uganda
• Photography – landscape, urban space and activity

Assistant Professor
Business Administration Department
sagyepong@ashesi.edu.gh
sena@senaagyepong.com
www.senaagyepong.com

• Ph.D. Building Technology (Construction Project Resource Management), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
• Executive Diploma in Arbitration and Mediation, Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation, Tema, Ghana
• Bachelor of Science Building Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Teaching Statement

“Nea onnim no sua a, ohu” meaning "He who does not know can know from learning"

Every student comes with their own unique sets of knowledge, experiences and exposure, to help them internalise all that is discussed in a class. My duty as a teacher is to understand what a student brings to the classroom, and guide them to channel it properly, prune and enhance them to contribute in other environments.

I believe that there is a lot of my own learning that my students hold the key to unlocking. I see my students as junior colleagues, and work hard at developing healthy and intellectually stimulating relationships with them. In all of this, I ensure that we do not compromise discipline, and identify mutually satisfying principles that will guide these relationships. With each of them, I have and share a special relationship, unique to them only.

At the end of every teaching session, my objective is that my students should have had the opportunity to engage their critical thinking, creative and analytical faculties as well as developed skills to enhance future career opportunities. I believe in experiential learning, centred on the learner, and hinged on research.

Ultimately, I love for my students to have a fun learning experience in my classes. By combining different methods of teaching and assessing, I believe I am able to offer majority of my students, a learning experience that is fun yet educative.

Courses taught at Ashesi: 
• Entrepreneurship
• Real Estate Development
• Negotiation & Creative Problem Solving
• Organisational Behaviour

Research Statement

Research, I believe, should be targeted at stakeholders in both academia and industry to bridge the gap between them. I have, post PhD, conducted some independent and collaborative research activities, which have been published at various academic conferences and industry conferences and workshops.

One other way I have attempted to address this widening gap between academia and industry, has been collaborating in research efforts with professionals in industry. In this same vain, I co-founded the West African Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference www.waberconference.com which is making good strides in bridging this gap between academia and industry within the built environment.

Also I believe that, instructors need to help their students develop research and analytical skills by engaging in research activities with them.

To satisfy capstone and other research requirements, I am of the opinion that, students need to be guided by teachers to choose and develop research areas both parties find interesting. This requires appropriate, effective and efficient supervision and a keenness on the part of the teacher to drive the student to do good research, which can be published. Some of my recent disseminated research information have been products of joint efforts with students.

Research Interests

• Real Estate Development
• Entrepreneurship
• Construction Project Management
• Dispute and Conflict Management
• Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management in the Built Environment

Research Statement

Books & Book Chapters:

• Laryea, S., Agyepong, S., (Eds) Procs 5th West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference, 12-14 August 2013, Accra, Ghana (ISBN 978-0-9566060-1-3)
• Laryea S., Agyepong S., Leiringer R. and Hughes W. (2012) Construction in West Africa. WABER Conference, Accra (ISBN-978-0-9566060-3-7)
• Ankrah N. A., Agyepong S. and Ahadzie D (2012) Role of Human Resources in Construction in West Africa in Laryea S., Agyepong S., Leiringer R. and Hughes W. (2012) Construction in West Africa. WABER Conference, Accra (ISBN-978-0-9566060-3-7)
• Laryea, S., Agyepong, S., Leiringer, R. and Hughes, W. (Eds) Procs 4th West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference, 24-26 July 2012, Abuja, Nigeria (ISBN 978-0-9566060-1-3)
• Peer Reviewed Conference Papers:
• Agyepong, S. A. and Wuni, A.W. (2014) Investigating the relationship between the age-stage demographic and preferences in dwelling type In: Laryea, S. and Ibem, E. (Eds) Proceedings 8th Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) Postgraduate Conference, 10-11 February 2014, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 393-403.
• Agyepong S. A., Fugar F. D. K and Tuuli M. M. (2010) The Applicability of the Harvard and Warwick Models in the Development of Human Resource Management Policies of Large Construction Companies in Ghana. Proceedings of the West African Built Environment (WABER) Conference. British Council, Accra. 27-28th July 2010. (ISBN 978-0-9566060-0-6)
• Agyepong S. A. and Adjei-Kumi T. (2010) An Overview of Human Resource Management Practices of Large Construction Companies in Ghana Proceedings of the 1st international postgraduate research conference on the built environment organized by the Faculty of Architecture and Building Technology. Great Hall Conference Room of the KNUST. 3rd - 4th June, 2010. (ISBN: 978-9988-1-3859-2)
• Agbodjah L. S., Dainty A. R. J. and Adjei-Kumi T. (2007) Integration of the Human Resource Management Function into Large Construction Companies Operating in Ghana. Proceedings: 25th Anniversary Conference of the Construction Management and Economics Journal, Reading University, Reading, UK. 16-18 July 2007
• Agbodjah L. S., Adjei-Kumi T., Dainty A. R. J. and Manteau K. A. (2007) Managing Workplace Conflict: Managing Conflicts within Large Construction Companies in Ghana. Proceedings: American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE/CIB 2007 Construction Research Congress. Grand Bahama Islands, Bahamas. 6-8 May 2007
• Non-Peer Reviewed Conference Papers
• Agyepong S. A. and Owusu-Adjei K. B. (2013) Meeting Ghana’s Housing Deficit: Is this possible? Ghana Studies Association Kumasi 2013 International Conference on Perspectives on Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. 23-26 May 2013
• Professional Seminars
• Agyepong S. A (2013) Creativity in Project Management. PMI-Ghana Charter Meeting, August 2013. Accra 30 August 2013
• Frimpong, M. K., Ashiboe-Mensah, N. A. and Agbodjah, L. S. (2008) Ethics in Quantity Surveying Practice: A Pursuit of Excellence. Proceedings: 4th Triennial General Assembly and 10th Council Meeting of the Africa Association of Quantity Surveyors and Annual Seminar and Conference of the Quantity Surveying Division of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors. Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, Accra, Ghana. 18th – 21st August, 2008.
• Feature Articles
• Agyepong S. A. (2012) Are the Classifications for Contractors operating in Ghana Accurate? The Quantity Surveyor. Issue 1, June 2012
• Agbodjah L. S. (2009) Conflict Management within Large (D1/K1) Construction Companies operating in Ghana. The Quantity Surveyor. Issue 1, January-June 2009
• Agbodjah L. S. (2008) A People Management Policy Development Framework for Large Construction Companies Operating in Ghana. A Feature Article in the Daily Graphic of Thursday August 7th 2008. Page 27

Senior Lecturer
Business Administration Department
aespio@ashesi.edu.gh

• MSc. International Marketing, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland
• BA (Hons) Economics, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
• Diploma, Sustainable Local Economic Development, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Advanced Marketing Diploma, Institute of Marketing Management, Johannesburg, South Africa

Teaching Statement

I believe learning should lead to a change in the way people think, feel and act. It should provide the opportunity for people to acquire skills that engender personal growth and enable them participate and contribute meaningfully to the well being of society. Learning is most effective when students are actively engaged and collaborate with their colleagues in the learning process and continually test, apply and reflect on the concepts and theories they learn.

My role is to facilitate the learning process by creating a congenial environment and helping the students to learn in multiple ways that positively influence the way they think, feel and act. It is not about necessarily finding the brightest students or a gem but rather help all students to learn and develop their ability. I perceive my role and promise in the learning process as a coach who has an inspiring and nurturing relationship with his students that enable them to grow.

Learning in my view, especially in a business discipline such as marketing or strategy, requires a deep understanding of concepts and theories, acquisition of analytical and synthesis skills and creative application of knowledge to business opportunities and challenges. Learning must involve both personal and intellectual development.

Consequently, I aspire to achieve the following in my work with students, be it teaching, setting assignments and exams, coaching and having a discourse:

• To engage students to understand, analyze, interrogate, and synthesize concepts and theories.
• To promote the creative and appropriate use of knowledge to transform business, society and self.
• To offer interactive classroom and promote cross-fertilization of ideas through cooperative learning.
• To engender learner enthusiasm for deep life-long learning rather than surface or strategic learning.

Courses Taught

Marketing, Competitive Strategy, Strategic Brand Management, New Product Development, Services Marketing 

Research Statement

My goal is to research, teach and apply the insights of business, entrepreneurship, branding and innovation to advise governments and help develop entrepreneurial enterprises to grow and create jobs and wealth in Africa. 

My interest emanates from the marketing, entrepreneurship, and business management skills and knowledge I gained from working in the private sector, participation in public-private partnership initiatives, running my own business, courses have taken, and teaching. 

I have published articles in the areas of place branding and business advisory service that should provide insightful ideas for policy makers, practitioners and enterprises.

Publications

•  With M. Akotia, K. Frimpong N.K. Austin Country Branding: A Developing Economy Perspective. International Journal of Business Strategy (IJBS) Volume 1, 2011, ISSN:1553-9563. November 2011
•  Promoting the Growth of SME customers of Banks in Ghana through Market -Led Business Development Services” Business & Financial Times of October 2011
•  The City branding of Accra in Dr Keith  Dinnie’s (editor) City Branding – Theory and Cases.  Palgrave McMillan. January 2011
•  Capitalizing on the visit of President Barack Obama: The role of nation branding New Legon Observer 2009

Awards and Honours

• Fellow, The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK, 2013. Fellowship is the highest recognition CIM confers on its members. It is awarded to a marketing professional with proven record of expertise, experience, success and a high degree of responsibility in marketing operations.
•  Winner of Scottish Trade International Prize for theBest International Management Group Project in session 1998/1999 at the University of Strathclyde.
•  Winner of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Prize for the Best Academic Performance in MSc International Marketing 1998/1999 at the University of Strathclyde, UK.
•  Chevening Scholar 1998-1999. An award given by British Foreign and Commonwealth office to young outstanding people from the Commonwealth to pursue postgraduate courses in the UK.
•  Winner of Bashorun Abiola Prize in Marketing for the Best African student in MSC International Marketing 1998/99 academic year, at the University of Strathclyde, UK.

Senior Assistant Professor

Business Administration Department
gadomdza@ashesi.edu.gh

• Ph.D. in Management of Technology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• M.A.Sc in Management Science, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada                                
• M.A. in Applied Economics, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada          
• Graduate Teaching Certificate, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada          
• B.A. in Economics, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana                                                              
• ACIM, Professional Diploma in Marketing, Chartered Institute of Marketing, London, UK        
• Certificates in Case Method Teaching Part I & II,  Harvard Business Publishing with HBS. Boston, USA                        

Teaching Statement

It is not that difficult, these days, to find information on a subject of interest. You can easily find complex literature on any subject or translated versions (e.g. ‘Subject for dummies’), instructional videos (e.g. How To videos, MOOCs) or even info-taining videos (e.g. from ‘Youtube artists’). You get eased into the content and come away with some (sometimes a really good) understanding of the subject area. In a world where information is so abundant and available in desirable and engaging media format, how do we engage students and hold their attention long enough to achieve learning goals? This is the question that drives my approach to teaching.

I situate my approach in the analogy of a “Coach with a Toolbox”. A coach presents a unifying goal and helps his/her students to systematically develop the skills and abilities they possess to meet this goal. With activities and hurdles, the coach trains the students to harness their own individual and collective ability to become a formidable champion team with talented stars. Drawing from the role of a coach, I endeavor to identify theoretical lenses, tools and frameworks for the toolbox and appropriate activities for illustration. The use of this analogy often helps the class gain a sustained interest, practice critical thinking, empathy and intuition in problem solving and provides mastery of course concepts and their application.

For illustration, consider the high rate of venture failure in entrepreneurship. This tells us that we cannot continue to focus entrepreneurial teaching on business development while assuming that the students will bring quality ideas that only need evaluation. To apply the analogy, I have directed my teaching interest at the front-end of the entrepreneurial process by employing design thinking tools that harness students’ creativity to clearly define and understand problems, user needs and opportunity spaces before developing entrepreneurial ventures on them.

I know the coach with the toolbox analogy works and I get reminded quite frequently when I receive emails from past students. They will often be emailing from an internship or a new job somewhere on the planet and want to share how they are applying concepts we learned in class or how they are seeing it applied. That kind of feedback not only encourages me to continue to fill the toolbox and find new training drills, but it is also a reminder that how we engage students in the courses we teach is extremely important.

Research Statement

My research interests are at the intersection of social psychology and entrepreneurship in the development and pursuit of new venture ideas. I study the individual-opportunity nexus in the process of entrepreneurial opportunity identification and validation – essentially how entrepreneurs come up with ideas and pursue them. To better understand how opportunities are identified, I explore the effectiveness of user and market research methods (with emphasis on design thinking methods), in identifying unique value propositions for products, services and business models. At the startup level of analysis, my interest is in the role accelerators play in the identification and validation process. For instance, I conducted a research project with the world’s largest accelerator, MassChallenge, based in Boston, to understand their impact on the entrepreneurial process for startup founders and their businesses. I am currently extending that research to the African context, studying the work of local accelerators such as MEST, in Ghana.

 Opportunity identification and validation is not limited to the startup stage. It also pertains to corporations looking to innovate. Hence, at the corporate level, I focus on knowledge brokering for the discovery of new product and service ideas in different types of firms. Knowledge brokering refers to how ideas are captured, kept alive and used to identify yet new ideas –a processes that lends itself very well to the design thinking methodology. Many corporations generate terabytes of data every day but do not have a system of processing this information to generate new ideas. My goal is to understand how firms build and sustain innovation capabilities.

 My third research interest is in combining my interests in new idea development at the startup stage and at the corporate level to explore corporate participation in new venture creation for social impact. I see opportunities for corporations to realize long term brand equity by innovating their corporate social responsibility programs to motivate and support entrepreneurs in developing new ventures in the adjacencies of their core offering. My research interests here are in understanding how corporations can play the role of accelerators for new venture creation as a social impact strategy.

Courses taught at Ashesi: Foundations of Design and Entrepreneurship

Publications

Refereed Journal Publications, Cases and Proceedings

• Allen, M., Adomdza, G., Meyer, M. (2015) Managing For Innovation: Managerial Control And Employee Level Outcomes. Journal of Business Research. 68(2):371-379.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296314002185
• Adomdza, G. K. (2014), Choosing Between a Student-Run and Professionally Managed Venture Accelerator. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.             http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/etap.12145/abstract
• Adomdza, G., and Baron, R. A. (2013). The Role of Affective Biasing in Commercializing New Ideas Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 26 (2) 201-217. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08276331.2013.771864#.U1KnrKLqmQ8
• Adomdza, G., Dedeke, A. and Huang, T. Y. (2013) Event-generated Affect: Implications for Small Business and High Growth Ventures Goals. Academy of Management Proceedings. Vol. 2013. No. 1. Academy of Management, 2013.http://proceedings.aom.org/content/2013/1/14967.short
• Adomdza, G., and Wesley, D.T.A (2013). Masschallenge, Inc.: Launching a Non-profit Business Accelerator (A &B). 9B13MO13 & 9B13M014 London, Canada: Ivey Publishing. https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=57426
• Adomdza, G., and Miller, R. (2013). ERAD - The Entrepreneur's Challenge 9B13M015 London, Canada: Ivey Publishing. https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=57429
• Onwuegbuzie, H. and Adomdza, G. (2013) Discovering the Entrepreneurial Process of Indigenous Knowledge Entrepreneurs. Academy of Management Proceedings. Vol. 1. No. 1. Academy of Management http://proceedings.aom.org/content/1/1/aomafr.2012.0166.short
• Onwuegbuzie, H., Adomdza, G., and Ogola, F. O. Nike Davies-Okundaye (2012) Building a Family Social Enterprise. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies. (Winner of AABS/Emerald Case Competition 2012) Emerald Publishing http://www.emeraldinsight.com/case_studies.htm?articleid=17068618
• Mitteness, C, Adomdza, G. and Moore, G. (2012) A Multilevel Examination Of The Effect Of Startup Assistance Providers On Startup Gestation Activity, Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research: Vol. 32: Iss. 5, Article 17. http://digitalknowledge.babson.edu/fer/vol32/iss5/17
• Adomdza, G. (2012) Studying The Impact Of Multiple Expert Evaluations On Start-Up Strategic Progress Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research: Vol. 32: Iss. 12, Article 16. http://digitalknowledge.babson.edu/fer/vol32/iss12/16
• Adomdza, G., Allen, M. and Meyer, S. A. (2011) The Challenge of Career Path Uncertainty for Internal Corporate Ventures The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship 16 (4): 27-46 http://www.huizenga.nova.edu/Jame/recent-articles.cfm
•  Meyer, M., Adomdza, G. and Crane, F. (2011) Sentillion The Journal of the Academy of Business Education 12: 163-175 October (4th Quarter/Autumn). http://www.abeweb.org/tocf11.html
• Jeffrey, S. A. and Adomdza, G. (2010) Incentive Salience and Improved Performance Human Performance 24(1): 47-59. http://www.abeweb.org/tocf11.html
• Astebro, T., Jeffrey, S. A. and Adomdza, G., (2007) Inventor Perseverance after Being Told to Quit: The Role of Cognitive Biases, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 20(3): 253-272. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bdm.554/abstract

Refereed Conference acceptances

• Adomdza, G., McDonough III, E. F., Lin, H., Hu, B. (2014) “Funder Monitoring Actions and Firm Performance: The Moderating Role of Innovation Capabilities” Academy of Management Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia,  August 7 - August 11, 2015. Accepted
• Adomdza, G., Dedeke A. and Huang, T. Y. (2013) “Event-generated Affect : Implications for Small Business and High Growth Ventures Goals” Academy of Management Meeting, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), FL  August 9 - August 13, 2013. Accepted
• Adomdza, G. and Schjoedt, L. (2013) "Goal Setting, Goal Striving, And Goal Attainment: A Longitudinal Study Of Entrepreneurs’ Motivation” 2013 BCERC, Écully, France June 5-8, 2013 Accepted
• Huang, T. Y. and Adomdza, G. (2013) "Owning for love: A study of entrepreneurial passion, core-self evaluation and psychological ownership of venture", 2013 BCERC, Écully, France June 5-8, 2013 Accepted.
• Adomdza, G. and Marion, T., (2012) “Creative and Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: Understanding the Entrepreneurial Capabilities of Creative People” Product Innovation Management Annual Global Conference, Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa, Orlando, Florida, October 20 - 24, 2012. Accepted. 
• Adomdza, G. and Astebro, T. (2012) “The Effect of One’s Cognition on Others in Resource Acquisition for Commercialization of Inventions” Academy of Management Meeting Boston, MA., August 3 – 7. Accepted.                                                                                                  
• Adomdza, G., Meyer, M., and Marion, T., (2012) "Innovation through Constraints: A Framework for Using Roadblocks to Foster Creativity", 19th International Product Development Management Conference, The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), University Of Manchester, U.K., June 17-19, 2012. Accepted.
• Adomdza, G. (2012) "Studying The Impact Of Multiple Expert Evaluations On Start-up Strategic Progress", 2012 BCERC, Babson College, Fort Worth, TX, June 6-9, 2012 Accepted.
• Mitteness, C. R., Adomdza, G., and Moore, G., (2012) "A Multilevel Examination of the Effect of Start-up Assistance Providers on Start-up Gestation Activity", 2012 BCERC, Babson College, Fort Worth, TX, June 6-9, 2012. Accepted.
• Onwuegbuzie, H. N. and Adomdza, G. (2012) "Nike Davies-Okundaye: Building a Family Social Enterprise", USASBE 2012, The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan 12 – 15, 2012.
• Adomdza, G. (2011) “Avoiding the pitfalls of co-creation: A framework for customer participation in the NDP process to generate breakthrough innovations” 35th Annual Product Innovation Management Annual Global Conference. Phoenix, AZ, October 27 -November 3, 2011
• Adomdza, G. and Dedeke A. (2011) “Entrepreneurial intentions: Integrating insights from research on appraisal dimensions of affect” Academy of Management Meeting San Antonio, Texas, August 12 – 16
• Adomdza, G. and Maxwell A. (2011) “Affect Regulation of Entrepreneurial Passion” Academy of Management Meeting San Antonio, Texas, August 12 – 16
• Adomdza, G. (2010) “Discrete affect in entrepreneurship research: the multidimensionality of affect ” Academy of Management Meeting, Montreal, Quebec, August 6-10, 2010
• Allen, M., Adomdza, G., and Meyer, M. (2010) “Managing for innovation: the role of managerial control in supporting corporate venturing” Academy of Management Meeting, Montreal, Quebec, August 6-10, 2010
• Adomdza, G., Allen, M., and Meyer, M. (2009) “Managing career risk in corporate ventures: Analysis from the field” Academy of Management Meeting, Chicago, Illinois August 7-11, 2009
• Adomdza, G. (2008) “The role of psychological attachment and control preferences in commercialization decisions” Academy of Management Meeting, Anaheim, California August 8-13, 2008
• Adomdza, G. and Maxwell A. (2008) “Caught in the act: Analyzing real-time business angel investor decisions to invest” Academy of Management Meeting, Anaheim, California August 8-13, 2008
• Scott, J. and Adomdza, G. (2008) “Incentive Vividness and Improved Performance” Academy of Management Meeting, Anaheim, California August 8-13, 2008
• Adomdza, G. (2007) “Investigating Psychological Ownership of New Ideas for Scientists in Industry and Academia” Graduate Research Conference, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON. April 2007.
• Adomdza, G. (2007) “Investigating Reference Points for Entrepreneurial Decision-making” Southern Ontario Behavioural Decision Research Conference, Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, ON, May 11, 2007.
• Jeffrey, S. and Adomdza, G. (2007) “The Role of Incentive Mind Share in Improved Performance” Southern Ontario Behavioural Decision Research Conference, Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, ON, May 11, 2007.
• Adomdza, G. Control Orientation: The Role of Affect in Commercializing New Ideas. 14^TH Annual Consortium on Competition and Cooperation (CCC), College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. GA. April 13-15, 2007.
• Astebro, T., Scott, J., and Adomdza, G. (2006) “Inventor Perseverance After Being Told to Quit: The Role of Overconfidence and Optimism” Academy of Management Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia August 11 -16, 2006 (G. Adomdza presented).
• Also presented at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Canadian Council for Small Business & Entrepreneurship. Waterloo, ON, October 27-29, 2005; at the Southern Ontario Behavioural Decision Research Conference, University of Waterloo, ON April 29, 2005; at the 10th Schumpeter Society conference, Università Bocconi, Milan, June 9-12, 2004; and at DRUID Summer Conference 2004, June 14-16, 2004.
• Adomdza, G. (2005) “Why Do Inventors Continue When Experts Say Stop? The Effects of Overconfidence, Optimism and Illusion of Control” Graduate Research Conference, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON. 2005
• Adomdza, G., Astebro, T. and Scott, J. (2004) “Inventors' Intentions to Invent: Delusional and Biased or Opportunistic Bayesians?” 9th Behavioural Decision Research in Management Conference, The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina April 15-18. http://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/bdrm/location.htm

Experience

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
• CEIBS Africa, Accra, Ghana
• Harvard University – Extension School, Cambridge, MA, USA
• University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
• Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON Canada

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Design Innovation Consulting, Boston: John Hancock - 2014
• Research associate, Boston, Continuum Innovation Emerging Market Research Group 2009 - 2012
• Research associate, Boston, Masschallenge Inc 2010 - 2012
• Design Innovation Consulting collaboration, Boston 2009 - 2011
• Research assistant for Dr. Tom Astebro, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto 2003 – 2008
• New idea validation (Canadian Innovation Centre) 2004 – 2006

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

• Academy of Management (AoM)
• United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE)
• Product Development and Management Association (PDMA)
• National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM, UK)
• Member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council
• Member of the Editorial board: Journal of African Business Research
• Member of the Editorial Board: Journal for Global Business Advancement

Lecturer
Arts and Sciences Department
nnicanor@ashesi.edu.gh

Courses Taught: Foundations of Design and Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship, Leadership 3

Qualifications

• MA Public Administration, Columbia University, New York, USA
• BSc Hons Medical Biochemistry, University of London

Senior Lecturer
Business Administration Department
skudonoo@ashesi.edu.gh
Ph.D. in Organisation Development, Benedictine University, Lisle, IL, USA 

Assistant Professor
Department of Business Administration
eansah@ashesi.edu.gh

Dr. Ansah is a social scientist who teaches Human Resource Management, Leadership IV, Negotiation and Creative Problem-Solving and Organisational Behaviour. She is a product of top-ranked Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast (Ghana).  She earned three Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, International Affairs and French from Florida State University in 1999, graduating in three years cum laude (with honors).  She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago (2004) and a Master of Science degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University in Chicago (2002). She holds a PhD in Public Administration (2008) from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Dr. Ansah loves teaching and research, and is highly engaged in various initiatives in the academic community. She was voted by students as the Outstanding Faculty Member in 2008 and 2010, and also as the Most Inspiring Faculty Member in 2010.  Esi’s academic and professional interests include Service Delivery Reform in the Public Sector and Human Resource Management and Social and Public Entrepreneurship. 

Esi is also a founding partner and the current CEO of Axis Human Capital Ltd. Since 2008, Esi has managed Axis, growing its client base and establishing it as a respectable partner in supporting organizations in their development, providing business advisory services and recruiting high-calibre candidates for clients. Esi also uses Axis as a platform to provide mentoring and career coaching to job seekers and young professionals (CV Writing, Interviewing Skills, Career Planning, Entrepreneurship etc.), and is especially passionate about working with young students and professionals. 

Esi is actively engaged in various roles in her community, and also serves on the boards of the Longevity Project and Women’s Trust. She is a fellow in the Aspen Institute’s Africa Leadership Initiative (West Africa), and was honored in 2010 by the New York-based The Network Journal (TNJ) as one of the journal’s “Forty under Forty” African Achievers. She describes herself as a simple, high-energy person who never runs out of ideas (she maintains a detailed Idea Bank), and also as a “grounded idealist” with a sense of urgency and an aim to bring positive transformation wherever she finds herself.

Courses Taught: Leadership 4

Qualifications

• PhD, Public Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
• MSc, Public Service Management, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
• MA, Social Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  BA International Affairs, French & Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 

Research Interests

• Service delivery and service quality across sectors (public, private, non-profit)
• Human resource development in the public sector (street-level bureaucracy)
• Social and public entrepreneurship in African development
• The role of Research and Development (R&D) in African development
• Social marketing and public sector branding

Work History

• Assistant Professor/Acting Head of Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, Labone, Ghana (08/2008 - 2014)
• Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Axis Human Capital Ltd. (07/2007 – Present) 
• Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2004 - 05/2007)
• Research Assistant, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2004 – 05/2007)
• Junior Consultant, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (03/2006 -11/2006) 
• Adjunct Professor, Harold Washington Community College, Chicago, IL (01/2004 – 05/2004)
• Graduate Assistant, DePaul University, Chicago, IL (09/2002 – 06/2004)
• Adult Literacy Instructor, Blue Gargoyle Adult Learning Program, Chicago, IL (03/2001 – 08/2002)
• Technology Accounting Specialist, GATX Technology Services, Tampa, FL (01/2000 – 09/2000)
• Professional / Academic Memberships

Memberships

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)
• International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR)
• Pi Alpha Alpha, National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration
• Golden Key International Honor Society
• Phi Beta Kappa, National Undergraduate Honor Society
• W. E. B. DuBois Honor Society for Black Scholars
• Psi Chi, Psychology National Honor Society
• Pi Gamma Mu, Social Science National Honor Society
• Pi Delta Phi, French National Honor Society

Awards/Grants/Fellowships 

• Ashesi University College - Outstanding Faculty Award (12/2008, 12/2010)
• Ashesi Ubora Awards - Most Inspiring Faculty Award (11/2010)
• The Network Journal (TNJ) 40 Under 40 Achievers’ Award, (11/2010)
• Dissertation Excellence Fellowship Recipient, Rutgers University – Newark, NJ (2007 – 2008)
• Founders’ Forum Fellow - ASPA Conference, Milwaukee, WI (03/2005)
• David Gould Scholar - ASPA Conference, Portland, OR (03/ 2004)
• Florida-West Africa Linkage Program Award (1997-1999)

Academic Publications & Contributions

• Educational Planning – Building Bridges between Academe and Industry in Ghana (Upcoming Book Chapter in “Re-positioning Ghana: Challenges and Innovations”, by Prof. Nana Araba Apt, Ashesi University College)
• Piotrowski, S. and Ansah, E. (2010).Organizational Assessment Tools: Report Cards and Scorecards of the Federal Agencies. Public Administration Quarterly, Vol. 34: 1. Available at < http://www.spaef.com/article.php?id=1161>
• Contributor: Research and Information Resources for Public Administration (2005).
• Associate Editor: Frontiers of Public Administration Proceedings of the Second Sino-U.S. International Conference: “Public Administration in the Changing World”, Beijing, China, May 24 - 25, 2004.
• Theorizing The Brain Drain (2002).  African Issues Vol. 30: 1(21-24)  

Conference Papers

• Sustainable Development: The Social Enterprise Engine and Positive Social Change Paper to be presented at the Sixth International Conference on Public Management, Policy and Development (CIMPAD). Monrovia, Liberia. June 20 – June 22, 2011.
• Sustaining Development Through Civil Servants – The Crucial Role Of Human Resources In Civil Service Reform. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Public Management, Policy and Development (CIMPAD). Kampala, Uganda. June 17 – June 21, 2007.
• Co-Author: Identifying Student Needs In Academia: Understanding The Concerns Of Doctoral Students In Public Affairs Programs In The U.S. Co-Author: Weiwei Lin, Rutgers University.  Paper presented at the 68th Annual American Society For Public Administration National Conference.  Washington DC, March 23 – March 27, 2007.
• Co-Author:Competing Performance Appraisal Tools: Report Cards And Scorecards Of The Federal Agencies. Co-Authors: Suzanne Piotrowski, David Rosenbloom.  Paper prepared for the American Political Science Association Annual Conference.  Philadelphia, PA, September 2, 2006.
• Co-Author: Reinvigorating Public Service: The Case For Branding In The Public Sector. Co-Author: Weiwei Lin, Rutgers University.  Paper presented at the 67th Annual American Society For Public Administration National Conference.  Denver, CO, March 31 - April 4, 2006.
• Reframing Capacity-Building In Africa: Recognizing The Importance Of Street-Level Civil Servants. Paper presented at the Fifth International Conference On Public Management, Policy And Development. (CIMPAD).  Dakar, Senegal, June 18 – 23, 2005.
• An Exploration Of Diversity And Methodological Frameworks: Positivism And Non-Conventional Contributions To Intellectual Inquiry In Public Administration. Paper Presented at the 2005 Annual National Association Of Schools Of Public Affairs And Administration Conference.  Washington, DC,  October 13-15, 2005

Current Research Projects

• Project Leader/ Facilitator - Qualitative Research Methods Network, Ashesi University College (regional hub for West Africa), in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies (University of Sussex, UK). 01/2009 – Present)
• Understanding and Improving Service Quality in the Ghanaian Public Sector (Follow-up study and book in Progress)
• Ashesi Case Study Series Project (06/2010 - present)

Thesis Supervision

Topic areas include:

• Human Resource Management – organizational culture and human resource practices, workplace bullying and employee productivity, ethics training and employee performance
• Social Capital - recreation for the elderly, street hawker intervention programs, prisoner rehabilitation
• Marketing and Branding - nation branding in Ghana,  corporate social responsibility and brand awareness, service quality and corporate image, advertising and competitive strategies
• Natural Resource Management - Ghana’s oil discovery and the resource curse, water privatization (micro finance), Ghana’s progress in reaching the MDG 7 (deforestation)

Research Assistance

• Public Administration: Government Transparency - Analysis Of Report Cards And Scorecards Of Federal Agencies. Dr. Suzanne Piotrowski. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2005 – 08/2007)
• Public Administration: Citizen Participation In Local Government. Dr. Kathe Callahan. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (09/2004 - 08/2005)
• Public Service Management: Comparative Studies Between The French And American Health Care Systems – Laying The Foundations For A DePaul – France Course Exchange Program. Dr. Sara Gooding-Williams.  DePaul University, Chicago, IL (09/2002 – 06/2004)
• Sociology: New Political Cultures: Africa. Dr. Teri Clark, University of Chicago, Chicago IL (05 -08/2001)
• Psychology:Social Perception And Aggressive Behaviour In Children. Dr. Janet Kistner, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (05-08/1997)

Academic Committee Memberships

• CODESRIA, Prize for Doctoral Thesis - Award Selection Committee, Dakar, Senegal (04/2010)
• Trust Africa, Investment Climate and Business Environment (ICBE) Research – Pan African Juror, Dakar, Senegal (08/2010)

Non-Academic Publications

• Timely Reminder for the 2010 HR Manager, Business World, February 2010
• Training Frontline Service Personnel, CIO Business World, Ghana Edition. October/ November 2009
• Bringing Out Superior Performance In New-Hire Graduates, CIO Business World, Ghana Edition. September 2009
• Of Obamamania and Electionmania in Ogyakrom and Africa, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.18, Pg. 24 (November, 2008)
• More Issues to Consider for 2008 Elections, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.16, Pg. 22 (October, 2008)
• Africans and the Social Sciences, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.15, Pg. 22 (September, 2008)
• The Real Educational Reform That We Need, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.14, Pg. 27 (September, 2008)
• Let's Talk About Issues, Not Personalities or Parties, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.13, Pg. 21 (August, 2008)
• Paul Archibald Vianney Ansah: A Biography, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.11, Pg. 4 (July, 2008)
• Excerpts from the Writings of Paul Ansah, New Legon Observer, Vol. 2 No.11, Pg. 25 (July, 2008)

Service & Leadership 

• Aspen Institute’s Africa Leadership Initiative - West Africa Fellow (09/ 2009 - Present)
• Leadership Project: Empowerment through Education and Entrepreneurship (Triple-E Project)

Speaking Engagements

Dr. Ansah is a Career Development Specialist/Career Coach who often speaks to multiple groups of people, mainly young adults. Her talks are often aimed at facilitating a creative thinking process where workshop participants develop personal vision and mission statements. She also challenges students to explore academic disciplines and career options, tying their interests, skills, academic training and other factors together. A consistent theme in her discussions with students is on passion driving excellence in career pursuits. 

Some past speaking engagements:

• Bridging the gap between Academia and Industry – Business Sense (02/2011)
• Managing Your Boss, Citi 97.3 FM Business Edition (02/2011)
• Less Talk, More Action - Legacy & Legacy Springboard Roadshow (01/2011)
• How to Quit Your Job, Citi 97.3 FM Business Edition (07/2010)
• Proposal Writing – Pioneers Africa (04/2010)
• Interview Skills – ICGC Legon Campus Chapter (04/2010)
• Career Planning & Development – Springboard Show, Joy 99.7 FM (03/2010)
• Talent Management & Retention – CareerNation HR Conference (10/2009, 07/2010), Brighter Futures Africa (07/2010)
• Mission & Vision Development – V.O.I.C.E.S. Ghana (10/2009), History Makers Leadership Institute (06/2009)
• CV Writing, Job Search Strategies – HuD Group Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation (06/2009), Akwaaba Expo (12/2009)
• The Art of Public Speaking – Holy Spirit Cathedral Youth (07/2009)
• Personal Branding – Ashesi Alumni Workshop (02/2009)
• Entrepreneurship – DUES Club, HuD Group (12/2008)

Volunteer Activities

• Longevity Project Ghana, Accra, Ghana (06/2005 – Present)
• Borstal Senior Correctional Center, Accra, Ghana (06/2008 – 03/2010)
• Shriners Hospital, Tampa, Florida (01/2000 – 08/2000)
• Musgrave Girls’ Home, Kingston, Jamaica (03/1999)
• Neighbourhood Health Centre, Tallahassee, Florida (03/1999 – 08/1999)
• Educational Research and Child Development Centre, Tallahassee, Florida (01/1997 - 08/1997)
• Regents Family Shelter, Manhattan, New York (06/1996 – 08/1996)
• Borstal Youth Institute, Accra, Ghana (07/1995 – 06/1996) 

Interests

• Volunteering in social service agencies and in church activities
• Idea generation for entrepreneurial ventures
• Helping young people with strategic academic and career development planning
• Writing poems (Collection of about 65 poems) and articles on social, economic development and spiritual issues, Blog: Drumbeats from Ogyakrom www.ogyakrom.blogspot.com
• Travel - countries visited include the USA, England, Canada, Liberia, Jamaica, France, Monaco, Spain, Senegal, Guatemala and Uganda
• Photography – landscape, urban space and activity

Professor
Arts and Sciences Department
sadei@ashesi.edu.gh

Courses Taught

Leadership 3

Professional Biography

Prof. Stephen Adei holds a PhD (International Economics, University of Sydney), MSc (Strathclyde), B.Sc. (Legon), Bachelor of Divinity (London), Masters in Theology (UNISA), and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIMG). 

Teaching Statement

Courses taught at Ashesi University

Research Statement

Publications

Scholarly Articles

Mathematics Lecturer, 2008 to present

Teaching Statement

Whether the course is Precalculus or Statistics, Giving Voice to Values, a Mindset workshop for freshman, or teacher training in Berekuso, my approach to teaching is the same: design classroom experiences that engage learners in constructing their own understanding of important concepts, in developing the connections and “aha moments” that represent real learning and integration, and in building personal qualities, such as curiosity and persistence. I am also a firm believer in the importance of independent practice in mathematics. Practice is the key to overcoming fear of math and to building one’s skills in analytical thinking, logical reasoning, and quantitative problem solving, skills essential to many disciplines and professions.

Courses taught at Ashesi: 

• Precalculus & Problem Solving 1 and 2
• Probability and Statistics
• Giving Voice to Values
• Applied Calculus

Research Area

Berekuso Impact Study. The purpose of this longitudinal household survey is to generate a time-series dataset for multidisciplinary research on the demographic and socio-economic factors of change as Berekuso transitions from a rural agrarian settlement to an urban suburb of Greater Accra. I collaborated with Dr. Richard Douglass, Emeritus Professor, Eastern Michigan University, on the 2014 pilot survey to test an innovative and cost-effective approach to household sampling designed to generate probability samples representative of socio-economic diversity without relying on existing census data, household or other registers, or a regular layout of roads and dwellings. Currently, I am the lead researcher on the 2017 second-round household survey looking at demographic and household factors, migration, education, and digital finance.

Fund for Service to Children and Youth. The Fund for Service to Children and Youth, supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation, seeks to impact children and youth in Ghana through small grants to student, staff and faculty run service projects in areas such as science, math, and ICT education, mentorship and career counseling, sanitation, quality childcare, and youth in agriculture. I co-authored the grant proposal with colleague Jude Acquaah (first grant in 2015 and renewed in 2017) and I am currently leading the dissemination effort to publish a paper describing the Fund for Service to Children and Youth university-community engagement model, including an analysis of monitoring and evaluation data, outcomes and lessons learned from the first two-year grant period.

Liberal Arts Pedagogy, Giving Voice to Values, and Mathematics Education. Further research interests include: how the ethos and pedagogies of the liberal arts contribute to university students’ development of moral courage; teaching skills in ethical action through the Giving Voice to Values curriculum; and best practices in undergraduate mathematics education.

Publications and Conferences 

• Awuah, R., Douglass, R., Agyepong, S., Kuwornu, E. (2017). An Adaptive Household Sampling Method for Rural African Communities. African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development 17(1), pp 11477-11496. DOI: 10.18697/ajfand.77.16680
• Awuah, R. A., Acquaah, J. S. (2016, October). Cultivating a Civic Engagement Ecosystem in an African Liberal Arts University. Paper presented at the Global Alliance Institute for Civic Engagement, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI.
• Buchele, S., Awuah, R., & Korsah, A. (2015). Work in Progress: Ethical Leadership in Engineering Education in Africa - The Case of Ashesi University College. In 2015 International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL). Florence, Italy: 978-1-4799-8706-1/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE.
• Gentile, M. (2015). Chapter: Learning about Ethical Leadership Through the Giving Voice to Values Curriculum. In Developing Ethical Leaders (p.39-52). John Wiley & Sons. (Contributed Ashesi University Case included in the chapter).

Community and Civic Engagement  

• Berekuso Math Project, Faculty Coordinator
• Teach For Ghana, Founding Board Member
• Odeefoo Oteng Koranye II Education Fund, Board Chair

Lecturer

Teaching Statement

Andy Rodney argues that “most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.” These words amply demonstrate my love for the teaching profession. I believe that there is no profession quite as fulfilling as the teaching profession. I believe that the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other profession.

Thus, my teaching philosophy is given impetus and driven, in large part, by a desire to make a difference in the lives of students; to awaken the kind of curiosity that drives change, the kind which only a teacher can provoke.  As a teacher, my goal is to strive, each day, to make what I teach relevant to my students’ experiences and interests.  

Research Statement

American Literature, Literary Theory, Studies on Literary Influence & Intertextuality, Postcolonial theory

Research Summary

• Examining Suicide in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Soyinka’s Death & the King’s Horseman (not published)
• Ngugi’s “Matigari”: A Project in Heroic Protagonism (not published)
• Reggae Activism: The Postcolonial Ethos in selected Reggae songs (not published)
• (MPhil thesis, 2014: Echoes of Emerson in Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”)
  The study explores fundamental relationships existing in the works of two great American Scholars of the 19^th century: Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson. It argues that, “Song of Myself”, the poetry collection in Whitman’s major literary work Leaves of Grass, echoes or re-emphasizes some of Emerson’s significant ideological and philosophical beliefs. . Ralph Waldo Emerson, recognized as the founder of America’s transcendentalist movement, was a key figure in America’s intellectual and literary revolution in the 19^th century. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s publication of “Nature” in 1836 began a process of creating a new condition of American thinking, severed from European cultural and intellectual influences. Employing T.S Eliot’s theory of influence in “Tradition and the Individual Talent” (1919) as a framework to interpret the echoes, the study challenges traditional notions of influence that privilege the precursor influence as a “standard” to evaluate the later artist’s work and concludes that although Emerson is echoed in Whitman’s text, the relationship of influence between these two writers (per a critical literary interpretation of texts) is not one in which the precursor is seen in the simplistic light of “flowing into”, or sending forth “power or virtue” to the later artist. Rather, the relationship of influence is a sort of symbiosis in which the precursor and the later texts mutually transform and reinforce each other.

Lecturer
Humanities and Social Sciences
khadu@ashesi.edu.gh 
Twitter / LinkedIn / Blog

Courses Taught

Social Theory, Written and Oral Communication, Leadership

Professional Biography

Dr. Kajsa Hallberg Adu is an interdisciplinary academic with a strong foundation in research, liberal arts, and community involvement. She joined Ashesi University College in 2009 as a lecturer, and teaches social theory, leadership as well as leads the work with our writing courses. She is the Chair of the Library Committee, the Vice-Chair of the Research Committee, and champions new media projects on campus where social media, virtual reality, and interdisciplinary storytelling intersects, for instance with 360 degrees depictions of campus for the Admissions Office.

Kajsa holds a PhD degree in African Studies from the University of Ghana and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Uppsala University, Sweden. Kajsa studied communications at Reinhardt University, a liberal arts institution in Georgia, USA and International Business at Sodertorn College in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Her dissertation explores student voices on the migration options and has the title On A Course to Migrate? Migration Aspirations Among University Students in Ghana.  Kajsa’s research interests include higher education in Africa, migration, decolonial theory, pedagogy, and social media. Kajsa is the founder of BloggingGhana, an organization for social media influencers in Ghana. She is herself a successful blogger on kajsaha.com and tweets @kajsaha. 

Areas of Interest

Political Economy, Migration Studies, Higher Education in Africa, Gender Studies, Interdisciplinary Research Methods, Digital culture and Social Media.

Publications

• Hallberg Adu, K. (2017, June 2). A rough but rewarding road to educating ethical leaders. Retrieved June 12, 2017, from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20170601083530889
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2016, May 29). Das andere Afrika: Hauptfach: Ethik. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved from https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/schauplatz/das-andere-afrika-hauptfach-ethik-ld.85236
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2016, April). The Public-Private Divide in Higher Education. APSA Africa Workshop Alumni E-Newsletter, 3(2), 8–11.
• cihablog. (2015, September 25). In the News: A Deeper Understanding of African Migrants. Retrieved March 4, 2016, from http://www.cihablog.com/in-the-news-a-deeper-understanding-of-african-migrants/
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2015, July). On a Course to Migrate? Migration Aspirations among University Students in Ghana (Thesis). University of Ghana. Retrieved from http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/21899
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2014). Nigeria’s Nonviolent Protest Movements Gathering Momentum. Emergence Magazine. Retrieved from http://mettacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/emergence%20July-%20Africa%202014.pdf
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2014b). What is the opposite of a knowledge society? A critical reflection from Ghana. In L. Amoah (Ed.), Impacts of the Knowledge Society on Economic and Social Growth in Africa. IGI Global
• Öberg, P.O. and Hallberg Adu, K. 2009. "The Deceptive Juncture: The Temptation of Attractive Explanations and the Reality of Political Life" in Magnusson & Ottosson (eds.) The Evolution of Path Dependence. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2009). Private Higher Education on the Rise. University World News.

Thesis

• Hallberg Adu, K. (2015, July). On a Course to Migrate? Migration Aspirations Among University Students in Ghana (PhD Dissertation). University of Ghana.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2006). Is Corporatism in Scandinavia on Decline or Not? (Thesis) Uppsala University.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2004). Socialdemokratins syn pa hogre utbildning (Thesis). Uppsala University.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2005). State Stretegies for Implementation: The case of Land Reform 2003 in Ghana (Thesis). Uppsala University.

 Conference Papers

• Hallberg Adu, K. (2010). On A Course to Migrate? - Student Mobility, Migration Industry and Migration Culture in Ghana. Presented at the Nordic Africa Days, Turku, Finland.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2012). Migration Control Policy in the Global North: Opportunities and Challenges for Academe in the Global South. Presented at the Migration and Development Conference, Accra, Ghana.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2013). The Future of Postgraduate School in Africa: A Discussion Paper. Presented at the International Conference on African Studies, Accra, Ghana.
• Hallberg Adu, K. (2014a). Ghanaian Student Mobility in the Global Knowledge Society. Presented at the Academic Migrations Workshop, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 In Media

AccraWeDey podcast (2016, February 29). "Are you sure?" Retrieved June 29, 2016, from http://kajsaha.com/2016/02/kajsaha-on-accrawedey-podcast-ghana-accra/ 

On Ashesi Website

• Ashesi celebrates long-serving staff and faculty.  
• Ashesi lecturer hosts election talk show on Ghana’s TV3. 
• Celebrating 10 inspirational women at Ashesi. 
• Discovering new worlds: Ashesi explores possibilities in Virtual Reality. 
• Dr. Kajsa Adu leads round-table discussion on national elections and democracy.
• The College of Wooster team leads faculty development workshop at Ashesi. 

Member of Professional Organizations

Research Summary

• Social media in Ashesi lecture halls
  (August 2011 to Present)
• Experimenting with and evaluating different uses of social media in the courses we teach at Ashesi University College. Team Members: Kajsa Hallberg Adu, Astrid Twenebowa Larssen, Kobina Graham.
• Student Migration Aspirations
  (August 2010 to Present)
• Migration is nothing new in Ghana, a country that has been globalized for hundreds of years. Linkages to the rest of the world are kept up by trade, family networks and colonial ties. My research interest is how young people in of today, especially those who have been fortunate to go to university in Ghana, think about the migration option. While the International Student Migration (ISM) literature is growing, few studies concern students from and in the Global South. 
• Who is more likely to migrate? Who is more likely to stay? What steps are included in the migration process? Who are the actors or influencers? What are some of the thoughts Ghanaian students harbour about migration?
• This is a PhD research project at University of Ghana, Institute of African studies, carried out by Kajsa Hallberg Adu. 

Awards & Honours

• Agneta and Gunnar Nilsson's Scholarship for Intercultural Studies (SWEA) 2007
• Georgia Rotary Student Program 2001

Education

Professional Biography

My professional experience has been quite varied over the past 25 years. I was a professor, development practitioner, and (early in my career) a policy analyst. Throughout my career, I wanted to find ways to help people, from research during my graduate studies on the uneven distribution of physicians in relation to need, to teaching students (and, occasionally, colleagues) to question ideas and not take accepted explanations for granted. I have always been deeply interested in cross-cultural understandings and perceptions, ranging from studies on immigrant physicians in rural America to learning in different microcultures about people’s perceptions towards one another. For example, my work has included studies on prisoners’ interpretations of one another’s surroundings, and an analysis of my colleagues’ perceptions towards their students. More recently, in leading a non-governmental organization in the Upper West Region of Ghana, I have worked across and within cultures in running projects on water, sanitation and hygiene, education, and livelihoods.

In 2011, after I had been in Ghana for a little over 3 years, I took a hiatus from the academic world to work on international community development. Along with my wife, Agatha, I started, established, directed, and managed a community development program in a remote rural area of Ghana near the Burkina Faso border. The program began as a local NGO in her hometown and then became the Ghana office for an international foundation. From this personal and professional experience, I have developed a deep interest in culture and development, especially development ethics and the rights of community members to conduct analyses on programs that impact their lives. This presents a turn from my previous academic work on health services research and carceral geographies, with certain threads binding different aspects of my career: valuing local voices and cultural understandings in people’s everyday lives; learning about the ‘between’ spaces and overlooked meanings that do not fit easily into categories; emphasizing participatory approaches to learning, whether the learner is a student or a community member or if I am the learner; and questioning the status quo if it is disenfranchising people or placing unnecessary limits on what people can do.

Teaching Statement

When I was working on my PhD, a teaching consultant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill would adorn his office with various quotations about teaching and learning. Although it was around 20 years ago, I am still inspired by one of the quotations that he put on his wall: “Teaching consists of causing people to go into situations from which they cannot escape, except by thinking (William Spare).”

In a nutshell, that is what I seek to do with my teaching. To teach based on reflection is to turn the tables on standard practice in teaching and learning at many universities around the world. By the time that many university students in their senior year, they are already conditioned to ‘chew and pour’ information. Yet learning results from the challenging of one’s own understanding. In the classroom, we need to be cognizant of the ways in which learning takes place, give students opportunities to make mistakes, and focus on concepts that can serve as the foundation for their learning.

To teach students to challenge their own understandings and question ideas, we need to know how our students think. Over the course of my career in teaching, I have realized that the more that we as teachers know about our students, how they think and what interests them, the better we can be at teaching. However, regardless of preparation or effort, I have also realized that every class can go in a totally different direction than planned.

If any class that I teach ever goes exactly as planned, it will have gone terribly awry. If I ever ‘figure out’ how to teach and feel like I ‘have it down,’ it will be time to quit. That time has clearly not come. In fact, I feel inspired to return to the classroom and work with students to bring my passion for teaching and learning to Ashesi

Courses taught at Ashesi 

Leadership Seminar 4: Leadership as Service