The Humphrey School International Fellows &
Scholars Program and Global Policy Area is very pleased to announce that Ms. Pepe Wonosikou began June 8 as the new Assistance
Director of the Program. She will coordinate the Humphrey Fellowship Program and work with other staff to support visiting international fellows and scholars to the Humphrey School.
Ms. Wonosikou's biography follows:
Pepe Wonosikou, M.P.A. has always believed in the greater
good and each individual’s potential to achieve and shine. A dynamic and driven
professional with over 15 years’ experience, she fearlessly champions
organizational growth and community visibility within educational programs,
non-profits and foundations. As a former College Ready Grant Director at Saint
Paul College and Program Manager with Northside Achievement Zone in
Minneapolis, Ms. Wonosikou has worked tirelessly to help students and
underserved populations stretch their boundaries and broaden their
abilities. From closing achievement gaps to spearheading student
retention efforts, her work in higher education and community development has
won her the respect of colleagues and community leaders, alike.
Her gracious and thoughtfully intelligent impact has
resonated not just locally but on the other side of the world where she founded
the Numan School in her native Nigeria. Her mother, who was denied an education
because of her gender, sought to make sure her daughters had the chance to
pursue the opportunities she never had. She continues to be an inspiration for
Pepe, who founded the Numan School Project in her mother’s honor. The Numan
School Project’s ongoing mission is to help provide the children of Numan,
Nigeria with a better education so that they can become the pioneers of a
brighter future.
Ms. Wonosikou’s other professional roles have included
Student Advisor and Multi-Cultural Center Coordinator at Dunwoody College and
Family and Youth Intervention Specialist at the Minneapolis Urban League. She was
selected and served on the Destination2010 College Readiness implementation
team for the Minneapolis Foundation and currently serves on the Board of
Directors at YouthCARE.
Ms. Wonosikou holds a Master of Public Affairs from the
University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She currently resides
in her beloved Minneapolis which has benefitted from her empathy, drive and
commitment to social change in so many ways.