September
September 28th IPED Event 2023-2024: International Political Economy and Development in the Era of Cybersecurity and AI 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530 Fr. Collins Obidiagha entered the Jesuit novitiate in Benin City in 2007, spending two years as the network administrator for the community’s computer lab. He then earned a B.A., with honors, in philosophy and humanities from the University of Zimbabwe in 2013. After attending the Cisco Networking Academy, Fr. Obidiagha served as the IT administrator and head of the Information and Technology Communications department at Jesuit Memorial College in Nigeria. Fr. Obidiagha is currently a Cybersecurity Master’s candidate at Fordham University. September 14th IPED Event 2023-2024: Summer Internships (V1) 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530 IPED kicked off its yearly lecture series with an account of student's summer internships. Presenters interned at the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, Tax Justice Network - Africa and the Middle East Institute this week. Join us and hear about their field experience. September 7th IPED Event 2023-2024: Summer Internships (V1) 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
IPED kicked off its yearly lecture series with an account of student’s summer internships. Presenters this week interned at the USDA-FAS, St Andrew’s Refugee Services, Purperly, US GAO and attended the Language Immersion program in France.
Join us and hear about their field experience.
April
April 27th IPED Event 2022-2023: IPED Reports from the Field Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Rwanda 10:00-11:00 AM, Dealy Hall E-530
Three IPED Alumni and Travel Scholar Recipients, are currently on a 6 months internship with the Catholic Relief Services in the DRC, Tanzania and Rwanda, respectively.
They will present on their internships thus far and share field reports based on the development work undertaken.
Join us and hear about their field experience.
April 20th IPED Event 2022-2023: Global Banking Crisis - Silicon Valley 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Dr. Mary Burke is currently a lecturer in the Economics Department at Fordham University. Undergraduate classes taught include Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Math for Economists, Money and Banking, and Monetary Policy. At the graduate level, she teaches Economic Analysis and Domestic and International Banking. In the Fall of 2008, Dr. Burke developed a course in Monetary Policy designed around the Federal Reserve Bank’s Fed Challenge. This course covers the financial industry, the central bank and its role in the economy, and the application of monetary policy tools, both traditional and non-traditional. She holds a Ph.D. from Fordham.
April 13th IPED Event 2022-2023: Public Policy 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Mr. Khetha Dlamini is a Master’s Candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as a teaching assistant, specifically in the Financial Crises: Concepts and Evidence course at Harvard University. Prior to attending Harvard, he worked in economic policy in South Africa, advising senior policymakers and business leaders. He held various positions at the National Treasury of South Africa, with his recent role being a Chief Director (Interim): Fiscal Policy. Mr. Dlamini is trained in mathematics and computer science and holds a Master of Commerce in Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand.
March
March 23rd IPED Event 2022-2023: Intergral Ecology for Sustainable Development: Case Studies from Kenya and Malawi 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
The dynamic panel will provide valuable insight into the ideals of sustainable development and integral ecology based on their experiences in Kenya and Malawi. Pope Francis, in his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, focused on these concepts and stressed the need to safeguard our environment to ensure that while we meet the needs of the present generation, we also do not compromise the needs of the future generation. The discussion panel will include Rev. Endashaw Debrework SJ, Wendy Omanga, and Tione Matthews Phwandaphwanda.
Rev. Endashaw Debrework SJ is a Jesuit Priest of the Eastern Africa Province. He is currently the executive deputy director at Jesuit Hakimani Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Hakimani is a Jesuit Centre for Social Transformation in Eastern Africa Province comprising of Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya and Sudan. At the social centre, Endashaw oversees policy dialogues initiatives, advocacy influencing, humanitarian efforts and supports the general implementation of projects.
Wendy Omanga is a youth activist and impact entrepreneur from Nairobi, Kenya. She is the
founder and CEO of Moonlight Initiative, a commercial forestry nonprofit that seeks to
restore riparian ecosystems while also providing an alternative income source to small-scale
farmers. Inspired by the social and environmental teachings of Pope Francis, Wendy is a
founding member of the Economy of Francesco’s Africa Hub.
Tione Phwandaphwanda is an environmental specialist and community development
worker who has been passionately working with the most vulnerable communities for over
nine years, transforming their lives in the face of the impacts of climate change. He is a
senior project officer at the Jesuit Center for Ecology and Development (JCED) in Lilongwe,
Malawi, where he works in the center’s resilience building program.
March 2nd IPED Event 2022-2023: Making sense of the US economy amid high inflation rates 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Dr. Giacomo Santangelo is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Fordham University. He serves as the Director of the International Political Economy (IPE) undergraduate major. Giacomo is also a term Professor at the W. Paul Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, where he lectures various courses in Economics and Quantitative Analysis.
He is a frequent contributor to multiple publications, such as Forbes, and has been featured on various news shows, such as NBC news and CBS news. In early February, he was a guest on the Indian Parliamentary News program Global Debate, discussing the recent trend in tech layoffs.
February:
February 9th and 16th IPED Event 2022-2023: Philippines Project Assessment Presentations 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Two of the four project assessment teams will present their findings and analysis from the Philippines Project Assessment course. The two highlighted projects will be Pilkan Elderly Project and Gawang Kamay Project.
Come enjoy presentations and videos created by the IPED graduate students.
February 2nd IPED Event 2022-2023: Multilateralism in the age of Sovereign rule 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Ntombana Mbele is a young, passionate policy and trade economist whose focus is on demystifying economics and making it an inclusive discipline that speaks to all economic agents. She is a highly competent economist who holds a Master’s degree from the University of Johannesburg in the field of Economics and Industrial Policy.
Her educational background includes a Bcom in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Johannesburg, Bcom Honours Degree in Econometrics from the University of Johannesburg Regional Trade Agreements in Africa, and Honours Research Testing Kaldorian Laws in South African Province’s- Masters Dissertation. She currently works as an Economic and Trade Advisor at the Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa. Her primary responsibilities include conducting economic research and providing strategic policy advice to the Embassy and the Swiss government in its bilateral relations with South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mauritius and Namibia.
She previously worked as a Quantamental Analyst at UBS Investment Bank South Africa. Ntombana has previously worked for Investec as a Private Investment Banker, she was also junior lecturer at the University of Johannesburg (Economics Department), an Independent Economist for BRICS magazine as well as Business Day, and was a frequent feature on Talk 702, Radio 2000, Kaya FM and Power FM business shows.
December:
December 8th IPED Event 2022-2023: Fazle Hassan Abed and BRAC - Book Discussion 4:00-5:00 PM, Room 316 - Faculty Memorial Hall
MacMillan will move readers with this biography of Fazle Hassan Abed and BRAC, the charitable action organization originally known as the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee, which Abed founded. As an accountant with a love of language and the arts, Abed became a revolutionary philanthropist after seeing the devastation in the newly formed Bangladesh. Abed, who died in 2019, assisted hundreds of thousands of people through BRAC, eventually expanding the charity to provide aid to a dozen countries in Africa and Asia.
MacMillan, an executive with BRAC USA and former speechwriter for Abed, elegantly weaves the inspiring story of BRAC with the tragedy of Abed’s personal struggles, creating a compelling picture of a complicated man. Abed’s story is undoubtedly an uplifting one, and the author clearly idolizes his subject, which, combined with his talented writing, offers much hope to be found here.
December 1st IPED Event 2022-2023: Trends in the Philanthropic Sector 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Matthew Gembecki is a Managing Director leading Global Impact’s Fundraising and Partnerships team. In this capacity, he directs all business development, strategy and implementation for fundraising and partnership development efforts to help international NGOs achieve their philanthropic goals. Matt also provides strategy for private and public gran tmakers to maximize their impact.
Previously, Matt served as Managing Director at Changing Our World, where he partnered with some of the world’s largest nonprofit organizations to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Select clients include: The Salvation Army, The Smithsonian, CARE, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon and New Jersey Institute of Technology. Matt has also been a featured speaker on topics related to trends in fundraising at conferences and events around the world.
Global Impact is an international non-profit that works with public, private and non-profit partners to inspire greater giving worldwide. We achieve this by providing organizations and donors with effective strategies and resources to give to causes, regions and crises throughout the world. Since our founding in 1956, we have raised over $2 billion to support those in need.
November:
November 3rd IPED Event 2022-2023: The Current State of Turkey 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
A. Talha Yalta is a professor of economics at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Turkey and also visiting scholar at the Department of Economics at Fordham University for the 2022-2023 academic year. He holds a BA in political science and public administration from the Middle East Technical University in 1999, and received his PhD in economics from Fordham University in 2007. His main areas of research are macroeconomics and econometrics. His articles have been published in leading journals including International Journal of Forecasting, Journal of Applied Econometrics, Energy Economics, Computational Economics, and Real Estate Economics. He also co-authored two textbooks entitled Modern Mikroekonomiye Giriş and Modern Makroekonomiye Giriş in Turkey.
November 9th IPED Event 2022-2023: A.I. Military Innovation and U.S. Defense Strategy 1:00-2:00 PM, Dealy Hall 207
Lauren Kahn is a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where her work focuses on defense innovation and the impact of emerging technologies on international security, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI). Prior to joining CFR, Kahn worked as a research fellow at Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania’s global policy think tank, where she helped launch and run its project on emerging technologies and global politics.
Her work has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Defense One, Lawfare, War on the Rocks, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and Orbis, and has been featured in the Economist.
She received her B.A. in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in computer and information technology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
November 10th IPED Event 2022-2023: Building a New Economy: Growing the Cooperative Economics Sector in NYC 4:00-5:00 PM, Dealy Hall E-530
Will Spisak is the Senior Program Associate at New Economy Project, a New York-based nonprofit organisation that seeks to build an economy that works for all, based on cooperation, equity, social and racial justice, and ecological sustainability. At New Economy Project, Will works on policy advocacy campaigns and supports grassroots organisations working to implement new models of economic cooperation in their communities. His work focuses primarily on supporting the development of community land trusts and establishing a municipally-owned public bank in New York City. Will is a lifelong New Yorker from Queens and has over a decade of experience working as an organizer, advocate, and project manager in the city. In addition to his work in the nonprofit sector, Will is an adjunct instructor teaching in the Urban Studies departments at CUNY Queens College. He holds a master’s degree in International Political Economy and Development from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree from Queens College.
November 11th Fordham IPED U.N. Side Event: Pope Francis' World Day of the Poor 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Church Center for the United Nations
Join us for a UN Side Event: Pope Francis’ World Day of the Poor on the morning of Friday, 11 November 2022 at the Church Center for the UN, 777 UN Plaza, New York City. This event is sponsored by Fordham University’s Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development (Fordham IPED) along with Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Relief Services.
To commemorate the World Day of the Poor we will release the 2022 issue of Fordham’s Pope Francis Global Poverty Index. Permanent Observer of the Holy See Mission to the UN, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, will open the event, and Mr. Bill O’Keefe, the Executive Vice President for Advocacy and Mobilization at Catholic Relief Services, will give the keynote address on “Global Climate Crisis – Pathways for the Poor”.
A light breakfast and a light lunch will be provided for those in attendance. Space at the event is limited. Proof of COVID vaccination is required. Masks will be provided for anyone who may wish to use them.
To register for the event please go to bit.ly/2022WDP. Contact us at iped@fordham.edu for any questions
November 16th IPED Event 2022-2023: Religious Literacy in International Affairs 1:00-2:00 PM, Dealy Hall 207
Susan Hayward is the Associate Director for the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative (RLPI) which advances an ambitious agenda of curricular and programmatic activity to advance religious literacy across a wide range of professional fields of public engagement. Working across Harvard graduate schools and in partnership with HDS and other Harvard faculty as well as a network of professional Fellows and professional organizations, Susan is responsible for setting and executing strategy for the RLPI through a program of coursework, a practitioner Fellows program, student experiential learning opportunities, annual symposia, public events, and online training opportunities.
Most recently Hayward served as a senior advisor for Religion and Inclusive Societies at the U.S. Institute of Peace and a 2020–21 Fellow in Religion and Public Life. At the U.S. Institute of Peace, Hayward lead efforts to understand religious dimensions of conflict and advance efforts engaging religious actors and organizations in peacebuilding. Joining the Institute in 2007, her field work focused on Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Colombia and Iraq.
Prior to joining the Institute, Hayward worked with the Academy of Educational Development’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as a fellow of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and with the Conflict Resolution Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Hayward also conducted political asylum and refugee work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Advocates for Human Rights.