Board & Advisory Service
Two decades of building institutions across sectors and continents. An operator's discipline. A systems thinker's eye. Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg brings to every board what most rosters lack: genuine African continental perspective, scientific authority, and the credibility of someone who has governed under pressure.
How She Shows Up in the Room
She brings an operator's eye — having built organizations, managed budgets, and led teams across 19 countries, she knows what a board can and cannot do to support an executive team, and she is disciplined about that boundary. She reads every strategic question through the lens of whom a decision affects most, and who is least likely to be in the room when it is made. And she brings a global network and a continental Africa perspective that most boards in the philanthropic, scientific, and corporate sectors simply do not have on their existing rosters.
Operator's Discipline
She has built and managed — she knows the difference between governing and managing, and stays on the right side of that line.
Equity Lens
Two decades of designing institutions for overlooked people gives her an instinct for who is missing from a decision — and what that costs.
Global Network
Fluent in five languages, connected across Africa, Europe, and North America — a genuine bridge between sectors and continents.
BOARD & GOVERNANCE LEADERSHIP
A Record of Service
Current
Ford Foundation
Africa Advisor, VP International Programs
October 2025 – Present
Autodesk Foundation
Board of Directors
February 2023 – Present
Global FoodBanking Network
Board of Directors
January 2023 – Present
Bioversity International USA
Trustee
2024 – Present
Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn
Advisory Board
2019 – Present
Former
Africa Food Prize – Selection Committee
Sep 2018 – Dec 2025
Malabo Montpellier Panel
High-level panel advising African governments and civil society on food, agriculture & nutrition security policy
Jan 2017 – Jun 2025
Global Crop Diversity Trust – Executive Board
Mar – Nov 2024
Syngenta Foundation
Jul 2021 – Dec 2024
Co-Impact Gender Fund – Advisory Board
Jun 2021 – Dec 2025
Whitman College – President’s Advisory Board
Apr 2018 – Dec 2024
Landesa
Mar 2021 – Dec 2023
Twaweza
East Africa’s largest public and policy engagement platform
Aug 2016 – Jan 2023
African Climate Foundation – Council Member
Oct 2020 – Jan 2024
Wangari Maathai Foundation
Oct 2018 – Feb 2022
Advisory Roles
Bridge Collaborative · New Economy Venture Accelerator
Current & Past Executive Roles
Akili Dada
Committees / Focus Areas: Governance · Programme Strategy · Fundraising
Founded Akili Dada to identify and invest in high-potential African girls from low-income backgrounds. Oversaw organizational growth from a grassroots initiative to a nationally recognized leadership development institution, with alumnae now leading across government, civil society, and the private sector.
B-WEL (Black Women's Empowerment & Leadership)
Committees / Focus Areas: Governance · Strategic Direction · Partnerships
Co-founded B-WEL to build a global community for Black women in leadership. Guided the organization's governance structure and strategic direction, ensuring it remained accountable to the communities it serves while scaling its reach and impact.
Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT (CGIAR)
Committees / Focus Areas: Executive Leadership · Research Strategy · Stakeholder Governance
Led a 500-person scientific organization across 19 African countries, overseeing research programs at the intersection of food systems, climate adaptation, nutrition and bioderversity conservation. Responsible for strategic direction, stakeholder governance, and external partnerships with governments and funders across the continent.
AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research and Development)
Committees / Focus Areas: Programme Strategy · Organizational Sustainability · CGIAR Integration
Directed the AWARD Fellowship program, which has supported women scientists across sub-Saharan Africa. Shaped organizational strategy to ensure the program's long-term sustainability and deepened its integration with the broader African science agenda.
Open to New Board Conversations
Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg is selectively considering board roles with organizations working at the intersection of science, social change, and global equity. Preferred contact: board and governance inquiries via the contact form.
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