University Honors African Human Rights Advocate for Public Service

Published Date September 17, 2024
News Type College News

Ohio State University President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., right, presents African human rights advocate Elizabeth Lwanga King with an Honorary Doctor of Public Service. (Credit: Jodi Miller)

By Curtis Nutter

Human rights activist and former United Nations official Elizabeth Lwanga King, an Ohio State alumna, received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at summer commencement.

Lwanga King was deputy regional director for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator, and U.N. Development Programme representative in Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Her success led her to serve as manager of the U.N. Gender in Development Programme in New York and interim regional program director for U.N. Women for East and the Horn of Africa. Lwanga King’s history of development programming for several nations highlights her great commitment to public service.

Currently, Lwanga King serves as a member of the Eminent Women of the Situation Room for African Elections, an organization devoted to ensuring peaceful elections and transitions of power. Additionally, Lwanga King continues her work in development as a consultant and advisor on several projects throughout Uganda, including the Nnabagereka Development Foundation.

In his letter to Lwanga King commending her for the honor, University President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. wrote, “This distinction is one of the university’s highest honors. It recognizes the remarkable impact you have had on human rights and human dignity throughout your storied career. Through your pioneering and preserving work, you have helped secure peace, develop nations and improve the lives of people across the African continent — and inspired those who aim to make a difference across the globe.” 

Lwanga King graduated from The Ohio State University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in General Linguistics and a minor in communications. 

Following her work initiating peace in Sierra Leone, its people honored Lwanga King with the title of Honorary Chief Mammy Yoko II. Additionally, Lwanga King coauthored a 2019 novel, “3 Leadership Journeys, One Story,” exploring gender, culture and African leadership.

Learn about past recipients of Ohio State’s Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

Curtis Nutter, a public management, leadership and policy major with a minor/specialization in media and society, is the Glenn College marketing and communications assistant. 

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