School Year Abroad (SYA) is proud to announce Dr. Menna-Heiwot Zufan Demessie CN’97 as this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, honoring her exceptional career in public policy, social justice and civic engagement. She attended SYA China as a junior from Western Reserve Academy (OH) followed by undergraduate studies at Oberlin College and a joint PhD at the University of Michigan.

For the past four years, Menna has served as the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Task Force for Meaningful Change at Universal Music Group (UMG), supporting organizations and marginalized communities around the globe through trust-based philanthropy and setting a new standard for corporate social responsibility. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Black Music Action Coalition Social Impact Award, the Black Star Award for advocacy on behalf of African immigrants, Billboard’s Top Women in Music Executives and Variety’s Champion for Change list.

Before joining UMG, Menna served as Senior Vice President of Policy Analysis and Research and the Leadership Institute at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), where she directed the inaugural Center for Policy Analysis and Research and established its first peer-reviewed policy journal, and the National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice. Additionally, she directed the nationally recognized internship and fellowship program on Capitol Hill. With deep ties to the Congressional Black Caucus, she has partnered with the White House and CBC members on advancing numerous policies advancing equity and opportunity, while harnessing data, scientific inquiry, and collective action to further social justice. She also returned to China twice after SYA – in college to study China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, and in 2014 where Menna traveled with the CEO of the CBCF and a delegation of African American college students to Beijing and Shanghai.

In 2018, she was appointed by the Ethiopian Prime Minister to serve on the Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund, where, over five years, she and her colleagues raised $10 million for Ethiopia’s economic development. For two decades, Menna also served on the board of the Society of Ethiopians Established in the Diaspora, the longest-running Ethiopian American youth nonprofit in the United States. Her international experience includes conducting democratic governance trainings for 50 parliamentarians from more than 30 countries and serving as an election observer and trainer on gender-based violence during the 2017 Kenyan elections.

Holding a joint PhD in public policy and political science from the University of Michigan, Menna broke new ground by publishing the first mixed-methods study on African congressional caucuses and their impact on U.S. Africa foreign policy, a pursuit that led her to work with Congresswoman Barbara Lee after being selected as one of five political scientists in the country to receive the American Political Science Association’s Congressional Fellowship in 2010.

A passionate mentor and educator, Menna has taught for over a decade at the University of Michigan and the University of California Washington Center, where she inspires students to engage in race and ethnic politics, public advocacy and political representation. Many of her mentees have gone onto careers in law, policy and advocacy, carrying forward her commitment to meaningful change.

Today, she imparts her wisdom as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan and proudly serves on the Career Diversity Committee of the American Political Science Association, and on the Board of Trustees at Oberlin College, the first U.S. institution to accept African Americans and women.

Menna’s path toward leadership and service was shaped early on by her Ethiopian-American upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio. Raised in a home rich in cultural exchange, she learned from her parents — who met through the American Field Service Study Abroad Program — the value of connecting across cultures. As an eighth grader, she spearheaded the creation of her school’s first Black History Month program and worked to diversify the library’s offerings, an effort that earned recognition from the Society of Ethiopians Established in the Diaspora.

Her lifelong dedication to equity and cross-cultural understanding reflects the values at the heart of SYA — inspiring academic excellence, fostering global awareness and nurturing a commitment to service. As she continues to lead at the intersection of policy, advocacy and philanthropy, Menna’s work reminds us that lasting change begins with vision, courage and a deep belief in the power of community.

SYA congratulates Menna Demessie CN’97 on this well-deserved recognition.