Our February Donor Spotlight

Akilah’s mission is to educate Africa’s female leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges through a lens of opportunity and sustainability. Our work would be impossible the ongoing support of an incredible community of donors, volunteers, and partners.

Joel and Lauren at the Akilah Institute in February 2019

Lauren Richman and Joel Trachtman are true friends of Akilah. From being members of the Akilah Scholars Circle to hosting Akilah events, serving on the Development Committee and even teaching seminars to Akilah students and staff, Lauren and Joel have done it all.

Both are highly accomplished in their respective careers and have contributed their invaluable knowledge and wisdom to Akilah’s journey over the years. Lauren is an accomplished marketing professional, with a career spanning 25 years working for large corporates and startups in Boston, New York City, and Hong Kong.

Joel is a Professor of International Law at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is an authority on international business and economic law and has published many books and articles including The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win.

The two met in Boston, where Lauren earned her master's degree in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (later, she received an MBA at Columbia), and where Joel attended Law School (he was also editor in chief of The Harvard International Law Journal). They have been happily married for over thirty years.

They have two sons and a daughter, and as a family share a passion for academia, education, and development.

Sharing wisdom and experience with Akilah students and staff

Lauren and Joel have supported Akilah’s mission for many years, and our students have had the immense privilege of learning directly from these two leaders in their fields.

Lauren visited Akilah for the first time in 2014 as part of a Friends of Akilah trip, when she volunteered to teach marketing classes to Akilah students. She was joined on this trip by another long-standing friend of Akilah, Susan Freeman, who shared valuable leadership lessons with our team.

Lauren Richman and Susan Freeman teach at the Akilah Institute in June 2014

This year, we were thrilled to welcome Lauren and Joel back to Akilah, and sharing with them all the progress made in the five years since 2014. Lauren and Joel toured our new campus (the first plastic-free campus in Rwanda!) and spent lots of quality time with our students and staff.

The highlights of the trip were the Strategic Messaging and Business Law workshops that the pair offered to the Akilah family.

Lauren and Joel at the Akilah Institute in February 2019

During the Strategic Messaging workshop (“How to Tell a Good Story”), Lauren taught students and staff the importance of effective communications and how to develop a Presentation Plan, including knowing your audience, organizing content for impact, and stating a clear call to action!

“I really loved how the students support one another, working in groups and in pairs. I had them present not just to me, but to their peers, and that worked really well. I was very happy to see how they gave both positive and constructive feedback.” — Lauren Richman

Joel’s Business Law workshop focused on Human Resources rules and policies, innovation and intellectual property, ethical leadership, and international transactions in Rwanda.

Visiting Akilah

It was a privilege to welcome Lauren and Joel back to the Akilah campus, we look forward to hosting them again soon!

Would you like to visit the Akilah Institute campus? We are planning a special trip for donors and friends of Akilah in November 2019, to attend what will be our largest ever graduation. If you’d like to attend, please contact our Development team.

The Akilah Institute is Rwanda’s only women’s college. It is here that Africa’s future female leaders are educated to solve the world’s most pressing challenges through a lens of sustainability and opportunity.