Biography
Sheila Khamala is a PhD student and graduate assistant pursuing her PhD in Public
Affairs at Florida International University. Her passion for women’s representation in East African governments has shaped her research interests in Gender and Equity Leadership, Inclusive Governance, Community Development, and Nonprofit Management. She holds a BA in Development Studies from Mount Kenya University and an MPA from Regent University in Virginia.
Between 2018 and 2022, with Fikia Society, a nonprofit, Sheila coordinated various projects in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to create awareness among high school teenagers on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, ensure girls gain access to feminine products, and children in rural areas receive medical treatment from jiggers which hindered their access to education. Upon completing her MPA, Sheila worked as a Family Support Specialist with HumanKind a nonprofit in Virginia.
Sheila is inspired by the late Prof. Wangari Maathai, who was the first woman in East and Central Africa to receive her Ph.D., became the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, and made tremendous contributions to women’s rights and Kenya’s democracy. Sheila lives by one of Prof. Wangari’s famous quotes, “When you know who you are, you are free.”