The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center) has announced the appointment of Ellen Olounfe Pratt as its new Executive Director.
The decision follows an extensive and competitive global search by the Center’s Board of Directors. Pratt officially assumed her role on July 1, 2025, and will operate from the Centre’s headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia.
She succeeds Oley Dibba-Wadda, who concluded her tenure earlier this year and has since returned to The Gambia to continue her work in national leadership and public service.
The Board expressed its gratitude to Dibba-Wadda for her dedicated leadership and significant contributions during a critical phase of the Center’s growth.
Pratt brings more than 25 years of leadership in public service, governance, and urban development.
A certified urban planner, she has held multiple senior roles within the Liberian government, including Deputy Minister for Urban Affairs, Commissioner for Land Use and Management, and Deputy Minister for Industry/Inspector General.
Until her recent appointment, she led the Department of Urban Affairs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where she spearheaded Liberia’s first National Urban Policy and championed inclusive planning initiatives.
She is also the founding principal of PratCo Development Group—one of Liberia’s few female-led urban development firms—and has collaborated with international organizations such as UN-Habitat and Cities Alliance.
Previously, she managed a $40 million municipal operations portfolio with the City of Atlanta.
Pratt holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture from North Carolina State University and a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Her appointment marks a new chapter in the EJS Center’s mission to advance women’s leadership and development across Africa.
Source: https://ejscenter.org/appointment-of-ellen-o-pratt-as-executive-director-of-the-ejs-center/
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