7th Class, 2013-2015
Policy Placement: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities International Programs Office, Washington, DC
As an International Development and Programs Specialist at APLU, Samantha worked on the Knowledge Center for Advancing Development Through Higher Education, which focuses on curating and creating knowledge to increase investments in development activities that involve institutes of higher education. Samantha worked to build the public presence of the Knowledge Center through new knowledge creation and events, along with building a web and broader communications strategy. She worked with the International Programs staff to increase awareness of the need for investment in higher education and opportunities for US universities to work with higher education partners in developing countries, such as Sokoine University of Agriculture, where she spent her field year.
Field Placement: Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI), Morogoro, Tanzania
As a Higher Education Specialist, Samantha Alvis worked with the Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI) at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro, Tanzania. She worked on a number of projects that focused on the common goals of increasing the research, teaching and outreach capacity of SUA. Samantha partnered with SUA Academic Staff on the establishment of an administrative unit to maintain classrooms and augment available teaching technology. Additionally, she piloted a teaching assistant program for post graduate students and facilitated the first iAGRI Leadership Fellows Webinar Series. She worked with the SUA Convocation (Alumni Association) to develop a strategic plan for engaging alumni in the university and helped to launch the iAGRI Innovation Portfolio, a platform for public-private partnerships for sponsored research.
Pre-Fellowship Education/Experience:
Samantha completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Agricultural Education at the University of Arizona. She is an experienced non-profit professional, having worked for membership and trade associations. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in International Agricultural Development and Agricultural Communications from Texas A&M University. Her international experience includes serving in the ACDI/VOCA Service Learning Corp in Kenya and Ethiopia to set up cooperative information and learning centers, planning the first study abroad from Texas A&M to Namibia, and teaching English in France.