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2025 hovey Award

November 12, 2025
6:00 pm
Philadelphia

Eisenhower Fellowships will present the 2025 Hovey Award on Wednesday, November 12 at the Liberty View in Philadelphia.  The event celebrates the co-recipients of the 2025 James and Carol Hovey Eisenhower Fellowships Impact Award, established in 2023 to honor an Eisenhower Fellow or group of Fellows for outstanding project achievement in generating positive impact in their society.

Physician Magaly Blas (Peru 2018), founder and director of the Mamás del Río (Mothers of the River) program, and former corporate executive Shridhar Venkat (India 2014), chief executive officer of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, will accept the 2025 Hovey Award for their work to provide maternal health care in the Amazon River Basin and provide meals to impoverished schoolchildren in India, respectively.

2025 Recipients

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Shridhar Venkat

India 2014

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Shridhar Venkat
India 2014
Chief Executive Director
Akshaya Patra Foundation

In India, Shridhar Venkat leads the Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest nongovernmental school lunch and breakfast program. Since its inception in 2000 with the modest goal of serving 1,500 children across five government schools in the Indian state of Bengaluru, Akshaya Patra has grown into a pioneering social impact organization, operating 78 state-of-the-art kitchens that provide more than 2.35 million midday meals and one million morning nutrition servings each day.

Under Venkat’s leadership, Akshaya Patra has pioneered innovative, scalable solutions that combine nutrition, education and women’s empowerment to feed millions of children each day to schoolchildren across 16 Indian states and three union territories who otherwise would go hungry. His program requires the children to eat their meals in local schools, ensuring their education in impoverished areas of India where those children otherwise would not attend classes.

His program has inspired a similar school lunch program in Kenya, Food for Education, that has collaborated with Akshaya Patra to feed nearly 350,000 children daily, advancing the impact of Venkat’s work well beyond his native India. 

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Magaly Blas

Peru 2018

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Magaly Blas
Peru 2018
Founder and Director
Mamás del Río

Magaly Blas’ winning project is her work with Mamás del Río, an innovative program she created to improve maternal and child health in remote Amazonian areas, empowering community and traditional birth attendants using mobile technology, safe birth kits and culturally grounded health education.

Since her Eisenhower Fellowship, Blas has expanded the program from Peru across the border to Colombia, reaching more than 100 remote Amazonian communities that belong to ten different indigenous groups and training more than 600 community health workers, traditional midwives and frontline health personnel.

Through her efforts, prenatal care visits have increased from four percent to 63 percent of expectant mothers in the isolated and underserved region, while improving nearly all essential newborn care practices. The program has supported more than 7,000 women with safe childbirth and postnatal services, dramatically improving maternal and neonatal outcomes.

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Citation for Outstanding Project Achievement

Alfonso Vegara 
Spain 1987
Founder and President
Fundación Metrópoli

Alfonso Vegara  founded Fundación Metrópoli after his fellowship to champion innovative urban transformation worldwide. For over 25 years, the foundation’s PROYECTO CITIES initiative has treated 20 cities as living laboratories for sustainable development. Since returning from his Eisenhower Fellowship, Alfonso has collaborated with Eisenhower Fellows and governments on visionary urban projects in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico, Colombia, Cape Verde, Japan, Argentina, Indonesia, Singapore and his native Spain. These ranged from a notable partnership with another Eisenhower Fellow to establish a major biomedical research and development complex in Singapore to flood control in Jakarta to creating an innovative ecosystem in Malaga. His pioneering work continues to inspire resilient, inclusive and smart urban policies that elevate quality of life for generations to come.

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Alfonso Vegara 

Spain 1987

Christopher Nowinski
USA 2011
Chief Executive Officer
Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy
Boston University

Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player and WWE professional wrestler, turned a career-ending concussion into a global mission to prevent brain trauma in sports. As CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, he co-founded Boston University’s CTE Center and launched the Global Brain Bank, now active in six countries. His Eisenhower Fellowship supported the organization's global expansion strategy. Chris’ advocacy helped ban heading in youth soccer, identified first-ever CTE cases worldwide, and sparked worldwide sports reforms protecting young athletes’ brains, transforming the way football is taught and played in the U.S. from high schools to college to the professional ranks.

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Christopher Nowinski

USA 2011

The 2025 honorees were selected from 26 exceptional projects of impact submitted by our Fellows. Read about them and our finalists here.

Finalists

Bosede Afolabli
Nigeria 2014
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Bosede Afolabi is a trailblazer in women’s health, committed to reducing Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rates. Since returning from her Eisenhower Fellowship, she created the MILES model—the country’s largest maternal health program—enrolling more than 7,500 pregnant women in Lagos. Her team’s efforts have achieved a 99.9% childbirth survival rate, dramatically markedly improving on Nigeria’s national average of 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births. Today, her model informs national health policy and is poised for nationwide scaling.

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Bosede Afolabi

Nigeria 2014

Gustavo Almeida
Brazil 2019
Chief Operating Officer
Invest Minas

Gustavo Almeida, Chief Operating Officer at Invest Minas, is helping lead Sol de Minas, a groundbreaking public-private initiative positioning Minas Gerais as Brazil’s top solar energy producer. Since its launch the year of his Eisenhower Fellowship, the program has attracted more than $8.4 billion in investments and expanded solar capacity 20-fold across the state’s 853 municipalities. Gustavo, in collaboration with two other Eisenhower Fellows, is driving the effort to decarbonize critical industries such as mining and steel, making Minas Gerais a global model for sustainable development.

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Gustavo Almeida

Brazil 2019

David Bray
USA 2015
Director, GeoTech Center
and Commission
Henry L. Stimson Center

David Bray leads the bipartisan Commission on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data, guiding cross-sector efforts to deepen global understanding of AI, biotechnology, quantum computing and trust in digital economies. Since his Eisenhower Fellowship, David has bridged policy, innovation and public service to advance resilient supply chains and secure data systems globally. A dedicated public servant, he has supported U.S. national and humanitarian missions during crises, earning recognition for leadership at the nexus of emerging tech and global stability.

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David Bray

USA 2015

Martin Burt
Paraguay 1994
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Fundación Paraguaya

Martin Burt is working to eliminate poverty through the Poverty Stoplight, a self-assessment tool that empowers families to identify and overcome multidimensional and multigenerational poverty using personalized strategies. Since his Eisenhower Fellowship, Burt has expanded Fundación Paraguaya’s groundbreaking Poverty Stoplight tool and founded Self-Sustainable Agricultural Schools, empowering hundreds of thousands globally to escape poverty through dignity-centered approaches that combine self-assessment, education and community-driven change. His Poverty Spotlight tool has been used by more than 2.1 million people in 59 countries and has been adopted by more than 800 organizations to foster sustainable economic and social transformation. Burt's Self-Sufficient Agricultural Schools combine academics with entrepreneurship to help students run real businesses and graduate with practical skills. With a 91 percent success rate, many graduates pursue higher education or enter the workforce, breaking cycles of poverty through innovation and self-reliance.

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Martin Burt

Paraguay 1994

Jonathan Castro
Peru 2019
Founder
Bright Future for Young
Venezuelan Women

Jonathan Castro is advancing women’s and youth empowerment in Venezuela through a 13-week leadership and career development program for young women from low-income communities. He founded “Bright Future for Young Venezuelan Women” with a community-driven approach to combating gender inequality and fostering opportunities for displaced populations. Developed from the insights gathered on his Eisenhower Fellowship, the initiative equips participants with tools in negotiation, leadership development and mentoring while helping them build personalized academic and professional life plans. With 80 graduates—75 women and 5 men—and nearly double the expected number of applicants, the program has sparked a growing alumni network and demand for expansion. Castro is now working to scale the model across the country.

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Jonathan Castro

Peru 2019

Brian Englander
USA 2018
Chairman, Department of Radiology
Pennsylvania Hospital,
University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Brian Englander advances early cancer detection through innovative mobile screening programs that reach underserved populations across the U.S. and internationally. Inspired by his Eisenhower Fellowship, he pioneered mobile mammography in Mongolia and is expanding similar efforts on Native American reservations and beyond. By integrating cutting-edge technology with global partnerships, Brian is transforming breast healthcare access in diverse and remote communities.

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Brian Englander

USA 2018

Raul Gauto
Paraguay 1989
President
Forestal Sylvis

Raul Gauto returned from his Eisenhower Fellowship with a new perspective: protecting forests requires empowering the people who live near them. Returning to Paraguay with this insight, he helped establish the 150,000-acre Mbaracayu Reserve, preserving biodiversity while supporting more than 4,000 local families. Gauto founded Forestal Sylvis in 2010 to combat climate change through sustainable commercial forestry, planting more than three million trees and managing 10,000 acres of silvo-pastoral land. His leadership fostered educational and economic opportunities, including a school for rural girls and a yerba mate factory supporting 250 families. Gauto has advanced sustainable development by blending environmental protection with social and economic progress, creating a lasting legacy for Paraguay’s forests and communities.

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Raul Gauto

Paraguay 1989

Francesca Fedeli
Italy 2014
President and Co-Founder
FightTheStroke.org

Francesca Fedeli co-founded FightTheStroke, inspired by her son Mario’s stroke at birth. Since her Eisenhower Fellowship, she has grown the organization from an informal parent network into a global leader in community-driven care, supporting more than 1,200 families. Francesca’s foundation established Italy’s first pediatric stroke center, developed an award-winning AI- and neuroscience-based rehab platform and now influences EU and WHO policy. She remains a passionate advocate for patient-centered innovation and disability rights.

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Francesca Fedeli

Italy 2014

Jordan Foley
United States 2021
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Head Chef
Let’s Chow

Jordan Foley empowers veterans and military spouses through Let’s Chow, a nonprofit that provides hands-on culinary training and food truck experience to create sustainable career pathways in the food industry. His initiative has helped dozens of former service members secure jobs or launch their own food businesses, boosting economic mobility and community engagement. Let’s Chow also serves as a model for workforce development, using mobile kitchens as real-world training hubs. Since his Eisenhower Fellowship, Foley has significantly scaled Let's Chow and actively collaborated with Eisenhower Fellows to advance economic mobility through food entrepreneurship.

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Jordan Foley

United States 2021

Victoria Marwa Heilman
Tanzania 2016
Founder & Chairperson
Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH)

Dr. Victoria Heilman is an architect and social entrepreneur transforming lives through design. As founder of Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH), she leads award-winning efforts to build low-cost, low-carbon homes for vulnerable groups, train women in sustainable construction and mentor young female architects. Since her Eisenhower Fellowship, Dr. Heilman has transformed TAWAH from a volunteer group into an award-winning organization that has trained more than 100 women, built 17 homes for the elderly and launched a new vocational center empowering rural women. A 2025 Gold World Habitat Award winner, Dr. Heilman also co-leads a mentorship program linking students in Tanzania and the U.S., deepening the global EF legacy. Her visionary work is redefining housing, equality and leadership in East Africa.

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Victoria Marwa Heilman

Tanzania 2016

Rama Kayyali
Jordan 2017
CEO and Co-Founder
Little Thinking Minds

Rama Kayyali leads Little Thinking Minds, a pioneering educational technology company revolutionizing Arabic language learning across the Middle East and North Africa. Since her fellowship in 2017, when the platform had 70,000 users, LTM has grown to reach more than 500,000 students in ten countries, including public and refugee schools. Her fellowship connections helped secure critical investment and sharpen her approach to adaptive, data-driven education. Today, LTM continues to improve literacy outcomes and expand access to high-quality education for Arabic-speaking children.

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Rama Kayyali

Jordan 2017

Hanna Keraf
Indonesia 2024
Chief of Community
Development & Partnership
Krealogi

Hanna Keraf co-founded Du Anyam, a social enterprise that supports more than 1,400 women artisans across 54 remote Indonesian villages to increase their income by up to 40 percent through the production and sale of handwoven crafts made from natural fibers. Hanna now primarily works with Krealogi, a supply chain technology platform that helps small- and medium-sized enterprises scale their operations and sales while promoting sustainable development. Following her Eisenhower Fellowship, her work has advanced financial literacy and digital skills among female entrepreneurs, strengthening economic resilience and preserving indigenous craftsmanship in rural communities.

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Hanna Keraf

Indonesia 2024

Caroline Klibanoff
USA 2024
Executive Director
Made By Us

Caroline Klibanoff drives youth engagement by connecting young people with cultural and historical institutions to foster active civic participation. After her Eisenhower Fellowship in Australia and New Zealand, she founded Youth250—a national youth advisory initiative energizing young Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary and beyond. Caroline’s work reimagines cultural institutions as dynamic civic hubs that empower youth to shape democracy’s future.

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Caroline Klibanoff

USA 2024

Phuoc Le
USA 2017
Professor and Vice Dean
for Medical Education
Vin University College of
Health Sciences

Dr. Phuoc Le co-founded Arc Health, a social enterprise that bridges the gap between top-tier medical providers and underserved communities across the U.S. Inspired by his Eisenhower Fellowship experience in Kenya and South Africa, he helped launch Arc Health, which has enabled nearly a half-million patient visits and placed more than 40 healthcare professionals in critical rural and tribal locations. Dr. Le's work emphasizes culturally humble, compassionate care and long-term provider placement to ensure sustainable healthcare access. Arc Health’s impact has been recognized nationally, showing how mission-driven business can transform healthcare delivery.

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Phuoc Le

USA 2017

Ifeoma Malo
Nigeria 2015
CEO 
Clean Tech Hub and Energy Innovation Centre

Ifeoma Malo is advancing economic empowerment and climate resilience through a microcredit program that helps women in underserved Nigerian communities adopt clean energy technologies. Since her Eisenhower Fellowship, Malo has scaled community-driven solutions by investing in solar-powered tools and energy-efficient appliances, which have increased household incomes by 30 percent and business revenues by 40 percent. The initiative also improves health by reducing indoor air pollution and promotes financial inclusion, with more than half of its participants now accessing formal banking services.

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Ifeoma Malo

Nigeria 2015

Emma Miloyo
Kenya 2015
Director
Design Source

Emma Miloyo, founder and director of Design Source, leads innovative architecture and urban planning initiatives focused on sustainability. Since her Eisenhower Fellowship, during which she explored community-led development models in the U.S., she has implemented similar strategies in Nairobi through the Kilimani Project Foundation. Under her leadership as Board Chair, the Foundation has planted thousands of trees, launched mental health programs and empowered youth and informal traders — transforming Kilimani into a model for holistic, community-driven urban development.

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Emma Miloyo

Kenya 2015

Edward Mungai
Kenya 2016
Chief Executive Officer
Kenya Climate Innovation Center

Edward Mungai heads Kenya’s premier climate innovation hub, nurturing over 2,500 cleantech startups that generate green jobs and deliver sustainable energy, water and agriculture solutions. Inspired by his Eisenhower Fellowship, he catalyzed climate financing through Kenya Climate Ventures and founded a leading sustainability consultancy. Edward’s work propels inclusive economic growth, policy innovation and climate resilience across Africa.

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Edward Mungai

Kenya 2016

Stephanie O'Keeffe
Ireland 2015
CEO
Cuan

Stephanie O’Keeffe is the first CEO of Cuan (meaning ‘shelter’ in the Irish language). She is leading Ireland’s government strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence by changing the underlying societal attitudes. Stephanie brings to this role her experience of driving societal change in the health sphere and her highly visible, passionate and articulate leadership. She has over 20 years’ experience of working in the Irish public service, across a number of organizations and, was responsible for delivering a national population health strategy.

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Stephanie O’Keeffe

Ireland 2015

Ellisha Othman 
Malaysia 2020
Managing Director/
Clinical Psychologist
Thrive Well Sdn Bhd

Ellisha is transforming mental health care in Malaysia through Thrive Well, the country’s first trauma-informed care (TIC) social enterprise. Developed during her Eisenhower Fellowship, Thrive Well now delivers clinical services, research, advocacy and community empowerment programs to reduce mental health stigma and expand access for low-income communities. Her work expands access to mental health services for underserved communities, delivering thousands of therapy hours each month and training professionals in trauma-informed practices. Through nationwide programs and strategic partnerships, she is reshaping how Malaysians understand, access, and advocate for mental health.

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Ellisha Othman 

Malaysia 2020

Elisa Sutanadjaja
Indonesia 2013
Executive Director
Rujak Center for Urban Studies

Elisa Sutanudjaja champions climate-resilient urban housing solutions for low-income and middle-class communities in Jakarta. Inspired by her Eisenhower Fellowship, she co-designed Kampung Susun Akuarium, a pioneering model of community-led vertical housing, and leads the Flat House Movement—an innovative cooperative housing initiative now embedded in the city’s zoning regulations. Elisa also drives programs that enhance health and climate resilience in informal settlements and advocates for comprehensive housing policies across Indonesia.

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Elisa Sutanadjaja

Indonesia 2013

Oyungerel Tsedevdamba
Mongolia 2011
Founder
Local Solutions Foundation

Oyungerel Tsedevdamba is transforming sanitation in Mongolia through “Let’s Change Our Toilets,” a nationwide campaign replacing hazardous pit latrines with affordable, winter-resistant dry toilets. Inspired by her 2011 Eisenhower Fellowship, where she explored water quality systems in the U.S., Tsedevdamba launched a movement that has developed 32 toilet models, trained more than 7,000 people and reached eight million Mongolians through educational outreach. Her dual approach—a social enterprise for implementation and a nonprofit for education—is designed to ensure long-term sustainability. By challenging taboos and building a climate-resilient sanitation economy, Tsedevdamba's work is protecting water resources, improving public health and advancing the right to safe sanitation.

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Oyungerel Tsedevdamba

Mongolia 2011

Phyllis Wakiaga
Kenya 2022
Senior Private Sector
Development Advisor
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Phyllis Wakiaga is boosting career development and economic empowerment for young professionals through Careersight, a mentorship-focused social enterprise revitalized after her Eisenhower Fellowship. By integrating best practices in mentorship, entrepreneurship and access to finance, Careersight has engaged more than 1,000 participants in career dialogues and webinars, paired more than 30 women in real estate with industry experts and introduced leadership training to more than 100 students in Kenyan schools. With strong partnerships and a digital mentorship platform in development, Wakiaga is scaling access to mentorship and leadership opportunities for young professionals across Kenya. 

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Phyllis Wakiaga

Kenya 2022

Previous Recipients

2024

Camilo Fonseca Velásquez 

 Colombia 2019

Mariana Villamizar 

Colombia 2014

2023

Braimah Sulemana 

Ghana 2019

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