#  Our People 

 



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## Harvard Center for African Studies Staff

CAS staff operate both in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Johannesburg, South Africa.



 

  [### Zoe Marks

 ](/people/zoe-marks)Oppenheimer Faculty Director of the Center for African Studies

Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School

 

 

 Zoe Marks is the Oppenheimer Faculty Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies and a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research and teaching interests focus on the intersections of conflict and political violence; race... 

 

 

      ![Zoe Marks Headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/african-studies/files/12.07.18_zoe_marks_01052.jpg?itok=1fMVJE_q) 

 

 

 

   [### Shawn Lee 

 ](/people/shawn-lee)Interim Executive Director 

 

 

 [The Executive Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies. Also, the Associate Director at Hutchins Center for African and African American Research] 

 

 

      ![Shawn](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Screenshot%202025-11-17%20at%205.48.38%E2%80%AFPM.png?itok=6xWRjSqI) 

 

 

 

   [### Candace Lowe

 ](/people/candace-lowe) <clowe01@fas.harvard.edu>Administration and Finance Coordinator

 

 

 As the Administration and Finance Coordinator , Candace oversees the Center’s financial processing as well as providing essential administrative support to the team. She comes to the Center with 15 years of office management experience in the financial... 

 

 

      ![Candace](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Candace%20Lowe.jpg?itok=CDF_4Sk1) 

 

 

 

   [### Nthatisi Quella

 ](/people/nthatisi-quella)Office Director, Africa Office

 

 

 Nthatisi Quella is the Office Director, for Harvard University Center for African Studies (CAS) Africa Office in Johannesburg, South Africa. She oversees the day-to-day operations and works closely with the CAS Faculty Director and Executive Director to... 

 

 

      ![Nthatisi Photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/african-studies/files/nthatisi.png?itok=8lEVhcAc) 

 

 

 

   [### Rosaline Salifu

 ](/people/rosaline-salifu) [rosaline\_salifu@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:rosaline_salifu@fas.harvard.edu)Associate Director

 

 

 Rosaline Salifu serves as the Associate Director for the Center for African Studies. Coming from Ghana, West Africa, Rosaline studied International Development at Brandeis University and has extensive experience in student events programming. Prior to... 

 

 

      ![Rosaline](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Screenshot%202025-11-17%20at%204.20.39%E2%80%AFPM_0.png?h=151d8028&itok=xfvk5TY7) 

 

 

 

   [### Lindsay Moats

 ](/people/lindsay-moats) <lmoats@fas.harvard.edu>Student Support and Outreach Officer

 

 

 As the Student Support and Outreach Officer, Lindsay oversees student programming and funding opportunities for the Center for African Studies and serves as the liaison between Harvard student organizations focused on Africa and the Center. She also... 

 

 

      ![Lindsay Moats](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/african-studies/files/1460.jpg?itok=V4rf72nh) 

 

 

 

   [### Sirak Kurban

 ](/people/sirak-kurban-0) [sirak\_kurban@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:sirak_kurban@fas.harvard.edu)Communications &amp; External Relations Officer

 

 

 Sirak W. Kurban serves as the Communications and External Relations Officer, bringing a background in policy, education, and media to effectively communicate complex initiatives and ideas, as well as advance institutional partnerships across Harvard and... 

 

 

      ![SK](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/BlackEPA%20Photoshopped_Original.jpg?itok=YCSUBfmE) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

  [### Executive Committee

 ](/executive-committee)The Harvard Center for African Studies Executive Committee is comprised of senior faculty members, who represent a wide range of disciplines...



 

  [### Student Support Team

 ](/staff)Students across the College and 12 Graduate Schools continue to engage at CAS in many ways, formally and informally.



 

  [### Faculty Affiliates

 ](/faculty-affiliates)Faculty Affiliates of the Center for African Studies represent the full spectrum of the study of Africa at Harvard University. Affiliates contribute to...



 

  [### Fellows

 ](/fellows)Our fellows participate in the Center for African Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and the Harvard University South Africa Fellowship Program.



 

  [### Africa Advisory Board

 ](/africa-advisory-board)The Africa Advisory Board brings together business people, entrepreneurs, public servants, academic leaders, and cultural figures...



 

  [### Leadership Council

 ](/leadership-council)The Leadership Council comprises a group of dynamic young leaders on the African continent...