Monica Kerretts-Makau

Prof. Monica Kerretts-Makau is the Academic Director at Thunderbird's Center for Excellence for Africa based in Nairobi. Her passion and work focus on Governance-Leadership, Communication Management , ICT4D Policy and Climate Sustainability

She supports the Executive Education Global Programs and Teaches as Professor in Leadership and Communications in the School. She also works with Thunderbird Applied Learning which delivers engagements that involve either extensive simulations or team-based, client-facing, project-driven consulting experiences.  Client-facing project-based engagements require the dynamic application of interdisciplinary material to real-world, real-time organizational challenges.

She also served as the Academic Director for the Masters in Leadership Management for Oman which graduated 25 middle level managers (Selected from 2500 applicants)  from Oman's Public Sector in 2023.

Prof. Kerretts-Makau has deep experience with both multilateral institutions and the business world with a strong bias for Policy and Leadership interventions in her areas of passion: Policy & Governance, ICT4D, Communication & Culture and Climate Sustainability. She Is currently leading research work on Understanding and Improving Women's Work in Digital Spaces in Kenya in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO). She was also lead researcher for the Kenya E-readiness Report (2023) under UNCTAD.  And was also part of the E-strategy Rwanda team under UNCTAD. Prof. Kerretts-Makau is also Co-Chair of the UN OSAA STEM working Committee. In the area of Sustainability and Development Prof. Kerretts-Makau  has  been part of the peer review team for the Global Sustainable Report 2023 (GSDR) under the International  Science Council based in Paris as one of the two representatives from Africa.  She is also currently one of the authors for the GEO-7 Global Outlook 2026 under UNEP. She also currently serves on the Board of International Public Policy Management Network (IPMN). She previously served as Advisory Team to the World Digital Dividends Report of the World Bank chaired by the President of Estonia.

She is very well traveled and is a speaker at several international events and has  served on several boards and chaired several board committees for over 15 years and is a big champion for women sitting at the “table”. Prof. Kerretts-Makau is a certified Trainer by the International Finance Cooperation under their Governance program and has trained many boards on leadership & Organisational growth for board development. She earned her PhD from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia in 2006 and her Masters from Salford University, Greater Manchester UK. Some of her other accomplishments include being nominated as the top 100 Reputational Africans 2018 and Top 100 influential Africans 2017; Founding Co-Director of iLab Africa, a Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovation and Development at Strathmore University;  Top 20 women influencing ICT in Kenya in 2015 and an author on critical and applied thinking in education. She previously worked with Strathmore Business School (whilst undertaking several assignments for the World Bank),  KPMG and Standard Chartered Bank

Prof. Kerretts-Makau is also a passionate gardener/environmentalist and blogs on Instagram as @kanakegardens. She sits on a volunteer role in the Kenya Horticultural Society Council Kenya and Chairs the Lower Eastern Chapter. She can be reached on email at Monica.Kerretts@thunderbird.asu.edu and or mkerretts@transformation.me.ke