Michelle Gavin (Arizona & Lincoln 1996) Appointed as Managing Director of the Africa Center

Rhodes Scholar Michelle Gavin (Arizona & Lincoln 1996) has been appointed as Managing Director of The Africa Center, a multidisciplinary civic institution that aims to provide a gateway for American engagement with the African continent. The Africa Center, once known as the Museum for African Art, is based in New York City and its Board of Trustees is led by Hadeel Ibrahim and Chelsea Clinton. 

Before joining The Africa Center, she served as the US Ambassador to Botswana between 2011 and 2013. Prior to her appointment as Ambassador, she served as Special Assistant to the President and the Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council. 

As a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University she received an MPhil in International Relations. She also earned a BA from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, where she was a Truman Scholar.