(WASHINGTON, DC) The Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center (RBC) at Howard University announced today the launch of the Global Futures Collaborative (GFC).  This initiative powered by the RBC will bring senior global and domestic policy experts to Howard University where they will catalyze international exchanges to forge livable communities and expand the aperture of stakeholders in thought leadership for public policy.  

“We envision the Global Futures Collaborative to be a policy engine for praxis in RBC programming and beyond,” said Tonija Hope, Ph.D., Howard University executive director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center. “I am inspired by the new energy for policy impact catalyzed by the stellar group of leaders joining the center and the critical work that we will implement together.” 

The initiative will foster collaboration across internationally facing units on campus while expanding community participation with international institutions and multilateral organization programming centered in human dignity. 

“The Global Futures Collaborative will reimagine community agency and connection in international leadership,” said Alex T. Johnson, incoming Global Futures Collaborative director and senior fellow. “Recentering ancestral and community knowledge in global exchanges will drive innovative outcomes to counter an emerging era of global retrenchment.” 

The GFC will host a cohort of senior leaders and former government officials who bring decades of practitioner experience advancing human empowerment and dignity in global policy.  These experts will serve as Alcee L. Hastings Global Leadership Fellows, named in honor of the late congressman who pioneered transatlantic cultural community exchanges and was the only American to serve as president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly. The inaugural Global Leadership Fellows will include:

• Zakiya Carr, former chief diversity officer, U.S. Department of State (HU ’96)
• Travis Adkins, former president and CEO, US-Africa Development Foundation (USADF)
• Desiree Cormier-Smith, former special representative for international racial equity and justice, U.S. Department of State

“The Global Futures Collaborative is about clearly defining the shared future that our communities have long demanded and rightfully earned,” says Christoper L. Scott, incoming Global Futures Collaborative co-director and senior fellow. “Advancing efforts to reach the hardest hit, yet underserved communities, while supporting students, youth, and children of African descent, will be a focal point of our commitment as we build explicit, intentional strategies that support their well-being, access, and success.” 

For more information on the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center and the Alcee L. Hastings Global Leadership Fellow visit Global Futures Collaborative |

Meet the GFC Team

Dr. Tonija Hope is the executive director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University where she oversees the center’s strategic vision, its wide-ranging international engagements including study abroad, international partnership development, global programming, and the management of the Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship for HU students. She also supports fellowship programs for the Department of State and the USDA.  Dr. Hope works to promote racial equity through various initiatives, including serving as the Chair of the US Civil Society Committee of the US-Colombia Action Plan to Promote Racial and Ethnic Equality (CAPREE). She received a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies/Spanish from Macalester College, a master’s degree in tourism administration from George Washington University, and a  Ph.D. in higher education leadership and policy studies from Howard University.  

Alex T. Johnson is a former diplomat and Obama Administration appointee in national security with expertise in multilateral diplomacy, human rights, health equity, and fundamental freedoms. Mr. Johnson has extensive experience as a manager in private philanthropy and  international advocacy and in facilitating government and civil society partnerships with diverse identity communities. Mr. Johnson spent more than a decade at the U.S. Helsinki Commission advancing parliamentary diplomacy, culminating his service as Chief of Staff for the Helsinki Commission in the 116th Congress. His work managing high-profile exchanges and public speaking has taken him to over 70 countries. Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources and Master of Public Policy degree from Oregon State University.

Christopher L. Scott is a national expert on education and criminal legal systems and is a former Obama Administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Education. He specializes in racial equity, civil and human rights, policy development, and litigation strategies. With over a decade of Congressional, legislative, and federal policy experience, and as an accomplished governmental and public affairs leader, Mr. Scott has developed and implemented advocacy strategies at all levels of government and led advocacy efforts internationally with civil society coalitions and local communities. Mr. Scott spent 14 years as a senior funder at the Open Society Foundations, where he served as both a senior policy advisor and senior team manager, leading initiatives for educational equity, drafting key federal policies, and addressing racial disproportionality in K-12 schools and higher education. Mr. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and both a Master of Public Policy degree and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Oregon State University.

About the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center

In 1993, Howard University established an International Affairs Center to serve as a hub for the university’s extensive international activities and interests. Named after esteemed diplomat and founding head of Howard’s Political Science Department, Ralph J. Bunche, the center serves as the university’s point of contact for a range of international organizations, governments, embassies, universities, and corporations. Learn more Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center.

About Howard University    

Howard University, established in 1867, is a leading private research university based in Washington, D.C. Howard’s 14 schools and colleges offer 140 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs and lead the nation in awarding doctoral degrees to African American students. Howard is the top-ranked historically Black college or university (HBCU) according to Forbes and is the only HBCU ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 National Universities. Renowned for its esteemed faculty, high achieving students, and commitment to excellence, leadership, truth and service, Howard produces distinguished alumni across all sectors, including the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice and the first woman U.S. vice president; Schwarzman, Marshall, Rhodes and Truman Scholars; prestigious fellows; and over 165 Fulbright recipients. Learn more at www.howard.edu.