Meet the new dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Nisha Botchwey

The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs was founded in 1977, named after the Minnesota native, former United States Sen. and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. He was a legislator and statesman known all over the world for his contributions to improving the well-being of humanity. 

In 2022 the school chose Nisha Botchwey as its new dean. She is the first Black woman and immigrant to serve as the school’s dean and comes to the Twin Cities from Georgia Tech in Atlanta. 

In her message to her new academic community, Botchwey described her new job as having, “the opportunity to change people’s lives, shape public policy, and even bring about necessary justice — to be in service of one another and our fellow global citizens.”

MPR News host Angela Davis sat down with Botchwey recently to talk about her journey to the U.S., the Humphrey School’s future and what it means to be a global citizen. 

Guest:

• Nisha Botchwey is the new dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She holds master’s degrees in public health and urban planning and a Ph.D. in urban planning.