Interim Executive Director

• Jul 2022 - Present

Interim Executive Director

• Jun 2022 - Present

Emerging Public Leaders is driving Africa’s development by creating a new generation of public servants committed to social impact. Through the Public Service Fellowship, EPL supports in-country programs that recruit Africa’s most promising future leaders and place them into meaningful civil service positions. Over a period of two years, fellows are provided with the supervisory support, rigorous training and mentorship they need to launch and build a successful career in public service. As EPL Interim Executive Director while continuing to lead Emerging Leaders Foundation, Caren manages the global EPL team and works with our in-country partners and board of directors to support EPL's network of fellows in Liberia, Ghana and Kenya and grow the organization's impact on governance and public service delivery in Africa. Show less

Founder & Executive Director

• Jan 2011 - Present

Caren Wakoli is a certified leadership coach, transformational leadership trainer, certified 7-Habits of Highly Effective People trainer, democracy & good governance champion, mentor, and social entrepreneur who delights in mentoring young women and men to be able to achieve their greatest potential in life. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Emerging Leaders Foundation (ELF); an organization that focuses on raising young people as positive agents of change in society, through effective participation in governance and decision-making processes. She has over 15 years’ experience of doing youth empowerment work in Kenya and Africa at large. She has taken part in various policy formulation and implementation processes in Kenya and internationally. She serves in various boards, governmental and non-governmental. Caren has received several recognitions for her commitment to youth and women empowerment, democracy and good governance - the latest being the recognition by President barrack Obama during the Mandela Lecture, in South Africa. She was a finalist in the CEO Global Most Influential Women in Business and Government (Civil Society and welfare category) 2017. She has been profiled as one of the most influential women in East Africa, by the East African Standard Newspaper in 2017. She is a YALI East African Fellow 2014, East African Acumen Fellow 2014, Spark* Kenya Changemaker 2013 and Young Female Achiever 2006 at the University of Nairobi. She has a Master’s degree in international studies and Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Sociology, both from the University of Nairobi. In her free time, she likes to read biographies, watch movies, take nature walks, listen to music and journal. Show less

Board Member

• Feb 2018 - Jul 2022

Board Member

• Nov 2017 - Jul 2022

External Trainer

• Jun 2013 - Jul 2022

Conduct training on Transformational leadership, Managing Change, Ethics and Integrity for Public servants Conduct training on Transformational leadership, Managing Change, Ethics and Integrity for Public servants

Chairperson

• 2010 - Jul 2022

Board Member

• 2010 - Jul 2022

National Oversight Board Member - representing women

• Feb 2014 - Feb 2017

Chairperson

• Mar 2014 - Apr 2015

Council Member - African Peer Review Mechanism

• Jun 2009 - Jun 2012

Board Member

• 2006 - 2010