LEADERSHIP TEAM
Dean – Paul Atem
Dr. Atem is the School’s Dean. He served as the Deputy Dean before receiving this appointment. Prior to joining SPS, Dr. Atem was the state Minister of Public Service in Warrap, the state Minister of Physical Infrastructure in Twic State, and one of the key negotiators of South Sudan’s Accession to the East African Community. In addition, Dr. Atem served as a consultant to South Sudan’s Ministries of Interior, Agriculture and Land, and Housing and Physical Planning. He also worked for a number of years as a planner with state and federal governments in Australia, and held teaching positions at the University of South Australia and Flinders University. He is an urban and regional planning expert, who specializes in the analysis of housing, including housing prices, housing market, rental markets, real estate development, and urban planning. He is also an advisor for Concern Organization. Dr. Atem has a PhD in Planning from the University of South Australia where he conducted research on immigrant access to housing in Australia.
Deputy Dean – Elia Makur
Elia Makur is the Deputy Dean of the School. Prior to serving in this role, he was a lecturer at the School of Public Service, the School of Social and Economic Studies, and Starford International University College. In addition to his academic background, Makur has strong management and leadership experience. Prior to coming to SPS he was the Assistant Clerk of the State Ministry of Finance and Manpower for Warrap State. He also filled administrative roles at the junior- and senior-school level in Wau, Western Bhar el Ghazal. Makur has a Master’s in Public Policy from SPS (where he was part of the School’s first graduating class). He also has a Bachelor’s in Statistics and Demography (with honours) from the University of Juba’s College of Social and Economic Studies.
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Founding Dean – Patricia Powers Thomson
Patricia Powers Thomson is the School’s founding Dean. She has over 25 years of international development experience, including service in the military, government, NGO, and private sectors. She has served as the Executive Vice President of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and as a Senior Governance Advisor with the State Department in Diyala, Iraq. Thomson also spent 10 years working in the private sector as an Associate Partner with Price Waterhouse Coopers Consulting where she advised a range of clients in the United States and abroad. Before moving to the private sector, she served as an advisor to Vice President Gore’s task force on reinventing government, as the Assistant Director of Evaluation at the Corporation for National and Community Service, and as an officer in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Thomson has held teaching appointments at the University of Juba, Catholic University of South Sudan (CUofSS), and George Washington University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University.
ACADEMIC TEAM
Registrar – Michael Nhial Mabil Koak
Michael Koak is the School’s Registrar. He has worked in both the Civil Service and private sector. He served as the Administrative Officer for Unity State’s Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement, a position he held for five years. He also served with Equity Bank Ltd as a Relationship Officer. In addition, Koak has worked as a consultant with Medair International, and conducted a wide range of surveys for the National Bureau of Statistics (including the South Sudan Households Health Surveys) and for BDO Jordan. Koak has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Accounting & Finance), from Cavendish University in Uganda and a Master’s of Public Policy from the School of Public Service, University of Juba.
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Professor – Anne Itto (on leave)
Dr. Itto is currently serving as South Sudan’s representative in the East Africa Parliament. Prior to that, she was the Dean of SPS. Dr. Itto also served as the acting Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and as South Sudan’s Minister of Agriculture. She has been a senior advisor to the President; a member of the Advisory Council for the Ministry of Social Affairs, Gender, and Child Welfare; and in several leadership roles at the State level. In January 2005, she was appointed chairperson for the Political Committee of the Joint National Transitional Team, one of the specialized bodies created by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Before her involvement in the peace process, Dr. Itto chaired the SPLM Natural Resource Management and Utilization Committee and was an advisor to the Economic Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources Development. In addition, she served as deputy team leader for the SPLM Development Assistance Technical Office, which was responsible for the coordination and equitable distribution of development resources. Prior to serving with the SPLM, Dr. Itto was a lecturer at the University of Juba. She is a graduate of the University of Khartoum’s Faculty of Agriculture, and has a doctorate from Kansas State University.
Professor – Leben Moro Leben
Dr. Moro is the Director of Scientific and Cultural External Relations at the University of Juba. He also teaches at the Center for Peace and Development Studies. His research is focused on development-induced displacement and resettlement, including oil-induced displacement in South Sudan. He has conducted fieldwork on local justice in South Sudan for the Rift Valley Institute and US Institute of Peace. He has also consulted for the GoSS, The World Bank, UN and NGOs. Dr Moro’s works has been published in the Journal of Refugee Studies (Oxford University), St Anthony’s International Review (Oxford University), Forced Migration Review (Oxford University), the New Internationalist, and Pambazuka News. Dr. Moro has also trained civil servants in several states, including Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, and Lake states. He received a Master of Public Administration from the American University in Cairo, as well as a Master of Science in Forced Migration and a Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies from Oxford University.
Lecturer – Samuel Garang Akau (on study leave)
Samuel Garang Akau, a Lecturer at the School and former Deputy Dean, is currently studying for his PhD in Public Policy at the University of North Carolina. His research interests lie at the intersection of public policy theory and practice, focusing on program design, implementation, and impact evaluation. Akau is the co-founder of Sawa Sawa Network, a multimedia organization harnessing the power of digital tools and emerging technologies in building peace and community in South Sudan and its diaspora. Before joining the School of Public Service, Akau was a Programme Officer with the University of Juba’s Directorate of Planning, Innovation, and Quality Assurance. Akau has significant management experience in both the public and private sector. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from American University, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Stanford University, where he won the prestigious Boccock-Guerard Award in Creative Writing.
Lecturer – Jacob Bol Deng
Jacob Bol Deng is a lecturer at the School. He also coordinates Practitioners Research Projects (PRP), as well as serving as an Examination Officer. Prior to this, he served as the Coordinator for Customized Short Courses Programs (2016-2018). His research interests center on political science and comparative politics. Deng holds a BSc in Political Science from the University of Juba, an MA in Public Policy from the Ethiopian Civil Service University, and an MSc in Comparative Politics from the University of Juba.
Lecturer – Nyok Lual John
Nyok Lual John is full-time lecturer with the School of Management Sciences and a specialist in NGO and CSO management. Before coming to the University of Juba, he worked with the Kenyan Red Cross Society, South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, Physical Rehabilitation Reference Centre, African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, and New Sudan Jonglei Orphan Foundation. He also worked with the Government of South Sudan Census Commission. His primary areas of interest are project management, counselling, and community mobilizing. Nyok has a Master of Science in Project Planning and Management from Ndejje University, a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and Social Administration from Kampala University, and a Diploma in Community Development, Project Planning, and Management from Hampton College in the UK.
Lecturer – Rengo Gyyw Rengo, Jr
Rengo Gyyw Rengo, Jr. came to SPS from the National Ministry of Labour, Public Service, and Human Resource Development where he was a Capacity-Building and Human Resource Development Officer. In this position, he coordinated many public sector training programs in collaboration with the Ministry’s development partners. His primary research interests lie in “governance for development,” particularly governance capacity-building, governance systems, public management, change management, and process design in the African context. He has supported research on gender mainstreaming in the World Food Program’s Food for Assets project in Abyei. The work was sponsored by UN Women and managed by the Sudd Institute and Ebony Center for Strategic Studies. In other research, he assessed the role of specialized Higher Education in building civil services in post-conflict countries. He also lectures at Starford International University. Rengo has an MA in Public Management from the Ethiopian Civil Service University and an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Nkumba University, Uganda. He also has a Diploma and BA Degree in Development Studies from Nkumba University.
Associate Lecturer – Abraham Awolich (on leave)
Abraham Awolich is a part-time lecturer at SPS. He is the former Managing Director of the Sudd Institute, the co-founder of the Sudan Development Foundation, and the former Executive Director of New Sudan Education Initiative (NESEI). Previous to joining the Sudd Institute, Awolich helped establish a secondary school in Yei and a medical clinic in Kalthok, Awerial County. Awolich has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Vermont in Anthropology and Business Administration. He is a McNair Scholar and winner of the prestigious Samuel Huntington Public Service Award in 2006.
Associate Lecturer – Moses Monday John
Dr. Moses Monday John is a part-time lecturer at School of Public Service. He is a founding member and the current Executive Director of the Organization for Nonviolence and Development. Before this, he worked as Inspector of Finance in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (Juba), served as coordinator of Life Ministry in Nuba Mountains, and taught in primary and secondary schools in Juba, Medani and Khartoum. He has more than 15 years of practical experience designing and managing programs. He also has extensive experience in conflict management, peacebuilding and nonviolence training, and has worked with a wide range of national, regional and international peace actors. John holds a postgraduate Diploma and Master of Arts in Peace & Development Studies from the University of Juba, as well as a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Open University of Sudan and a Diploma from Wad Medani Ahlia College in Sudan. He has been a fellow at Tuffs University School of Law and Diplomacy and has been awarded a Qualification Certificate as a Peace and Conflict Consultant by the Academy of Conflict Transformation (FZFD) in Germany.
Associate Lecturer – Augustino Ting Mayai (on leave)
Dr. Augustino Ting Mayai is the Chair of the National Bureau of Statistics in South Sudan (the Statistician General). He is also a research Fellow at the University of Wisconsin and serves on the research board of WHO’s Sub-Saharan African region. In addition, he is a principal investigator for FCDO- and Oxford-funded research projects on girl education and energy subsidies in South Sudan. Dr. Mayai was the Managing Director and a founder of the Sudd Institute. He also was a PDRI-DevLab Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and a University of Oxford research Fellow. Dr. Mayai has published extensively on South Sudan’s current affairs, including research related to: conflict/humanitarian crisis, health, security, education, development, and gender. He is also a policy consultant, and has advised the World Bank, UNICEF, Save the Children, UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA, WFP/FAO, and the Government of South Sudan. He holds a BS in Sociology from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in Development/Sociology, with Concentrations on Demography and Applied Statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Associate Lecturer – Rajab Mohandis (on leave)
Rajab John Simon Mohandis is an international development specialist, educator, and part-time lecturer at the School. Mohandis has 15 years of experience working with the public sector and civil society in South Sudan. He is the executive director of the Organization for Responsive Governance. Previously, he served as the executive Director for the South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections (SSuNDE), a network of 75 diverse South Sudanese civil society organizations and faith-based groups supporting the active participation of citizens in peacebuilding and political processes. He was also a state minister for Transport, Roads and Bridges in Western Equatoria State. He served as a Senior Program Officer (Civil Society) with Democracy International, an Assistant Program Manager with NDI, and the Executive Director for Maridi Service Agency (a youth civil society organization). He was also an Education Coordinator for the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan, a Tutor / Teacher with the National Health Training Institute under the auspices of the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), and an Academic Registrar with Eyira Adventist Vocational Academic in South Sudan. His research interests include civil society, responsive governance, mediation and peace talks, international development, and teaching. Mohandis holds an MA in International Development, majoring in Politics and Governance, from the University of Manchester, UK. He also has a BSc in Education from Bugema University in Uganda.
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Bullen Agau Majuc – Administrator
Bullen is the School’s Administrator, as well as a lecturer. His background is in law enforcement management and policy. Prior to coming to SPS, he served as an Administrative Officer with the Victoria Police’s Department of Public Support Services (Australia). He also worked as a Policy and Project Officer with the Victoria Police and as a Customer Service Officer with the Australian Department of Human Services in Sydney, New South Wales. Bullen has a Master’s of Public Policy & Management from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor’s of Politics and International Relations from the University of Canberra.
Administrative Assistant – Jackline Suliman Ibrahim (on leave)
Jackline Sulman Ibrahim serves as special assistant to the Dean. In this capacity she runs the front office, coordinates with stakeholders, and maintains the Schools official administrative records. Prior to coming to SPS, she worked with the World Food Program and UNHCR. Sulman is a graduate of the School of Public Service and the College of Community Studies and Rural Development, both at the University of Juba.
Accountant – Thereza Bullen Lako
Thereza Bullen has over 18 years of experience in university administration, including seventeen years as an accountant for the Colleges of Engineering, Education, Natural resources, and Medicine, as well as the Dean of Libraries. She has also served in the payment sections of Academic Affairs and Health Services. Lako has an Accounting degree from Sudan University College for Girls.