Mr. Joel Okwemba is an intellectual and practitioner of Diplomacy, with strong interests in Multilateral Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy, and Strategic Geo-politics.

In his dynamic professional experience, he has worked for and with Governments, United Nations Agencies, Intergovernmental Organizations, Diplomatic Missions, Private Sector, Philanthropy, Academia, think tanks, and Business Membership Organizations.

He is a founding member and the Managing Director of The Centre for International and Security Affairs (CISA) - Research and Think Tank, which focuses on enhancing the peace and security agenda through research, conferences, and community outreach programs (2015-2019), (CISA was started while a final year student at the University of Nairobi).

He is a 2022 Africa Policy Accelerator Fellow - a Program of the Washington D.C.-based think tank, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and served in the same year as a Council/Board Member of the International Relations Society of Kenya (IRSK)-a professional body for International Relations specialists, experts, academics and practitioners in Kenya. He is well-published across regional and national mainstream media platforms.

He is a current student at the Graduate School of National Security, Intelligence and International Affairs- The Institute of World Politics (IWP) in Washington D.C., where he is pursuing a Masters in Statecraft and International Affairs. He was awarded the Fulbright Foreign Students Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship for his graduate studies at IWP.

He holds a Bachelor’s in International Studies (majoring in International Security Studies) from the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies (IDIS) at the University of Nairobi (2010-2015).