64 Notable alumni of University of Massachusetts – Boston
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of Massachusetts – Boston is ranked #610 in the world and #189 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 64 notable alumni from University of Massachusetts – Boston sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Massachusetts – Boston won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Georgette Watson
1943-2008 (aged 65)
adjunct professor
activist
Georgette Watson was an American anti-drug activist.
2. Marie Parente
1928-2019 (aged 91)
politician
Marie Josephine Parente was an American politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1981 to 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for reelection in 2006 but lost renomination to primary challenger John V. Fernandes.
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3. Christine Canavan
1950-. (aged 76)
nurse
politician
Christine E. Canavan is a former American state legislator who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1993 to 2015. She was the state representative for the 10th Plymouth District, which consists of West Bridgewater, Ward 4, Precincts B&C; Ward 5, Precincts B, C & D; and all of Ward 6 of Brockton, Precinct 3 of Easton, and Precinct...
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4. Philip Krey
1950-. (aged 76)
Philip D. W. Krey is the former President of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He was born in Brooklyn, and was ordained a minister of the Lutheran Church in America.
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5. Peter Capano
politician
Peter Capano is a state representative who represents the 11th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He represents the towns of Lynn, and Nahant. Capano serves on the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, Joint Committee on Housing, Joint Committee on Public Service, and the Joint Committee on Transportation. He is the founder of the New Lynn Coalition in...
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6. Daniel W. Owens
Daniel W. Owens known by most as Dan Owens is an American playwright.
7. Michelle Ciccolo
politician
Michelle Ciccolo is a State Representative who represents the 15th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She represents the town of Lexington, and part of Woburn. Ciccolo serves on the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, Joint Committee on Financial Services, and the Joint Committee on Public Health.
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8. Peter Sklar
1949-. (aged 77)
Peter Seidman is a New York-based lecturer, educator and talent scout. Seidman is the founder of the Seidman Academy, and has presented lectures for the past forty years on child development, education, and the arts.
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9. Jack Cole
1938-. (aged 88)
police officer
Jack A. Cole is a retired Detective Lieutenant who worked for the New Jersey State Police for 26 years. For twelve of those years, he worked as an undercover narcotics officer. Cole was the first executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, now known as Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), an organization comprising former and current police officers, government agents...
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10. Kelly Overton
animal rights advocate
Kelly Overton is an author, activist and founder of Mojave Animal Protection and Border Kindness.
11. Jerrold D. Green
1948-. (aged 78)
academic
Jerrold D. Green is an American academician who is the Global Advisor to Cedars-Sinai, a Los Angeles based healthcare organization, and a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations. Prior to this he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Council on International Policy and a Research Professor of Communication, Business, and International Relations at...
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12. Cory Atkins
1949-. (aged 77)
politician
Cory Atkins is an American politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1999 to 2019. Atkins is a Concord resident and a member of the Democratic Party.
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13. Edward F. Shea
1942-. (aged 84)
lawyer
judge
Edward Francis Shea is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
14. Steven Tolman
1954-. (aged 72)
trade unionist
politician
Steven A. Tolman is an American labor union leader who is the past president of the Massachusetts AFL–CIO. He is a former state legislator who served in the Massachusetts Senate (1999–2011), representing the 2nd Suffolk and Middlesex district, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1995–1999). Prior to serving in the Massachusetts legislature, he was a commissioner for the Watertown Housing...
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15. Jerry McDermott
Jerome P. “Jerry” McDermott is an American politician who served as the 22nd High Sheriff of Norfolk County from 2018 through 2021, as well as a member of the Boston City Council from 2002 through 2008.
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16. Phillip Brutus
1957-. (aged 69)
politician
Phillip J. Brutus is a former member of the Florida House of Representatives.
17. David A. Lowy
lawyer
judge
David A. Lowy is an American attorney, academic and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts from 2016 to 2024. In February 2024 Lowy was named general counsel for the University of Massachusetts.
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18. Paul Donato
1941-. (aged 85)
politician
Paul J. Donato is an American politician who currently represents the 35th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He previously served as a member of the Medford, Massachusetts, school committee from 1972 to 1975 and the city council from 1976 to 1985 and again from 1996 to 2000. While serving on the council, Donato also served as deputy...
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19. Michael Moran
1971-. (aged 55)
politician
Michael J. Moran is an American state legislator serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He is the House Majority Leader, having formerly served as the Assistant Majority Leader. He is also a Brighton resident and a member of the Democratic Party.
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20. Jeffrey Sanchez
1969-. (aged 57)
politician
Jeffrey Sánchez is an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019. He represented the Fifteenth Suffolk district, which is made up of the Boston communities Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and Roslindale, as well as Precinct 5 of the Town of Brookline.
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21. Patricia D. Jehlen
1943-. (aged 83)
politician
Patricia Deats Jehlen is a former teacher and current Massachusetts State Senator of the Democratic Party. She represents the Second Middlesex District, which includes Cambridge, Ward 7 Precinct 1, Ward 8 Precinct 1, Ward 10, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, precincts 4 to 7.
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22. James DiPaola
1953-2010 (aged 57)
politician
James Vincent DiPaola was county sheriff of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from 1996 until his death in 2010. He had served as a Malden police officer for 18 years and was a Massachusetts state representative from 1993 to 1996. On November 26, 2010, DiPaola died by suicide. At the time of his death, he was facing multiple allegations from the state...
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23. Robert E. Travaglini
1952-. (aged 74)
lobbyist
politician
Robert Edward Travaglini is an American politician and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2007, Travaglini served as President of the Massachusetts Senate. He represented the first Middlesex and Suffolk senate district, encompassing portions of Boston, Cambridge, Revere, and Winthrop.
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24. Marjorie Decker
politician
Marjorie C. Decker is an American politician serving as the State Representative for the 25th Middlesex district in the Massachusetts General Court. She is also House chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health. Since 2016, she has also been employed by the class action law firm Berman Tabacco.
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25. Ron Mariano
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
Ronald Joseph Mariano is an American politician currently serving as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A Democrat from Quincy, he was first elected to the House in a December 1991 special election. He was appointed assistant majority leader in February 2009 and majority leader in January 2011 by then-speaker Robert DeLeo, who he succeeded as speaker upon...
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26. Debra Saunders
1954-. (aged 72)
columnist
journalist
Debra J. Saunders is the Washington columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She returned to the Review-Journal in January 2024 after serving as the newspaper's White House correspondent during President Donald Trump's administration and in the early weeks of President Joe Biden's. Her podcast, "Covering Trump: War Stories from the White House Press Corps," laid out the experience in six...
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27. Florida Ruffin Ridley
1861-1943 (aged 82)
suffragist
teacher
writer
journalist
activist
Florida Ruffin Ridley was an African-American civil rights activist, suffragist, teacher, writer, and editor from Boston, Massachusetts. She was one of the first black public schoolteachers in Boston, and edited The Woman's Era, the country's first newspaper published by and for African-American women.
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28. E. Denise Simmons
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
E. Denise Simmons is an American politician who served as the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts from 2008 to 2009, again from 2016 to 2017, and a third mayoral term from 2024 to 2025. She was the first openly lesbian African-American mayor in the United States. Simmons has been on the Cambridge City Council continuously since 2002, now serving her twelfth...
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29. Lee Jussim
1955-. (aged 71)
psychologist
Lee J. Jussim is an American social psychologist. He leads the Social Perception Laboratory at Rutgers University.
30. Dean Cokinos
1968-. (aged 58)
American football player
Dean Cokinos is an American football coach. He has held assistant coaching or head coaching positions with UMass Boston, Austin Peay, West Alabama, Noris Rams, Munich Cowboys, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, San Angelo Stampede, Nashville Kats, Tennessee Valley Vipers, Alabama Vipers, Georgia Force, Alabama Hammers, New Orleans VooDoo, Tampa Bay Storm, Washington Valor, Berlin Rebels, Nashville Kats (2024), and Berlin Thunder.
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31. Dan Rea
journalist
radio personality
Dan Rea is the conservative-leaning host of "NightSide with Dan Rea" WBZ radio, following the death of Paul Sullivan.
32. Barbara Ferrer
health administrator
Barbara Ferrer is an American health executive, serving as the Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She has been highly visible in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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33. Paul M. English
1963-. (aged 63)
businessperson
Paul M. English is an American tech entrepreneur, computer scientist, and philanthropist. He is the founder of Boston Venture Studio, and previously co-founded and served as CTO of Kayak.
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34. Paul Anastas
1962-. (aged 64)
university teacher
chemist
scientist
Paul T. Anastas is an American scientist, inventor, author, entrepreneur, professor, and public servant. He is the Director of Yale University's Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Previously he served as the Science Advisor to the United States Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Agency's Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, appointed by President Barack Obama.
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35. Kim TallBear
1968-. (aged 58)
university teacher
Kim TallBear is a Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate professor at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, specializing in racial politics in science. Holding the first ever Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience and Environment, TallBear has published on DNA testing, race science and Indigenous identities, as well as on polyamory as a decolonization practice.
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36. E. W. Jackson
1952-. (aged 74)
lawyer
politician
Earl Walker Jackson Sr. is an American Protestant minister, lawyer, and perennial candidate. He was a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. He was the Republican Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2013. Jackson unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in Virginia in the 2012 and 2018 elections. He is head pastor...
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37. Bella Disu
1986-. (aged 40)
business executive
Belinda "Bella" Olubunmi Disu is a Nigerian business executive.
38. Annissa Essaibi George
1973-. (aged 53)
teacher
Annissa Essaibi George is an American politician who served as an at-large member of the Boston City Council. First elected in 2015, she served on the council from 2016 to 2022. She was a candidate in the 2021 Boston mayoral election. She placed second in the nonpartisan primary, but was defeated in the general election by fellow city councilor Michelle...
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39. Mike Gorman
1947-. (aged 79)
United States Naval Aviator
Mike Gorman is an American former sports commentator. After returning from the United States Navy in the 1970s, he began working at radio and television stations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with the help of fellow commentator Gil Santos. Starting in 1981, Gorman began providing play-by-play commentary for local television broadcasts of the Boston Celtics, doing so alongside color commentator...
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40. Nova Spivack
1969-. (aged 57)
writer
Nova Spivack is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author. He is the founder and CEO of the early stage science and technology incubator Magical and co-founder of The Arch Mission Foundation.
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41. Thomas Menino
1942-2014 (aged 72)
politician
Thomas Michael Menino was an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three months as acting mayor following the resignation of his predecessor Raymond Flynn. Before serving as mayor, Menino was a member of the Boston City Council and...
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42. Lenny Clarke
1953-. (aged 73)
actor
television actor
Lenny Clarke is an American comedian and actor. He is known for his thick Boston accent and as the role of Uncle Teddy on the series Rescue Me.
43. Eileen Myles
1949-. (aged 77)
film director
filmmaker
writer
author
poet
Eileen Myles is an American poet and writer who has produced more than twenty volumes of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, libretti, plays, and performance pieces over the last three decades. Novelist Dennis Cooper has described Myles as "one of the savviest and most restless intellects in contemporary literature." The Boston Globe described them as "that rare creature, a rock star of...
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44. Ken Casey
1969-. (aged 57)
singer
songwriter
musician
Kenneth William Casey Jr. is an American musician who is the primary songwriter, one of the lead singers and bassist of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, starting the band in 1996 with guitarist Rick Barton and singer Mike McColgan. He is the only original member of the Dropkick Murphys left...
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45. John Tsang
1951-. (aged 75)
civil servant
justice of the peace
politician
John Tsang Chun-wah, GBM, JP is a Hong Kong former senior civil servant and government official who was the longest-serving Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR to date, from 2007 to 2017.
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46. Gina McCarthy
1954-. (aged 72)
politician
climate activist
Regina McCarthy is an American air quality expert who served as the first White House national climate advisor from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as the thirteenth administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 to 2017.
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47. Dennis Lehane
1965-. (aged 61)
novelist
screenwriter
writer
Dennis Lehane is an American author and screenwriter. He has published more than a dozen novels; the first several were a series of mysteries featuring recurring characters, including A Drink Before the War. Four of his novels have been adapted into films of the same names: Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (2010), and Gone Baby Gone...
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48. Janet T. Mills
1947-. (aged 79)
lawyer
politician
Janet Trafton Mills is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2019 as the 75th governor of Maine. She served four nonconsecutive two-year terms as Maine Attorney General, from 2009 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2019.
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49. William J. Bratton
1947-. (aged 79)
actor
police officer
William Joseph Bratton CBE is an American businessman and former law enforcement officer who served two non-consecutive tenures as the New York City police commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016) and currently one of only two NYPD commissioners to do so (the other is Raymond Kelly). He previously served as the Commissioner of the Boston Police Department (BPD) (1993–1994) and Chief of...
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50. Joseph P. Kennedy II
1952-. (aged 74)
businessperson
politician
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II is an American businessman, Democratic politician, and a member of the Kennedy family. He is the eldest son of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and he is a nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. He is also the older brother of U.S. Secretary of...
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51. Biz Stone
1974-. (aged 52)
computer scientist
businessperson
creative director
blogger
Christopher Isaac "Biz" Stone is an American entrepreneur who is a co-founder of Twitter, among other tech companies. Stone was the creative director at Xanga from 1999 to 2001. Stone co-founded Jelly, with Ben Finkel. Jelly was launched in 2014 and was a search engine driven by visual imagery and discovery. Stone was Jelly's CEO until its acquisition by Pinterest...
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52. Joe Rogan
1967-. (aged 59)
stand-up comedian
podcaster
actor
color commentator
Thai boxer
Joseph James Rogan Jr. is an American podcaster, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, which is one of the most popular podcasts in the world and has been the most streamed podcast on Spotify since 2020.
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53. Dana White
1969-. (aged 57)
entrepreneur
Dana Frederick White Jr. is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In 2025, White's net worth was estimated at over $600 million by Forbes. Outside the UFC, he is the owner of Power Slap, a slap fighting promotion he founded in 2022. Meta Platforms elected...
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54. Senda Berenson Abbott
1868-1954 (aged 86)
basketball player
physical education teacher
basketball coach
Senda Berenson Abbott was a figure of women's basketball and the author of the first Basketball Guide for Women (1901–07). She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on July 1, 1985, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
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55. Robert L. Hedlund
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Robert L. Hedlund is an American businessman and politician serving as the mayor of Weymouth, Massachusetts. He was formerly a member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the Plymouth and Norfolk District.
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56. Jennifer Flanagan
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
Jennifer L. Flanagan is a former member of the Massachusetts General Court and the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.
57. Daniel E. Bosley
1953-. (aged 73)
politician
Daniel E. Bosley is a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as president of the North Adams SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League from 2011 to 2018. Bosley is the president of Dan Bosley Consulting Services, a government consulting agency.
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58. Felix G. Arroyo
1979-. (aged 47)
politician
Felix G. Arroyo is an American political figure from Boston. Arroyo was elected to an at-large seat on the Boston City Council in November 2009, and re-elected in November 2011, serving for two terms before unsuccessfully running for Mayor of Boston in 2013. He subsequently served as the city's Chief of Health and Human Services from 2014 until his dismissal...
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59. Michael J. McGlynn
1953-. (aged 73)
politician
Michael J. McGlynn served as the 31st Mayor of Medford, Massachusetts, from 1988–2016. He also served from 1977–1988 as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 37th Middlesex District.
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60. Mel King
1928-2023 (aged 95)
politician
Melvin Herbert King was an American politician, community organizer, and educator. In 1973, King was elected as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives' 9th Suffolk district, a post he held until early 1983. King was the runner-up in the 1983 Boston mayoral election, against Raymond Flynn.
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61. Andreas Varsakopoulos
1990-. (aged 36)
celebrity
teacher
Andreas Jacques Varsakopoulos is a Greek-American who lives and works in Seoul, South Korea as a director, producer, and actor. He was born to a Greek father and an American mother. He is one of very few foreign directors/producers working in the Korean entertainment industry.
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62. John Warner
1927-2021 (aged 94)
military officer
politician
lawyer
jurist
farmer
John William Warner III was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Virginia from 1979 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974. Warner is both the longest serving Republican Senator from Virginia, and the second longest serving Senator from...
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63. Rachel Griffith
1963-. (aged 63)
researcher
economist
Dame Rachel Susan Griffith DBE FBA FAcSS is a British-American academic and educator. She is professor of economics at the University of Manchester and a research director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
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64. Ifeoma Malo
jurist
Ifeoma MaloListen is a Nigerian lawyer working in international development. Her work focuses on clean energy technologies, and energy access and climate change mitigation and adaptation across Africa.
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