The Accountability Research Center (ARC) at American University’s School of International Service (SIS) is launching the Sandra N. Smithey Fellowship for Equity and Accountability in International Development to support frontline changemakers from the global South who are working to transform international investment in energy and infrastructure. Made possible through generous funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Wallace Global Fund and Marin Community Trust, the Fellowship program was established to honor the legacy of longtime Environment program officer at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Sandra Smithey.

Fellows will be frontline advocates, organizers, scholar-activists and community leaders whose work advances the kind of pro-poor, socially and environmentally sustainable development that Sandra championed.  The Fellowship will support participants to meet their individual goals by deepening their knowledge, skills and networks and sharing their lived experiences with the global development community. There will be opportunities to engage with a wide range of policy makers, activists and scholars, as well as to take time and reflect on their ongoing work and long-term goals.  

The Smithey Fellowship is the newest of ARC’s ongoing programs dedicated to bridging research and frontline perspectives that advance strategies for accountable governance and to build more inclusive societies.  ARC partners with civil society thinkers, activists, practitioners, policy reformers, and academics across sectors and geographies. ARC Director/Founder, Dr. Jonathan Fox and Policy Advisor, Dr. Rachel Nadelman oversee and manage the Fellowship in conjunction with a small advisory group, made up of leaders and advocates for whom Sandra was an important thought partner.