Professor Riak, a graduate of Stanford University (USA), is the first of only two female full professors at the university level in South Sudan. She brings strong leadership and management expertise to all of her work endeavors. The founder of the Sudanese Women’s Association in Nairobi (SWAN), Professor Riak mentored the growth and empowerment of over 800 women in exile. In the first government after independence, more than 75% of the prominent political and military women leaders in independent South Sudan were active members of SWAN. She is the co-founder of the South Sudanese Women’s Coalition for Peace and Development (SSWCPD). The former Chairperson of the South Sudan Anti-corruption Commission (with national ministerial portfolio) for six years, Professor Riak understands the nuances of working politically at all levels of government. Her work experience encompasses a wide range of fields from academia to the private and public sectors. Professor Riak understands how to build institutions to be both functional and resilient. As a Professor of Sociology at Kenyatta University in Kenya, she established and led the Sociology Department for four years.
Her approach involves a unique, collaborative style that focuses on sound research and analysis, bringing key stakeholders to the table, maximizing collective strengths and building consensus. Professor Riak is passionate about education of women and girls, peace building and reconciliation and firmly believes in the capacity and ability of Africans to work together to build strong resilient cultures of peace.
Over the past twenty plus years, she has built up significant work experience in the Great Lakes region. She is currently the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Sudd Institute, a leading think thank research organization in South Sudan, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research at the Rumbek University of Science and Technology, South Sudan, a signatory to the current Revitalized Peace Agreement to the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and a member of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), that oversees the work of the mechanisms for the implementation of the R-ARCSS.
Professor Riak is also a trained and experienced mediator in gendered and inclusive techniques for sustainable peace building. She nurtured the establishment and development of the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI) at the University of Juba (UJ). In the past two years the institute has trained over 3000 women leaders across the nation on Transformational leadership, Peace building and reconciliation, Economic empowerment and the Prevention of gender based violence.