Aïda Lewis

Dr. Aïda Lewis is a multilingual scholar, educator, and community leader whose work bridges French and Francophone studies, diaspora and identity scholarship, global leadership, and human development. She holds a Ph.D. in Human and Organization Development from Fielding Graduate University, where her dissertation examined how U.S. higher education shapes self-concept and leadership trajectories among diasporic West African women in executive roles. Her research advances African feminist thought, postcolonial identity formation, and the transformational impact of cross-cultural education.
Dr. Lewis earned a B.A. in Lettres Modernes/French from Université Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal), where she received advanced training in French grammar, stylistics, and Francophone literary analysis—foundations that inform her expertise in African and diasporic cultural production. She also holds a B.A. in Psychology from Metropolitan State University (MN) and dual master’s degrees in International Leadership and Human & Organization Development.
A Visiting Instructor and Language Lab Instructor at Macalester College, she supports French language and culture learning across introductory and intermediate levels, integrating culturally grounded materials from Senegal, West Africa, and the wider Francophone world. A Montessori-trained educator with over 25 years of teaching experience—including the Alliance Française of Minneapolis–Saint Paul—Dr. Lewis is committed to inclusive pedagogy, experiential learning, and intercultural engagement.
Her scholarly and teaching interests span Francophone African literature and film; diaspora and identity studies; religion, culture, and belonging; African feminist agency; and the intersections of education and leadership in postcolonial contexts. She investigates how African and diasporic women use storytelling—written, visual, and oral—to assert presence, challenge structural norms, and reimagine community and transformation.
Beyond academia, Dr. Lewis is a Minnesota State–certified civil and family mediator, a human-rights-trained advocate through CODAP (Switzerland), and a founding member of RADDHO (Senegal). She serves as President of the Senegalese Association of Minnesota (SAM), and sits on the boards of CREATE! (Center for Renewable Energy & Appropriate Technology for the Environment) and the Center for Multicultural Mediation. She consults for Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center and works as a French translator/interpreter in various professional settings.
Fluent in French, English, and Wolof—and deeply connected to transnational African communities—Dr. Lewis brings a global and relational approach to scholarship, teaching, and public engagement. She is recognized as an innovative, collaborative leader skilled in bridging cultures, mobilizing communities, and empowering individuals through education and advocacy.