Pierce College at JBLM’s Interim Dean of Instruction Elysia Mbuja has been accepted into the New Leadership Academy (NLA) 2025 Fellows Program and STEM Track at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) Resource Hub.
The New Leadership Academy Fellows Program (NLA) was founded as a partnership between the University of Michigan and the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) at the University of Utah. The fellowship, funded by the National Science Foundation, trains STEM faculty to be the next generation of leadership at their institutions.
“It’s an honor to be selected for the NLA fellowship program,” said Mbuja. “This program will enhance my leadership of our biology department, the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, and other STEM initiatives at Pierce College.”
Mbuja got her start in STEM education through the Peace Corps where she served as a high school science instructor in Kenya. She holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University, and a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Nebraska – Kearney.
Mbuja has held many roles at Pierce College since joining the biology department in 2003. She currently serves as interim dean of instruction at Pierce College at JBLM. For the last four years, she has co-led the LSAMP Puget Sound Alliance, a National Science Foundation funded program which assists colleges in providing STEM education opportunities to historically underrepresented communities by bringing together colleges and universities to provide support, opportunities and communities for these students. Pierce College joins North Seattle College and Green River College to form the LSAMP Puget Sound Alliance.
Each year, the New Leadership Academy Fellows Program welcomes over 180 fellows from more than 80 different intuitions and organizations to participate in their unique and nationally recognized leadership development program. Pierce College is proud to have Elysia Mbuja represent our outstanding STEM faculty.
