Governance

Leadership of the Oromo Studies Association

Executive Committee

OSA’s elected executive officers for the current term.

Dessalegn Guyo

President
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Gemechu Abeshu

President Elect
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Rajeera Geleta

Membership & Development Officer
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Samuel Geleta

Treasurer
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Board of Directors

OSA’s elected Board members, who set strategic direction and ensure organizational accountability.

Moa Apagodu

Board Chair
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Begna Dugassa

Board Secretary
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Bahiru Duguma

Board Member
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Asfaw Beyene

Board Member
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Temam Youssouf

Board Member
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Alby Ungashe

Board Member
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Tsega Etefa

Journal of Oromo Studies, Editor-in-Chief
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Past OSA Presidents

OSA has been led by distinguished scholars since its founding in 1986.

NameTerm
Dr. Kebeda Fedha2023–2024
Dr. Asebe Regassa2022–2023
Dr. Ebissa Regassa2021–2022
Dr. Kebeda Fedha2020–2021
Dr. Begna Dhugassa2019–2020
Ms. Kulani Jalata, J.D.2018–2019
Dr. Teferi Mergo2017–2018
Dr. Ezekial Gebissa2016–2017
Dr. Henok Gebissa2015–2016
Mr. Jawar Mohammed2014–2015
Dr. Ibrahim Elemo2013–2014
Dr. Mosisa Aga2012–2013
Dr. Hamza Abdurezak2011–2012
Dr. Begna Dhugassa2010–2011
Dr. Haile Hirpa2009–2010
Dr. Abebe Adugna2008–2009
Dr. Melaku Mekonnen2007–2008
Dr. Gobena Huluka2006–2007
Dr. Asfaw Beyene2005–2006
Dr. Mekuria Bulcha2004–2005
Mr. Abraham Mosisa2003–2004
Dr. Ezekiel Gebissa2002–2003
Dr. Guluma Gemeda2000–2002
Dr. Bichaka Feyissa1996–2000
Dr. Mohammed Hassen1994–1996
Dr. Asafa Jalata1992–1994
Mr. Ibsa Ahmed (Interim)1992
Dr. Ismail Abdullahi1991–1992

Dessalegn Guyo

President Elect

Dessalegn Negeri Guyo (Ph.D., MSW) is an assistant professor of social work at Youngstown State University, Ohio. He has 20+ years of teaching, research, and community service at Addis Ababa University, Jimma University, Bowie State University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and Coppin State University. His research areas include multi-sectoral child protection networks, guddifachaa practices of Oromo society, women’s roles in agro-industry, community-based development, human rights and immigration, and social work practice with vulnerable communities.

Gemechu Abeshu

OSA Secretary

Dr. Gemechu Abeshu is a researcher specializing in diaspora, refugee, and migration studies. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University and a Research Associate at York University in Canada. Dr. Abeshu earned his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Bayreuth in Germany and his M.A. in Governance and Development Studies from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. His research interests include the African Diaspora, forced displacement, refugee integration, non-state forms of political power, and the Oromo and wider Horn of Africa.

Rajeera Geleta

Membership & Development Officer

Hello, my name is Rajeera Geleta and I’m serving as OSA’s Membership and Development Officer. I chose this position due to my involvement in many Oromo organizations in Minnesota. With this network of connections, I’ll do my best to get more people involved in the OSA and to hopefully expand it. Outside of the community, I work as a data analyst at Cigna Health Group and graduated from Carleton College with a degree in computer science with a minor in statistics. I’ve always have had a passion for Oromo academia as I’ve wanted to learn more about my own history and culture and I hope that my service can extend this passion to other members of the Oromia nation!

Samuel Geleta

Treasurer

Samuel Geleta, Professor Emeritus, Salisbury University. Ph.D. Oklahoma State University; MSc and BSc from Addis Ababa University, Alemaya College of Agriculture. He has over 23 years of teaching, research, and advising experience in the Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Maryland. His research focuses on soil and agricultural management for economic and environmental quality benefits. He has served on the OSA Executive Committee at different capacities for many years and currently serves as Treasurer.

Moa Apagodu

Board Chair

Dr. Apagodu is a faculty member in the Mathematics Department at Century College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Before joining Century College, he was Associate Professor of Mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University for 18 years. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Rutgers University in 2006 and holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Addis Ababa University. With more than 20 years of teaching experience, he has authored several research articles and is the co-author of the Apagodu-Zeilberger Algorithm, widely used across multiple fields.

Begna Dugassa

Board Secretary

Begna Fufa Dugassa, Ph.D., is a public health professional specializing in knowledge synthesis. He holds two Master of Science degrees from Moscow Veterinary Academy and the University of Toronto, along with a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Toronto. He has held various positions within OSA including two terms as President. He has published over three dozen articles and two books, with research spanning human rights, public health, climate change, and public health leadership.

Bahiru Duguma

Board Member

Dr. Bahiru Duguma is an International Development and Diplomacy expert with 30+ years of career in government and international agricultural research organizations in Africa, Asia, and the US. He holds a Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Sc. from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College. He has authored or co-authored two books and 50+ articles in peer-reviewed journals and led multi-million-dollar global agricultural research programs.

Asfaw Beyene

Board Member

Dr. Asfaw Beyene is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University. His research areas are thermodynamics and energy conversion. He has secured over $10 million in grants and published over 140 reviewed articles in journals, proceedings, and books. Dr. Beyene has received a distinguished faculty award and is a Fellow member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has served OSA in various capacities including as President and Board Chair.

Temam Youssouf

Board Member

Temam Youssouf is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Manitoba with interdisciplinary training in Economics and Linguistics. He holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo, an MA in Economics from Dalhousie University, and an MA in Linguistics from York University. His work focuses on heritage language development and the standardization of the Oromo language. His publications include a co-authored Oromo-English dictionary and several peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Oromo Studies.

Tsega Etefa

Journal of Oromo Studies, Editor-in-Chief

Tsega Etefa is Professor of History and Africana and Latin American Studies at Colgate University. His publications include The Origins of Ethnic Conflict in Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), Integration and Peace in East Africa: A History of the Oromo Nation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), and Inter-Ethnic Relations on a Frontier: Matakkal (Ethiopia), 1898-1991 (Harrassowitz, 2006), along with numerous articles on Oromo history and the Horn of Africa region.