Prof Edith Dinong Phaswana is the acting Executive Dean at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs (TM-School) at Unisa. She previously served as Head of Unisa's strategic Institute called the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI) between 2018 and 2020. Edith holds a PhD in International Development (aka Development Studies) from London South Bank University in the UK. Edith publishes in the area of Leadership, Governance and Policy specifically as they relate to African Development and Higher Education Transformation. Dinong boasts an extensive international experience having received specialist training in countries such as The UK, The US, Brazil and China. She also led and taught in prestigious programmes including the US Presidential Programme called Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI), and the Mandela Institute for Development Studies Leadership Programme (MINDS) . Dinong is a multi-awardee scholar/activist/practitioner. She is also the co-editor of the NIHSS Award Winning Title "Black Academic Voices: The South African experience (2019)". she also featured in the 2021 Public Sector Magazine, The 16th & 17th edition of Standard Bank Top Woman Leaders Magazine, the 2019 Mail & Guardian Top 100 Women Changing South Africa (Education Category); the Distinguished Teaching Excellence in the Humanities (2014); Stepping up: A new generation of South Africa's Leadership (2013) and the Leadership for Social Justice Award (2006). Dinong is a former member of Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg and left in 2015. Experience in Board directorship includes serving as a trustee for the Old Mutual Education Trust and Executive board member of Unisa/Thabo Mbeki Foundation Partnership and the University of Johannesburg/Phumani Paper Partnership (2010-2013). Previous Executive leadership positions include serving as Deputy Chairperson of the South African Chapter of the International Fellowship Programme Alumni Association (IFPAARSA); Phaswana also served as President (2018 -2021), Deputy President (2013-2015) & Secretary (2015-2017) of the South Africa Development Studies Association (SADSA). She is also one of the founding member of the Africa Decolonial Research Network (ADERN). She participates in several think tank groups' projects on the African continent. Dinong continues to provide leadership, research advisory and9 consultancy services in various organisations and the government of South Africa.