Mabel Nederlof Sithole is the Director of Programs at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development. Mabel is committed to investing in leaders that are called to different spheres of influence. She has been designing and implementing leadership development programs for over 7 years, and has over 15 years of experience working in human rights, public policy, and development in Africa.

Mabel has supported organizations such as the Ford Foundation with the Southern Africa Regional Fellowship and the Ford Global Fellowship, and has previously worked as the Programme Manager of Building Bridges at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town. She is a member of civil society groupings in Southern Africa and has co-authored a number of publications, including Navigating Turbulence in Zimbabwe, with Prof. Brian Raftopolous and Dr. Godfrey Kanyenze. She recently co-authored a book with Richard Calland, The Presidents: From Mandela to Ramaphosa, Leadership in the Age of Crisis.

In 2020, Mabel was named one of the top 5 finalists in the Accenture Rising Star Awards in the public/private service category. As an artist and performer (Mae Sithole), she has been a recipient of the Concerts SA Mobility Fund, and was named one of Cape Town’s Top 5 Innovative Female Musicians by Of Africa Magazine. She uses music to catalyze transformation of our societies towards a more loving, just, and progressive Africa.