Mr. Mvemba Phezo Dizolele (Johns Hopkins University-SAIS, Dizolele Advisory) will deliver the lecture on “Changing Security Imperatives in the Great Lakes under Donald Trump” on Friday May 29th, 2026 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mr. Mvemba Phezo Dizolele is a policy analyst and advisor specializing in African security, governance, and geopolitical strategy. He is the founder and managing director of Dizolele Advisory LLC, a Washington, DC–based research and analysis firm, and a lecturer in African Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). With more than two decades of experience working on Africa’s political and security dynamics, Dizolele advises governments, multilateral institutions, and Fortune 500 companies on conflict trends, regional stability, and strategic risk across the continent. His work focuses on the intersection of governance, armed conflict, and regional power competition. He previously held senior positions at the International Republican Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and GoodWorks International, where he contributed to policy discussions on African security, political transitions, and economic development. Dizolele is the author of the forthcoming Mobutu: The Rise and Fall of the Leopard King, a major biography examining the legacy of one of Africa’s most consequential Cold War–era leaders. He holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago, is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He speaks eight languages, including French, Norwegian, and Spanish. [read more]