Melissa Paulsen Selected for University of Notre Dame Presidential Achievement Award

Congratulations to Melissa Paulsen, the Pulte Institute’s director of Entrepreneurship and Education Programs, for her well-deserved University of Notre Dame Presidential Achievement Award.

Melissa Paulsen is the program director for Entrepreneurship and Education Programs in the Pulte Institute for Global Development. Melissa advances Notre Dame’s mission to place scholarship and professional practice in service to the common good and to the world’s neediest people. A leader of personal integrity and professional accomplishment inspired by her Catholic faith, Melissa embodies the University’s dedication to educating the whole person. One of Melissa’s signature programs, the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, is a six-week leadership institute that supports young African leaders as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance and enhance peace and security across Africa. To date, Melissa has taught and influenced more than 225 fellows from 38 countries through this program. Melissa has also led a partnership with Mendoza College of Business on a $1 million U.S. Agency for International Development grant with Balkh University, Afghanistan’s third largest university. Her leadership in the design, training, delivery and assessment of a new master’s degree program has culminated in the recent graduation of the program’s first class, including eight women. Melissa uses three primary tools for her work: teaching, mentorship and community building, infused with the University’s core values prizing the dignity of each person she encounters.