Experience Built From Practice

Aissata M.B. Camara is a global affairs leader, institution builder, strategist, and longtime advocate whose work spans diplomacy, government, philanthropy, business, and civil society. Across nearly two decades, she has built organizations, programs, and partnerships focused on expanding opportunity, strengthening institutions, and improving the lives of people and communities.

She is Founder & President of the Global Subnational Diplomacy Council, an independent, nonpartisan organization strengthening the capacity and global engagement of mayors, governors, and other subnational leaders in the United States and around the world. She is also Founder of Kakande LLC, a strategic advisory firm working across global affairs, economic diplomacy, institutional strategy, and cross-sector partnerships.

Camara began her career as an activist and community advocate. In 2008, she co-founded There Is No Limit Foundation, an international nonprofit focused on expanding access to education, health, economic opportunity, and support for women, girls, young people, and vulnerable communities. Her career has since included work across global philanthropy, financial inclusion, research, and civil society, including at the Rockefeller Foundation, Grameen America, and the Research Foundation of the City University of New York.

She later spent nearly eleven years in public service with the City of New York, culminating in her appointment as Commissioner for International Affairs. With that appointment, Camara became the first African-born woman to serve as a Commissioner in the history of the City of New York. During her tenure, she advanced the City's international engagement across diplomacy, economic development, global policy, and partnerships with the United Nations, foreign governments, businesses, and cities around the world.

Camara created the award-winning NYC Junior Ambassadors program, connecting thousands of New York City students and educators with the United Nations and global affairs. She also played a central role in advancing New York City's Voluntary Local Review and the broader international movement connecting local governments to the Sustainable Development Goals.

A Fulbright Specialist, writer, and international speaker, Camara contributes to global conversations on subnational diplomacy, global governance, inclusive economic development, gender equity, sustainable development, and the role of cities and regions in international affairs. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and amNewYork, and her work has been featured by media including The Guardian, PBS, and Deutsche Welle.

Camara has been decorated by the Kingdom of Spain with the Order of Civil Merit. Her honors also include the Bernard M. Baruch College Alumni Changemaker Award, induction into the MIPAD Hall of Fame, the Jo Ivey Boufford Award for Public Service Innovation, recognition as a Thomson Reuters Trust Conference Changemaker, and the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

Originally from Guinea, Camara holds a B.A. from Baruch College and an M.P.A. from NYU Wagner. From her earliest work as an activist through public service and global leadership, her work has remained grounded in a central conviction: people deserve to live in dignity.