After 19 years of service to ILRI, W/ro Tibebe GebreAmlak will be retiring from ILRI effective 30 August 2015. She has capably managed the National Liaison Office to facilitate the institute’s work in governmental and non-governmental offices and to ensure the smooth running of the research work of the institute. She has successfully ensured ILRI’s good working relationship with our host country. We still have a couple months to go before we will have to say farewell, however, I’m sure we will continue to see Tibebe as she enters the rank of ILRI’s alumni.

We are pleased to announced that through a competitive competency-based selection process comprised of a written exam and a selection panel which included the DG representative to Ethiopia, the head of admin, a representative of hosted institutions, and an admin unit manager, Kumneger Tilahun has been selected as the new manager of the National Liaison Office. Kumenger has a Master’s Degree in Development with Work Based Learning, Middlesex University, UK and most recently managed the Ethiopia office for UK and Australia Visa Application Centre of the Visa Facilitation Service (VFS GLOBAL).   She will begin on 1 July 2015.  Please stop by to say hi and to welcome her to the ILRI family.

We are also pleased to announce that Ato Wubshet Dessie has been promoted to the position of Liaison and Protocol Officer. This is a well-deserved promotion to reflect the level of responsibility Wubshet has progressively shouldered during his nearly 19 years of dedicated service to ILRI. In this role, Wubshet will continue facilitating processes at government agencies as well as  assist the institute in strategic activities which aid in promoting ILRI’s mission in relation to matters of protocol and furthering relationships with key partners.