Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, was elected President of the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA), a professional organization that draws members from around the world and that promotes scholarly, scientific, and research work being done in and on Kenya.  

Choti, who also is an alum of Michigan State University having earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics from MSU in 2015, is a founding member of KESSA and has attended all but one of KESSA’s annual conferences. He previously served as KESSA’s Vice President for one year and before that as its Organizing Secretary for three years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he organized KESSA’s monthly virtual meetings that attracted participants from around the world.

As President of KESSA, Dr. Choti will lead the association in strengthening scholarly collaboration, promoting Kenyan and African studies, and mentoring the next generation of researchers in the diaspora and beyond.