GHRAD Center Staff

Dr. Jeanine Ntihirageza, DIRECTOR

Dr. Jeanine Ntihirageza is a Professor, TESOL Program Coordinator, and the founding Director of the Center for Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora (GHRAD) at Northeastern Illinois University. She also holds appointments as a Senior Research Associate at the African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science at the University of Johannesburg and as a Commissioner on the Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission. As a survivor of the 1972 genocide in Burundi, her work bridges academic scholarship with personal advocacy for human rights and genocide prevention.

Dr. Ntihirageza's research spans linguistics, genocide studies, and human rights in Africa. Since 2013, she has served as Chair of the Genocide and Human Rights Research Group at NEIU, leading an interdisciplinary team that organizes annual conferences bringing together scholars, survivors, and advocates worldwide. Drawing on her PhD in Linguistics from the University of Chicago and fluency in Kirundi, English, and French, she leads GHRAD’s efforts to document survivor testimonies for its Digital Oral History Archive, conducting research trips to Burundi since 2022. Her scholarly contributions include the co-edited book Critical Perspectives on African Genocide (2021).

Dr Ntihirageza's advocacy has reached the highest levels; in June 2025, she and her colleagues represented GHRAD at the United Nations headquarters to campaign for official recognition of the 1972 Burundi genocide. As both a scholar and survivor, she ensures the voices of those impacted by mass atrocities remain central to global prevention efforts.
 

Dr. Aissetu B. Ibrahima

Dr. Aissetu Barry Ibrahima is an Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). She has played a key role in MSW curriculum development, accreditation, and reaffirmation, and has taught widely across research, practice, policy, and field education courses. She is also part of the NEIU team leading the Center for Genocide and Human Rights Studies in Africa and the Diaspora. 

Her research and scholarship focus on decolonization, Indigenous social work approaches, maternal and community health practices, and grassroots development. She has authored articles and book chapters and has led national and international trainings and workshops on decolonization, Indigenous methodologies, trauma-informed care, and equity-based practices. 

Deeply engaged in Afrocentered initiatives, Dr. Barry collaborates with immigrant, refugee, and African Diaspora communities in Chicago. She serves on the executive board of the African Diaspora Sixth Region Association of Illinois and is Founder and Director of Senai Consulting and Educational Services. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and both her MSW and BA in Sociology and Social Administration from Addis Ababa University.

Colette Ruscheinsky

Colette Ruscheinsky has B.A. in Broadcast Journalism with a concentration in television production from Columbia College Chicago. She worked as a Production Assistant and Field Producer for FOX News Chicago, and WFLD -TV before transitioning into working as an associate producer and casting director for docuseries programming which was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Network, A&E, TLC, and The Discovery Channel.

Colette has a passion for visual storytelling as well as social justice and advocacy. Colette is scheduled to graduate from Northeastern Illinois University this year with an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is currently exploring how genocide, violence, and trauma impact second language acquisition for her thesis in TESOL. Colette currently works as an English Language instructor at the College of Lake County as an adjunct faculty instructor. She also tutors and hosts conversation circles.

Maheen Syeda

Maheen Syeda is a Computer Science graduate student at NEIU and Research Assistant at the GHRAD Center. She contributes to digital projects like the Global Blackness map, student testimonials, and event coordination. Her work combines technology, storytelling, and human rights advocacy to make research more accessible and amplify marginalized voices across Africa and the diaspora.

Zayn Jafri

Ahmad Zayn Jafri is a Computer Science undergraduate student at NEIU and a Research Assistant at the GHRAD Center. He currently documents and maps survivor testimonies from the 1972 Burundi genocide, using digital storytelling to preserve memory and highlight human experiences of displacement, loss, and resilience through visual archives and StoryMaps.

Yosef Israel

Yosef Israel is a Political Science and Inner City Studies undergraduate student at NEIU and a Research Assistant at the GHRAD Center. Yosef is a dedicated member of the team who is currently contributing to the GHRAD video series, as well as the GHRAD blog.

Alia Bukuru

Alia Bukuru is a Computer Science undergraduate student at NEIU and a Research Assistant at the GHRAD Center. She contributes to English-language subtitling by providing accurate subtitles that make testimonial stories accessible to the community. She also contributes to newsletter and blog development.