Andrea Zekis of Little Rock, Arkansas was a 2019 McLarty Scholar, where “in addition to her work for the fellowship, shined as a member of the Vital Voices community,” said Kelly Heller, M&E specialist at Vital Voices. Andrea “contributed to the organization through designing and executing training on various topics with staff and positively contributed to the work culture,” Heller continued.
Andrea is a graduate of the University of Evansville with a degree in mass communications, Syracuse University with a MA in broadcast journalism and University of Central Arkansas with a master’s in geographic information systems. Andrea completed her graduate studies in public service at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in May, 2020 and was selected by the Office of Personnel Management as a Presidential Management Fellow finalist for 2020. She is expected to serve as a policy analyst with the CDC in the Center for State Territorial Local Tribal Supports located in Atlanta, Georgia. She recently served as a policy fellow for American Atheists, volunteered in Nepal for Winrock International on their global development work to improve agricultural systems and volunteered with Our House in Little Rock, developing guidelines for peer mentorship for individuals reentering society from prison. She’s nationally known for her work advocating for the civil rights of the LGBTQ community, founding an organization in her home state of Arkansas.