Zainabu Sesay-Harrell ’95

Alumni Achievement Award: Career Accomplishment 

Zainabu Sesay-Harrell ’95, Career Accomplishment

Zainabu describes herself as an ambitious leader and entrepreneur who aims to improve outcomes in under-served communities around the world. She strives to help people understand and acknowledge the need for community awareness, identify health disparities, inclusiveness, engagement, and education by using leadership and empowerment.  

Zainabu has 32 years of health care experience, with 24 years of professional experience as an R.N./advanced practice nurse in international and global health, medicine, surgery, and critical care. She also has extensive experience in project execution, implementing, supporting, and promoting health services, and delivery of quality care. She has been a nurse educator and drugstore /pharmacy executive and owner, organizational education coordinator, and environmental advocate for chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, malaria, poor infant and maternal health, Ebola, COVID, and many other illnesses. 

More recently, she is helping others learn how to create small business opportunities in and with Africa. An advocate for communities in Africa and in the U.S., she focuses on health care, education, youth, women, and injustice reduction. She also is a professional consultant for The Republic of Sierra Leone, West Africa, and founder of Connectin the Dotz, a mobile marketing and consultation agency providing all forms of marketing, branding, promoting, and advertising. In addition, she has been a candidate for member of Parliament for The Republic of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Earlier this year, she was also appointed as a university professor in Makeni, Sierra Leone, and appointed as an instructor for the City University of New York. 

Zainabu earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at The College of New Rochelle and earned a master’s degree in nursing with a concentration in adult health education at City University of New York – Herbert H. Lehman College. She is now enrolled in a doctoral program at Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology in Sierra Leone. 

Zainabu is a member of many professional organizations, including but not limited to Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society, the National Black Nurses Association, including 10 years on the executive board; and Sierra Leone Nurses Association, Inc., where she has served as president, founder, and international health and global health education coordinator and consultant. In addition, she was recently invited to speak at the United Nations and is a member of several committees of the United Nations Association that are focused on women, education, human rights, and climate and environmental action.