Momar Talla Cissé 

Degree: 2020, MPA

Job Title: Executive Director, Foundation for a Healthier Senegal (FOHSEN)

Recognized as an AGYLE 40 Under 40 leader and a 2025 African Visionary Fellow by the Segal Family Foundation, Talla Cisse is a passionate mixed-methods researcher and community organizer working across rural and semi-urban communities in West and Central Africa. His work bridges rigorous research with grassroots engagement, driven by a belief that the most meaningful solutions come from within communities.

Talla immigrated to the United States from Senegal at 12, where he was labeled an “at-risk” student. This early experience shaped his understanding of systemic inequities and fueled his belief in the potential of every child and caregiver when given the right support. It also inspired a career dedicated to building inclusive, just, and community-led systems.

Over the past eight years, Talla has conducted evaluations, led qualitative research, and provided technical expertise to tackle some of the most urgent challenges facing communities in the U.S. and Africa. His work has spanned education, public health, governance, and digital transformation, with contributions to organizations including the Southern Poverty Law Center, American Institutes for Research, UN Foundation’s Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, the World Bank Group, and the Foundation for a Healthier Senegal (FOHSEN).

In late 2019, Talla co-founded FOHSEN alongside his father, a physician. The organization is now a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit working with rural communities across Senegal to expand access to maternal and infant health services through digital innovations. For his efforts in advancing health equity, the American Institutes for Research honored him as a Champion for Change.

Talla’s academic journey reflects the same commitment to equity and policy innovation. He holds a master’s degree in public administration (with a concentration in finance) from the University of Delaware’s (UD) Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration and International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While at UD, Talla proudly served as the Editor of the Biden School Journal of Public Policy and a research assistant at KIDS COUNT and CCRS.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations from Mississippi State University. His academic leadership includes serving as Editor of The Biden School Journal of Public Policy.

His co-authored publication, Education to Build Back Better: What can we learn from education reform for a post-pandemic world, written with colleagues at Harvard during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to shape global dialogue on education system resilience.

Talla’s work has been featured in Business Insider, The Appeal, MS Free Press, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has presented his research and programmatic work in diverse forums and multiple countries, including the United States, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Mali, Tanzania, South Korea, and Ecuador.

At his core, Talla is a bridge-builder—between disciplines, across continents, and among people. Whether through policy, practice, or partnership, he remains committed to advancing community-driven solutions centered on dignity, equity, and local leadership.