Managing Director
MIT-Africa
misti-africa [at] mit.edu / arijaco [at] mit.edu - (617) 258-6020
Ari Jacobovits is an African Affairs strategist and educator focused on the intersection of International Studies and STEM. He serves as the Managing Director of MIT-Africa, connecting MIT students, staff, and faculty to internships, research projects, and teaching & learning opportunities that advance the research, innovation, and education goals of Africa-based organizations. Ari's background is in music, human and economic development, humanitarian affairs, and digital technologies encompassing a variety of business development and operations management roles.
While studying early American music as an undergraduate, Ari became fascinated by African Studies, deciding to study abroad in African Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. After graduating, he worked in marketing with Zipcar, leaving to pursue his interest in African studies and economic development. Ari served in the United States Peace Corps - Kenya, where he worked with a fishing collective building the country’s first community-managed marine park. After completing the Peace Corps, Ari spent four years working with the State Department’s Refugee Admissions Program across Africa and in Washington, DC in both field operations and software operations, respectively. As a graduate student, Ari spent his summer as an operations management intern for the e-commerce company Jumia in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Ari holds a Masters of International Business with a specialization in Development Economics and Strategy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA in Journalism and Music from Indiana University – Bloomington.