ATLANTA - GeorgiaChron -- Dr. Layli Maparyan, the first African American woman to lead the University of Liberia, has been named a 2025 International Life Changers Award honoree for her contributions to education, leadership, and social transformation. She will be recognized at the Liberia Economic Development Initiative's (LEDI) 10th Annual International Life Changers Awards and Fundraising Gala, themed "The Time Is Now," on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in Atlanta.

Appointed earlier this year, Maparyan assumed the presidency of Liberia's flagship university with a vision to restore its standing as an engine of national development. Her agenda includes modernizing infrastructure through sustainable innovation, digitizing systems, elevating UL to a Ph.D.-centered research institution, and positioning it among Africa's leading universities.

Her leadership draws on the "Five E's" (Education, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Excellence and Ethics), principles that mirror LEDI's mission to fight poverty and expand opportunity through literacy and innovation.

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Prior to her appointment, Maparyan served as executive director of the Wellesley Centers for Women and professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. A Spelman College graduate, she has advanced women's voices, expanded opportunities for African youth, and strengthened institutions globally embodying the HBCU tradition of shaping leaders who transform communities.

"It is our great pleasure to honor Dr. Maparyan for her dedication to changing lives through the power of education," said Rufus Darkortey, LEDI co-founder and president. "Her achievements in the U.S. and Liberia exemplify what it means to be a true LEDI International Life Changer. We encourage her colleagues, Spelman sisters, and the broader HBCU family to join us in celebrating her impact while supporting this worthy cause."

About LEDI

Founded in 2007, Liberia Economic Development Initiative (LEDI) is a U.S.-based international nonprofit organization with a mission to reduce poverty, empower communities, and transform lives—one child at a time, one book at a time, one library at a time. Learn more at https://www.ledinow.org.

For more information about this event, ticket sale, sponsorship or program book advertisements, visit https://www.ledifundraiser.org or email info@ledinow.org.