Sociology Alumna is Making an Impact in Zambia—and Beyond

Once Amanda Dewey discovered the field of sociology, she never looked back.

“I had not had exposure to sociology before college at all,” recalls Dewey, who earned her B.A. in sociology from Vanderbilt University and then her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Maryland in 2017 and 2021. “I remember thinking with my first sociology course, ‘Oh my gosh, there's so much theory and so much research here that I didn't know existed, and that can be brought to bear on important social problems in ways that I hadn't thought about before.’”

Among the first problems that Dewey wanted to set out to solve after her baccalaureate studies concerned issues related to wildlife and the environment.

So, Dewey moved to Washington, D.C., and began working with The Endangered Species Coalition.

“Wildlife conservation and biodiversity have always been major interests of mine, and someone reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, we're looking for volunteers for a campaign in the D.C. area around ivory poaching.’ That wasn't something I knew much about, and at that time, there was a major uptick in ivory poaching, especially in countries like Kenya,” she said.

Amanda volunteered to help with that ivory poaching campaign, and wound up working with The Endangered Species Coalition for two years before moving to Berwyn Heights, Maryland and starting her graduate program in the nearby UMD Department of Sociology.

Her desire to make a positive impact in the world didn’t end when she decided to continue her education, however. Dewey said she “immediately became really connected to the Berwyn Heights community,” so much so that she decided that she wanted to join the town’s environmental committee. She did, and then she joined the town council in 2018 and was elected mayor of the Town of Berwyn Heights in 2020.

At that point, the Covid-19 pandemic had started, and Dewey was nearing the end of her Ph.D. program, conducting independent research, teaching undergraduate students, working as a research assistant at The Brookings Institution, and serving as the chair of the Board of Directors at her former employer, The Endangered Species Coalition.

In January 2021, still during her tenure as mayor, Dewey also started working for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. She stayed there for a few years post-Ph.D., working with local governments on climate and energy issues.

“It was a lot to do at once,” Dewey admitted.

Still, it wasn’t long before Dewey was ready to use her degrees and experience to have an even greater impact. In 2022—the same year her time as mayor ended—she bumped into a friend from her days campaigning against ivory poaching, and he told her about a related organization that he was a part of, Dazzle Africa.

Dazzle Africa is a woman-founded 501(c)(3) that supports the people and wildlife of Zambia by funding and supporting local organizations and leading philanthropic safaris. Through the funds that Dazzle Africa raises through its safaris—which are organized by Dazzle Africa staff  but led on-the-ground by local Zambian guides—the nonprofit has been able to provide resources and support to conservation partners in Zambia, provide clean water for communities, and sponsor students to pursue higher education.

Today, Dewey is the organization’s full-time Chief Operating Officer.

“What sociology has allowed me to bring to the table is a pair of glasses that I can put on to view the world and to view my work; that makes me ask ‘What are the social structures in place that are impacting what I'm seeing right now?’ and approach problems from that perspective. And when we travel, we have a huge footprint, and it’s not always a positive one,” she explained. “I think what’s important about Dazzle Africa’s work is that we’re making connections. We are making connections internationally, taking collective action, and helping solve problems together. For example, there are tons of environmental issues that Zambia is facing, but the majority of them are not fundamentally the result of actions by Zambians. Rather, they’re the result of climate change, poverty, how folks were treated during and after the colonial period in the country, etc.”

Dazzle Africa has invested more than $2.5 million in these efforts since its founding in 2012.

“To me, we have a responsibility as residents of an industrialized nation to be really thoughtful about how we're connected to others. We can't just say, ‘Oh, that's not about us,’ because it's all about us. It's all about facilitating those connections and building relationships, which I'm really proud that we do,” Dewey said. 

Photos provided by Amanda Dewey

Published on Mon, Jan 27, 2025 - 10:54AM