Dr. Tana M. Session, JD Took a Leap of Faith and Found a New Purpose

After years of building a career in leadership development, organizational transformation and law, Dr. Tana M. Session, JD made the life-changing decision to begin a new chapter in Kigali, Rwanda. What started as a leap of faith has become an opportunity to learn from a new culture, teach future leaders, and rethink long-held assumptions about work, leadership, and community. We caught up with Dr. Tana to talk about the experiences that led her to Rwanda, the lessons she’s learned as an expat, and why she’s optimistic about Africa’s future.

Hi Dr. Tana, thanks so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to have you share your thoughts and insights with our readers. Moving to Kigali and beginning your first chapter as an expat and global university educator is a major transition. Can you take us back to the moment you decided to make this move and what that leap of faith looked like for you personally?
Like many people in the U.S., following the 2024 elections, my husband and I decided to leave the country due to our concerns with what would follow the new administration taking over government in January 2025. I immediately experienced a downturn in my Human Resources/Organizational Development/DEIB consulting practice during the first quarter of 2025, and knew the situation would only worsen. Additionally, at the time I was completing my last year of law school, I read Project 2025 when it was first publicized, and discussed its potential impact and likelihood of integration into the U.S. government policies and regulations with my Constitutional Law professor. His insight was both candid and frightening. So, as a Black woman, I knew I could not and would not stay in the U.S. and wait for the impact to become my reality. Additionally, when the Palisades and Altadena fires of California happened that January, and I took it as a sign that it was the right time to sell our home so someone who lost everything in the fires could remain in the Pasadena area and enjoy the home we had come to love so much.

You’ve visited more than 12 African countries since your first trip to the continent in 2021, and those experiences ultimately led you to call Rwanda home. Was there a particular moment, conversation, or place that shifted your perspective and made you realize Africa would become such an important part of your journey?
My husband and I first visited Rwanda in 2022 to go gorilla trekking. I saw it on social media and knew we had to experience it at least once in our lifetime. When we landed at the airport in Kigali, we were immediately impressed with the amount of technology we saw, from checking body temperatures to contactless check-in and on-site COVID testing to ensure we were not a risk to the gorillas. After the trek, we had an opportunity to spend 12 hours in Kigali touring the city and visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial. We immediately realized our prior impression of Rwanda was completely wrong, and that the media and entertainment industry failed to tell the true story of this remarkable and beautiful country. We knew we wanted to move to Africa, but initially considered Nairobi, Kenya, Johannesburg, South Africa, or even Accra, Ghana. But after the tour that day, we both got on the plane to set off for our next African country, and turned to each other and immediately said, “I can see us living here one day!”

As someone specializing in leadership development, performance management, and cultural transformation, you now have the opportunity to teach future leaders in Rwanda. Can you share a classroom, mentorship, or personal interaction that has already challenged or expanded the way you think about leadership?
One of the first things I decided to do was to spend a year as a “student” of Rwanda and Africa. We have never lived abroad, and living and visiting a foreign country and continent are two completely different experiences. I knew I had to leave my American arrogance and any expectations at the airport. As a result, I have been able to meet and network with wonderful professionals who have been so giving of their time to help me close my gaps in understanding labor law, leadership development, work behavior, mindset, sense of urgency, and putting relationship building before business transactions or asks. Not only have I learned to slow down, but I have also come to appreciate not trying to rush the process, while also enjoying the journey and learnings along the way.

Moving to a new country often brings unexpected lessons that can’t be learned from books or research. What has been one surprise whether joyful, challenging, or humbling about building a life in Rwanda that has changed the way you see the world?
One lesson I learned very early in my new life in Rwanda is that time is a construct, meaning the people here do not let the clock run their lives. Respecting people’s time is important, but there is no penalty or judgment for running late to a meeting, event, restaurant, etc. This has taken some getting used to considering the sense of urgency I have been trained to expect and normalize throughout my personal and professional life. I find it refreshing, less stressful, and have come to embrace it in my own interactions with others. I also appreciate the fact that family time is sacred, and there is no real expectation to be “on the clock” after office hours have officially ended. I have come to respect this in my own practice by not emailing or contacting people for business purposes after 5pm or on weekends or holidays. This was never really my practice in the U.S., as this type of engagement has been normalized and in many ways, standardized in business practices and expected. And failure to respond in many cases may be penalized.

You’ve spoken about Africa’s young population and incredible potential. Beyond the statistics, what is one story or encounter with a person, community, or entrepreneur you’ve experienced that made you feel especially hopeful about the continent’s future?
When we first moved to Rwanda, I was contacted by a young podcaster who asked if my husband and I would allow him to interview us for his podcast. He was a full-time pharmacist working extremely long hours who had dreams and aspirations of becoming the #1 podcaster in Rwanda, and perhaps the continent. After we interviewed for his podcast, he asked my husband to be his mentor to help guide him towards his dream, which my husband gladly and humbly accepted. Fast-forward to just over a year later, he was able to quit his job as a pharmacist, move into a bigger apartment, and make more money on social media as a podcaster going around the country interviewing other expats who share their story for why they chose Rwanda as their new home. The talent here is endless and in many ways untapped, and I am so proud of my Rwandan nephew.

Looking across your career and this new chapter abroad, what has been a defining moment when you realized your work was becoming bigger than your original plans? How has that realization influenced the way you approach the opportunities ahead?
I knew my work was becoming bigger after traveling extensively throughout Africa between 2021 – 2024. I saw the untapped opportunities and potential, and knew I wanted…or rather had to be a part of the future here. I will start an adjunct teaching position with the African School of Governance this fall, where I will teach three subjects in their Executive Education track with a focus on Leadership Development. The school was founded by His Excellency President Paul Kagame or Rwanda and the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, His Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn, and is dedicated to empowering a new generation of purpose-driven African leaders. I knew there was a place for me to add value through my knowledge, skills, and abilities that I have earned over the years in the U.S., and I look forward to seeing how I can give more back to Rwanda and the Motherland than they have given me so far. The future is Africa, and I am here for it!