When Chris Daleba BAI '21, M'22 first arrived at the University of Hartford, he envisioned a future rooted in business. Drawn to strategy, finance, and entrepreneurship, he saw business as a powerful way to create opportunity and transform communities. But that vision evolved into something much larger, centered on international advancements.
Chris earned his bachelor’s degree at the Barney School of Business in management before returning to complete his MBA in international business in May 2022. His experiences both in the United States and Côte d’Ivoire, a country in West Africa, deeply shaped his perspective on leadership, economic opportunity, and global inequities.
“Spending time in Côte d’Ivoire exposed me early to how quickly instability, weak institutions, and limited economic opportunity can reshape lives,” Chris shares. “I saw incredibly talented people with limitless potential held back by circumstances far beyond their control.”
Those experiences inspired him to think beyond the private sector and ask bigger questions about how governments, institutions, and international cooperation shape the future of communities worldwide.
“What began as a business education slowly evolved into a broader mission centered on diplomacy, development, and global policy,” he explains. “Hartford was where my ambition expanded, and my sense of purpose became much clearer.”
Chris Daleba BAI, Alumni, Barney School of BusinessUHart expanded my sense of what was possible for my life. It gave me the confidence to dream without shrinking those dreams to fit what felt realistic at the time. What I appreciate now is that Hartford was a space where I was allowed to explore, evolve, and grow, even if I didn’t have an answer to every question.
Outside the classroom, Chris served as Ethics Chairman for the African Student Association, where he helped foster community spirit and celebrated African culture on campus. He credits the experience as one of his earliest lessons in leadership through service.
Chris has built an impressive international career that bridges diplomacy, policy, and development. Most recently, he served as a United Nations advisor at the Permanent Mission of the Maldives in Geneva, where he supported multilateral negotiations focused on climate action, sustainable development, and human rights. Along the way, he also worked with Global Migration Policy Associates in Geneva, served as a youth rapporteur at the World Forum for Democracy hosted by the Council of Europe, and spoke at the United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum 2026 in New York City.
Chris acknowledges that the global foundation of his work was built at the Barney School of Business. “UHart expanded my sense of what was possible for my life,” he emphasizes. “It gave me the confidence to dream without shrinking those dreams to fit what felt realistic at the time.”
Chris also credits the relationships he built on campus with helping shape his path. “The staff, professors, and mentors genuinely invested themselves in their students’ academic careers and pushed us to grow,” he says. “Dr. Celia Lofink in particular played an important role in helping me recognize potential in myself that I had not yet fully seen.”
One of Chris’s proudest accomplishments came while serving as a youth rapporteur at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, France. There, he worked alongside young leaders, diplomats, and policymakers from around the world to discuss the future of democracy and youth participation. At the conclusion of the forum, he delivered remarks representing the voices and aspirations of hundreds of young people to global decision-makers inside the chambers of the Council of Europe.
“In that moment, I felt a deep responsibility to ensure that if I was given a seat at the table, I would use it to open doors for others,” he reflects. That commitment to service continues through an initiative called Help Africa’s Bright Children, which Chris helped build to expand educational opportunities for underserved children in Côte d’Ivoire. “Leadership means very little if it does not create opportunities for others,” he said.
Looking back on his time as a student, Chris says one of the most valuable lessons he learned was embracing uncertainty and remaining open to growth. “As students, we often feel pressure to have everything figured out immediately,” he shares. “What I appreciate now is that Hartford was a space where I was allowed to explore, evolve, and grow, even if I didn’t have an answer to every question.”
For students aspiring to work in diplomacy, international policy, or global development, Chris offers simple but powerful advice: “Do not let your current circumstances define the scope of your future,” he says. “The world is far bigger than you think, and there is room for your voice in it.”