Zainab Gidado

Zainab Olubukola Gidado

Zainab Gidado is a communication scholar and practitioner dedicated to advancing social justice, violence prevention, and community empowerment through research, education, and advocacy. She currently serves as an Intervention and Administrative Facilitator at the Center for Nonviolence in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she leads violence intervention groups, facilitates community-based education, and contributes to grant writing and outreach initiatives that promote health equity and language access.

In addition to her work at the Center for Nonviolence, Zainab also serves as an Outreach Coordinator at the Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. In this role, she organizes educational programs and community partnerships, supports research initiatives, and coordinates outreach efforts that raise awareness of genocide prevention, human rights, and cultural understanding.

Zainab holds a Master’s degree in Professional Communication from Purdue University Fort Wayne, where she graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and she is an I-GMAP Faculty Fellow in Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University. Her interdisciplinary work explores how communication can serve as a tool for prevention, healing, resistance, and social transformation.

Her research includes projects such as Breaking the Silence: The Center for Genocide and Human Rights in Africa and the Diaspora (GHRAD) and the Fight to Recognize the 1972 Burundi Massacre and Unmasking Trauma: The Role of Communication in Healing and Resistance. Her scholarship has been accepted and presented at national and international conferences, including the National Communication Association (NCA), the Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA), the Central States Communication Association (CSCA), and GHRAD’s Annual Conferences. She also served as part of GHRAD’s delegation to the 79th United Nations General Assembly for the side event “The 1972 Genocide Against the Hutu of Burundi: From Memory to Action Under the Responsibility to Protect.”

Zainab’s professional background also includes experience in marketing communications, research coordination, and university teaching. She previously served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Purdue University, where she received both the Outstanding Graduate Student Award and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award in 2025.

Beyond academia, Zainab is deeply committed to community engagement. She has volunteered with organizations supporting survivors of violence, youth empowerment, and women’s health initiatives. Her work embodies a lifelong commitment to building compassionate, equitable communities through education, advocacy, and meaningful communication.