Ohio State Professor Named Development Queen in Ghana
Ohio State Professor Named Development Queen in Ghana
CFAES professor honored for lifesaving impact in rural Ghana
Community Leaders and D. Rose Elder celebrate the new toilet block. Photo: courtesy D. Rose Elder
D R Elder and community members providing school supplies and soccer balls to schoolchildren in the town of Sarakope, on the Ghana-Togo border. Photo: courtesy D. Rose ElderBy Tracy Turner
WOOSTER, Ohio — When D. Rose Elder first visited the small border town of Sarakɔƒe, Ghana, she didn’t expect to one day be crowned its development queen.
But this summer, after nearly two decades of educational, agricultural and health-related initiatives in the region, that’s exactly what happened.
Elder, an associate professor in The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), was officially enstooled by Sarakɔƒe’s traditional leaders in a ceremony filled with drumming, dancing and deep cultural symbolism. She was given the title “Mama Sara I, Ngoryi-Fia of Sarakɔƒe,” meaning “a mother who holds the community together.”
“This was a completely unexpected honor — a joyful day,” said Elder, who teaches at Ohio State ATI, the associate degree-granting unit of CFAES located on the CFAES Wooster campus.
“I was amazed by the love and effort the community showed,” she said. “The women schoolteachers dressed me in ceremonial kente cloth, led a celebratory procession with students and community leaders and even gifted me traditional royal sandals and beads.”
Elder’s recognition is the result of years of collaboration and development work with the community through Ghana Beyond Subsistence (GBS), a nonprofit organization she helped found after leading 15 years of education abroad programs in Ghana through Ohio State ATI.
While the title is ceremonial, the work is anything but.
“When you’re talking about food security, education or rural development, the global context always matters”D. Rose Elder
In 2024, GBS — under Elder’s leadership — completed the construction of a hygienic toilet block at Sarakɔƒe’s school, replacing unsafe and unsanitary conditions that had long forced students and staff to relieve themselves in a nearby creek. The new facility, built with local labor and materials, now provides six stalls with running water and a handwashing station.
“Sanitation is basic but absolutely critical to public health, especially for children,” Elder said. “This was a project driven by community input and carried out through cooperation.”
The project illustrates a core tenet of Elder’s philosophy — an approach also embraced by CFAES and its outreach arm, Ohio State University Extension: empowering communities through education, collaboration and responsive, research-based solutions.
At Ohio State ATI, Elder serves as coordinator for the Humanities and Social Sciences division and has taught a wide range of courses over nearly four decades, from psychology to marriage and family, and rural sociology to comparative religions.
One of her signature offerings is Music 2250: World Music Cultures, where students explore music traditions from around the globe — including hands-on experience with Ghanaian drumming and West African polyrhythms. The course provides not only musical instruction but also cultural context, encouraging students to think deeply about how art and identity intersect.
D R Elder with farmers in two of the Ghana Beyond Subsistence microloan and savings groups in the town of Wegbe-Kpalime. Photo: courtesy D. Rose Elder“Farming in this part of Ghana is physically demanding, and it’s entirely rain-dependent,” Elder said. “When we help these producers add value to their products or improve their safety, it’s a direct investment in their well-being and future.”
The ripple effect extends into the classroom.
GBS promotes educational advancement through U.S.-Ghana teacher exchanges and hosts annual workshops on student-centered learning and teaching. In 2023, the organization launched a digital connectivity program in 13 schools, providing internet access and supporting virtual learning in science, coding and writing.
Elder brings the same passion for cross-cultural education to her courses at Ohio State ATI.
Elder’s career has also emphasized student research and collaboration. She has coauthored numerous articles with students and colleagues on topics ranging from intercultural education to African storytelling and music. Throughout the years, her students have taught Ghanaian middle schoolers, built composting toilets, donated school supplies, funded microloan groups and even planted orange trees and constructed swings.
“Ohio State ATI students always rose to the occasion,” she said. “They worked hard, taught with heart and made lasting connections.”
Looking ahead, Elder and GBS are working with Sarakɔƒe leaders to expand the school’s junior high section, which currently meets under a brush arbor. The plan includes building three new classrooms — another step toward ensuring children in the region have access to safe, functional learning environments.
“For development to be sustainable, it must be grounded in trust and partnership,” Elder said. “That’s what we’re trying to model — not just providing help, but building something together that lasts.”
To learn more about Ghana Beyond Subsistence, visit ghanabeyondsubsistence.org.
