Neill McKee, award-winning author, communication specialist, and
international development professional
Thursday, March 27th, 2025 – 4:00 p.m.
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library,
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM.
In his March 27 presentation for the AIA, author Neill McKee will discuss his award-winning autobiography/memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film and Media Maker. The memoir and his talk will take us on an entertaining journey through the developing world from 1970 to 2012, beginning with two-year stint as a Canadian volunteer teacher in Sabah, Malaysia (North Borneo) with Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO). In the position, he became a “one-man film crew,” documenting the lives of CUSO volunteers working in Asia and Africa as teachers, medical doctors, nurses, engineers, agriculturalists, foresters, technicians, and a biologist. And during 1971-72, he learned more about the craft of film-making and met and married an American woman, Elizabeth, in Japan.
Beginning in 1975, the young couple settled in Ottawa and started a family, while Neill traveled the world for Canada’s International Development Research Centre. His films depicted the agency’s philosophy and searched for solutions to problems in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, rural development, education, health, water and sanitation, and more. Then, after completing a M.S. in Communication at Florida State University (1987-88), McKee joined UNICEF in Bangladesh, and later in Eastern and Southern Africa, where he initiated long-lasting multimedia programs for child health, with a focus on empowering Asian and African girls. In 2001, he moved to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and then to Moscow, where he oversaw similar initiatives in communication for change. That experience led him to a memorable last post in Washington, D.C. as director of a large and complex global communication project funded by USAID.
In his talk, he will reflect on the long-term impact of the projects he documented and of his media creations. Like his memoir, the talk will be filled with compelling dialog, humorous and poignant incidents, thoughts on world development, and vivid descriptions of people and places he visited and worked in.
Neill McKee is a creative nonfiction writer who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree in communications from Florida State University. He worked internationally for 45 years, becoming an expert in the field of communication for social change. He directed and produced a number of award-winning documentary films/videos, popular multimedia initiatives, and has written numerous articles and three books in the field of development communication. During his international career, McKee was employed by Canadian University Service Overseas (now Cuso International); Canada’s International Development Research Centre; UNICEF in Asia and Africa; Johns Hopkins University; the Academy for Educational Development and FHI 360, Washington, D.C. He worked and lived in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, and Russia for a total of 18 years and traveled to over 80 countries on short-term assignments. In 2015, he settled in New Mexico, where he uses his varied experiences, memories, and imagination in creative writing. He has written and published four memoirs to date, which
can be viewed here: https://www.neillmckeeauthor.com/
Preregistration is required.
$15 for AIA Members; $20 for Non-Members; Students under 30 with ID – Free.
Pay online or mail check made out to AIA by March 25th to: AIA, PO Box 92921, Albuquerque, NM 87199.
