Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton grew up in northern Kenya and came to the United States in his late teens. He is the author of Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna.

Through his work with several nonprofit organizations, Lekuton has provided more than a hundred nomadic children with education scholarships, established the Karare Boarding School, and constructed a water system for a dozen villages in northern Kenya.

He has studied at St. Lawrence University and at Harvard. He is the youngest recipient of Kenya’s Order of the Grand Warrior.

Lekuton divides his time between Kenya and Washington, D.C.