AAI Leadership

Kofi Appenteng, President and CEO

Kofi_Appenteng_1520cr-small-cropKofi Appenteng is the President and CEO of the Africa-America Institute, a 63 year old organization with a mission of promoting enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training and dialogue. With more than 15,000 African alumni from more than 50 African countries, AAI has tremendous reach and is a trusted brand.

He has 30 years of domestic and international experience as a corporate lawyer, investment banker and board director. He previously served as Senior Counsel at Dentons, a global law firm with more than 75 offices in 50 countries; and is a Senior Advisor to The Rock Creek Group, a global investment and advisory firm.

Throughout his career, Appenteng has been active with numerous civil society organizations. Appenteng is currently the Chair of the Board of the Ford Foundation, a $12 billion global grant making foundation headquartered in New York City with 10 offices throughout Latin America, Asia and Africa. He is the first African to serve in this position. Additionally, Appenteng serves on the Board of the International Center for Transitional Justice, a human rights organization that provides technical assistance to governments in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In recognition of his work in business and philanthropy, he was named a “Great American Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation in 2013.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, he began his education in England where he completed his primary and secondary education and the came to the USA to attend college at Wesleyan University. At Wesleyan, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree; was awarded the Butterfield Prize for character, leadership and intellectual commitment; and captained the Soccer and Athletic teams while earning recognition as a member of the All America soccer team. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University where he was an International Fellow. He then began his career as a corporate lawyer and, in 1994, became the first Black African to become a partner at a major New York City law firm.

Officers

Joseph Moodhe, Secretary

Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton

moodhe_joseph_ board pageJoseph P. Moodhe is a litigation partner with Debevoise & Plimpton. His practice is focused on securities and insurance litigation and regulatory matters. He is admitted to appear before the First, Third, Eighth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the U.S. Tax Court. Mr. Moodhe has authored “Outline of Reporter’s Privilege,” Communications Law, Practicing Law Institute (1984-93) and “The Use of Prior Uncounseled Convictions in Gun Control Prosecutions,” 92 Harvard Law Review 1790 (1979). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1980, where he was a Case Editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Members

Prof. Ousseina Alidou

Nik Amarteifio

Chairman, Dannex Ltd/Omni Media Ltd

Nik Amarteifio board pageNik Amarteifio is a co-founder and promoter of a host of business ventures spanning a cross-section of sectors in Ghana and across Africa. The sectors include mining, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and agribusiness.

He was a member of the Ghana Investors Advisory Council (GIAC) from 2002 – 2008. It was an advisory board formed under the leadership of His Excellency Former President J. A. Kufour of the Republic of Ghana on investment strategies for the benefit of the nation. In addition, he was the Lead Director of the Governing Board of Ghana’s Central Bank from 2001 – 2008.

Mr. Amarteifio’s business portfolio has included being the local partner with Telenor Managing Partners which managed Ghana Telecom from 2002-2007; Chairman and Principal shareholder of Dannex Limited, a Ghanaian pharmaceutical manufacturing company; Principal Shareholder and Chairman of Omni Media, the owners of Citi Fm Radio station based in Accra; Vice Chairman of Ghana Agro Foods Company (GAFCO) in Ghana- a major food processor in flour and sea food. He is also invested for initial private placement of shares in Zenith Bank (Gh) Limited, presently one of the fastest growing banks in Ghana.

Through AAI’s African Scholarship Program of the American Universities (ASPAU), Nik Amarteifio received his BA in Economics from Wesleyan University and subsequently a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University Business School. He received the AAI Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2012.

Mamadou Beye

Rebecca L. Edwards

Michelle Gavin

Robert E. McCarthy

Peter McKillop

Global Head of Communications, BlackRock’s iShares ETF Division

peter_mckillop board pagePeter McKillop is global head of communications for BlackRock’s iShares ETF division. Prior to joining BlackRock, McKillop held leadership roles on global communications and marketing at JP Morgan, UBS, KKR, and Bank of America. He has also served as a Managing Director of the Japan office of Burson-Marsteller and Regional Media Director for Burson-Marsteller’s Asia-Pacific operations, providing strategic marketing, public affairs, and crisis communications counsel to leading Fortune 500 companies

Prior to joining financial services, Mr. McKillop was a senior correspondent and bureau chief for Newsweek from 1983-1995 in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong covering key social, political, cultural and financial events. Mr. McKillop helped start and continues to play an active role in the Harvard University Symposium for Building a 21st Century Financial System for Japan and the United States, which brings together senior government, finance, and academic experts to discuss significant financial issues between the United States and Japan.

Mr. Mckillop received his B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1981; Major: African Studies.

Emeriti

Trustees Emeriti

Peggy Dulany, Maurice Tempelsman

President Emerita

Mora McLean

Past Board Members

William Asiko, Brian Atwood, Yvonne Burke, Lisa Opoku Busumbru, William Cotter, Alexander Cummings, Francis Deng, Dolly Desselle Adams, Linda Distlerath, Harold E. Doley, Thomas Donghoe, Helene Gayle, Nadine Hack, Jon Hagler, Bernard Harselton, William Hayden, Brian Henderson, Robert Hoen, Richard Holbrooke, Randolph Nugent, Clarence Jones, Blaise Judia-Sato, Anne Kabagambe, Rosalind Kainyah, Walter Kamba, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, George Kirkland, Mathilde Krim, George Lindsay, Mary Lindsay, William Lucy, James Lowery, Carlton Masters, Richard Matzke, Ambassador Donald F. McHenry, Harriet Michel, Olusegun Obasanjo, Esther Ocloo, Adebavo Ogunlesi, Gamaliel Onosode, Nancy Reynolds, William Rhodes, Peter Robertson, Loren Ross, Gayle Smith, Derek Smyth, Ted Smyth, John Spenser, George Strait, Carole Wainaina, Carl Ware, Roger Wilkins, Thomas Winship