AfrikImpact 2023–African Leadership Group Program

WELCOME! On behalf of the African Leadership Group (ALG) Planning and Organizing Committee, Board of Directors, and all our community members, we want to extend a heart-felt thank you for coming to Afrik Impact 2023. This year’s theme is Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges. We are celebrating accomplishments and success stories in our community. As always, you will see shining examples of African immigrants at their very best, contributing greatly to this nation, our state, and our local communities. This is what the world needs to see. This is what the world needs to know. This is what ALG is all about!

PAPA DIA’S STORY | THE FORMATION OF AFRICAN LEADERSHIP GROUP (ALG) When I had an opportunity to come to the United States in 1998, I had one goal in mind: work and send money back to support the rest of my family in Senegal, West Africa. As 1 of 13 children, my family struggled to make ends meet. I was determined to do everything I could to change the narrative. Like many immigrants, I was faced with some challenges.

Back in Senegal, I studied law; however, I couldn’t continue this path due to my limited English-speaking skills. I got a job at the Tattered Cover Bookstore and found myself studying all over again. My exposure to books and immersion in the world of literacy helped with my reading, writing, and speaking skills.

After leaving the Tattered Cover Bookstore, I got a job as a bank teller, where I worked for the next 18 years. During my time at the bank, I learned about financial resources that were not readily accessible to the immigrant community, though they were necessary for successful integration. Information about government assistance was readily available, but nothing existed to help us achieve the American dream. During my time at the bank, I was approached by a lot of African Immigrants who had questions, not only about banking, but also about other challenges (education, legal, etc.) they faced in trying to integrate into the American culture. I would help them out the best I could, but this attracted dozens of others to the bank each week. When the bank started to express concern, I knew it was time for me to create an outlet that would continue to help people outside my workplace because, as I looked around, there were no other entities/organizations that focused on helping skilled immigrants integrate. In 2006, the African Leadership Group was formed to facilitate the professional integration of African immigrants.

MISSION To celebrate the impact of the African Diaspora in Colorado and to honor our accomplishments.

PURPOSE With a focus on social, educational and economic impact, the African Leadership Group hosts a major annual community event. The purpose of this yearly event is to celebrate our collective accomplishments, recognize our community champions, and cast the vision for our next year of policy and advocacy work. In addition, it is part of our public persuasion campaign to have the State of Colorado issue a proclamation to officially establish August as African Immigrant Month. In all of this, we celebrate loud and proud, the positive impact of African people in Colorado and honor our contributions.

This year’s theme is Standing Taller and Prouder Than Ever—showcasing the role African immigrants play in the economy and highlighting the business opportunities that are available in the United States and internationally.

LIST OF PAST AFRIK IMPACT SPEAKERS Professor Moussa Seydi, Head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Service (SMIT) of Fann-Dakar Honorable Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado Honorable Wilmot Collins, Mayor of Helena, Montana Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of Denver, Colorado Bob LeGare, Mayor of Aurora, Colorado Brian Vogt, Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Botanic Gardens Doug Jackson, President and C.E.O of Project Cure Mike Coffman, former U.S. Representative for Colorado’s 6th Ccongressional District Morgan Carroll, Chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party Alioune Ndiaye, Professor at Université de Sherbrooke Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies

ALG BOARD OF DIRECTORS Charles Ansah, Board Chair Fesehaye G. Arbrhaley Judith Donaldson Macadou Diop

Brian Solomon Muwanga Alphonse Nembot Abdul Pessima, Instructor Tyler Sandberg Beatriz Gonzalez

The African Leadership Group’s programing offers opportunities for children and adult immigrants to address the diverse issues within the community, adjusting to the cultural differences in their new environment while accessing resources to help strengthen the rich entrepreneurial efforts of men and women who come to the country in search of a better life. The group operates with several initiatives, and features activities that help empower African immigrant communities to achieve long-term goals. The health and wellness initiatives facilitate reduced-price health services while hosting community discussions that address key health concerns and improve community wellness. The career and economic advancement initiatives provide opportunities for communities to learn about important industries, engage in professional networking, and receive financial literacy and home ownership training. The leadership initiative provides public speaking training classes every Tuesday in addition to a 9-month leadership program to prepare African immigrants for meaningful engagement in education, civic, and community processes. Women and youth empowerment initiatives provide support for women and children who face a unique set of challenges after immigrating to the United States.

The process of leaving home and immigrating to a new country is not without challenges; but for young people trying to become acclimated in American society, immigration is especially difficult.

The specialized youth programming gives African immigrant children a sense of belonging and helps them realize that they are not alone, while programming for parents helps entire families navigate life in the United States with a safe space to share stories and find solutions for common intergenerational problems.

The African Leadership Group values our strong partnerships with city officials, governmental entities, donors, and sponsors. Your continued support helps us reach our goal!

To learn more and stay engaged please visit us at: www.usalg.org

HOW YOUR SUPPORT HELPS PROGRAMS & SERVICES COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT F Annual Afrik Impact Event F Leadership Development F Health & Wellness F Financial Literacy & Business Networking F Job Skills Training F Women’s Empowerment F Resource Referrals F Public Speaking Class

EDUCATION POLICY & ADVOCACY F Town Hall Meetings & Forums F Community Surveys F Research and Analysis F Organizing Parents to Advocate F Policy Trainings & Briefings F Educating Policymakers F Legal & Advocacy

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT F After School Program F Youth Debate & Public Speaking F Youth Mentorship Program F College & Career Exploration

OUMOU SY Is a Senegalese fashion designer frequently referred to as “Senegal’s Queen of Couture.”

She designed the wardrobe for the Senegalese singers Baaba Maal and Youssou N’Dour and has won various awards at international film festivals for her costume designs.

In 1998 Sy was one of the three African fashion designers to win the Principal Prince Claus Award.

DARRYL COLLIER MASTER OF CEREMONY Assistant Vice President, Empowerment Retirement Professional Comedian/Speaker We all have a gift that is meant to be shared for the betterment of mankind. My gift is Speaking and Touching Lives in a positive way.”

Darryl Collier is an assistant vice president for Empower, which is the second largest financial services firm in the United States. But Darryl is no ordinary business executive, he is also a professional speaker and a stand-up comedian with over 30 years of experience.

Darryl’s entertainment resume includes being named Denver’s Funniest Comedian in 1994, an appearance on Black Entertainment’s television series ComicView, along with performances with A list entertainers like Jamie Foxx, Steve Harvey, Damon Wayans, Sinbad, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, Ellen, and Dave Chappelle to name a few.

Darryl has also opened musical performances for popular singers like Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, the Temptations, Donna Summers, Peabo Bryson, Gladys Knight, the O’Jays, and the late Ray Charles.

Darry’s signature speech is entitled “Living and learning from laughter” which delights audiences with the power of humor to change your life and the lives of others.

Darryl is a past member of the Colorado Speakers and National Speakers associations.

BRIAN VOGT Chief Executive Officer | Denver Botanic Gardens Brian Vogt has been CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens since April 2007. In that time, attendance has grown to well over one million per year, programs have been launched to address access to food in urban areas, a comprehensive diversity and inclusion project has been integrated into daily activity, the Center for Global Initiatives was launched focusing on plant research and crop genetics, and an exhibit program has curated works by legends such as Henry Moore, Dale Chihuly and Alexander Calder.

Under his leadership, over $116 million was raised and more than 60 construction projects have been completed including the Mordecai Children’s Garden, a parking complex, the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center, the Greenhouse Complex, the Science Pyramid, Ellipse Garden, the Steppe Garden, the Sensory Garden, the Hive Garden Bistro, and the recently completed Freyer – Newman Center.

Previous professional experience includes three Cabinet positions for the State of Colorado and President of the South Metro Chamber of Commerce. Vogt serves as President of the Board of the American Public Gardens Association and as Board Treasurer for Plant Select. He is an active participant with many civic organizations in the Denver area and speaks frequently on intentional culture, adaptation and leadership. He holds a BA in Classical Antiquity from the University of Colorado.

8TH ANNUAL GALA Saturday, August 26, 2023 MASTER OF CEREMONY Darryl Collier

WELCOME TO THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS Brian Vogt, Chief Executive Officer, Denver Botanic Gardens

AFRICAN IMMIGRANT MONTH Proclamation Presentation

ABOUT ALG | Papa Dia

UNITY POEM I Am the Bridge: A Poem by All of Us

DINNER

MISSION MOMENT Madiama Mbaye

PADDLE RAISE Eric Goodman, Gala Auctioneer

KEYNOTE ADDRESS | LETTER OF FRIENDSHIP Professor - Minister of Culture of Senegal Aliou Sow

AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS CLOSING REMARKS

FBA + AF - Our History did not begin in chains I am African rhythms thumping in a breakdance battle in Brooklyn We’re Foundational Black Americans: Born in the basement of the American dream A lynch rope for an umbilical chord, FBA + AF - Attached to a motherland we’ve long forgotten FBA + JE - The trauma of my ancestors is imbedded in my DNA. FBA - So, we sang, Our story, wild as a swing dance to Louisiana Jazz.

Our Ancestors spirits carry us and our bones are made of stardust Surviving the whips, chains, and segregation Forced to build families and this nation without Reparations!

The sweat of our brows paved the ground of the Red, White and Blue.

A star noose that choked the life out of my ancestors ALL - And, still we rise! the Blood and Bones I carry are rich and yet they are seen as opposite I am the People who have been feared, hated, misunderstood, and revered I am the unstoppable, indestructible human expression of Love and Resilience FBA + AF - I am unapologetically Black in all shades and rhythms ALL - I am the bridge between yesterday’s sorrows FBA - And a child’s hope for tomorrow.

AF – We are the immigrants from the home of all humanity!

Once, a continent with no barriers and borders Is still a cradle of hope for all!

A land, so often spoken of, but seldom actually listened to!

AF + FBA - We are Africa!

AF - Six letters that speak to the diversity of its many nations How can you minimize such grandeur to simplistic words, depictions, otherings?

North, South, Central, East, West.

The beauty of the high peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro.

To the rolling hills in Cape Town The waters of the Niger And the vast of the Sahara Desert This poem is yesterday & tomorrow celebrating the past, present and future - our ancestors – This poem is for the weak and strong. It will tell of history ALL - I am the bridge AF - To a world where the weak coexist with the strong AF+ LA - Until we find a world where we all can belong.

LA – And speaking of belonging, us Latinos know about how borders can divide Many have tried to put us down by saying we are unworthy of being here, but what would this country be without us?

ALL - A mother earth with an empty womb LA + NA - They want us in the shadows, forgotten in history’s tomb.

But, I am that eagle crossing the borderless sky, I am that mestizo I am not from here or there, No soy de aqui ni soy de aya “I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees” LA + FBA - My dream is for unity, justice, and peace, ALL - Amongst all nations, cultures, and creeds, JE – My Jewish faith is about creating a world where we can all breathe in peace Always with an eye, heart and mind on God’s work, the Torah – JE + FBA + LA - And, the other eye on persecution.

JE - Wary, careful, always looking over our shoulders “Are we safe here, and for how long?”

Fitting in American society, but then also not.

Assimilating only as far as society will allow In the words of the ethics of our fathers, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

But, if I am only for myself, who am I? ALL - And If not now, when?”

EU - We are European America We walk in the room white with a lower-case w and a knapsack filled with privilege By our bootstraps we capitalized We colonized, consumed and exploited people and Earth We called it “Freedom” ALL - This is the barrier we will break EU - The bridge we will build is made of recognition and restoration Recognition of real justice and universal humanity Restoration of a shared vision for a common destiny The bridge has planks of empathy and action EU + FBA - Empathy that binds us to each other’s lives and stories EU - Action that amplifies the quietest of voices and creates new histories Understanding where we are so we can see what’s ahead ALL - Dismantling the systems that oppress and cause dread.

AS – Because we are here to live courageously, and creatively We are Asian-Americans.

Our hair is as black as ink, with eyes like coal, and everything looks light around us We are small in stature, with hearts the size of giants Breaking stereotypes of the “Model Minority” ALL - While building a future for our families.

AS - Discipline, hard work, and respect are hallmarks in the Asian communities Virtues we share with the best of Humanity.

“Okage Sama De” ALL – What I am today, is because of you: NA – And, what we are today is on indigenous land The Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe still sing on the wind Can you hear them? Among the roar of the traffic.

There’s a sound that captivates our ears.

Under the grass, beneath the soil. You have to get close.

NA + LA + AF - They’re Drums. Low and forceful.

Like Mother’s heartbeat. Steady, persistent.

She calls to her children…

ALL - “Remember who you are.

NA - Your umbilical cord is your connection to the universe, the sun, the stars, the water, the land your people have walked since time immemorial.”

AF – We are humanity AS - Brothers and Sister separated by water and distance EU - Here we have found each other.

JE - Our fear set aside for friendship FBA - Please remember we’re family.

LA - Today is a new day to stand together.

AF + FB - Foot to foot, Shoulder to Shoulder AS + EU - In beautiful colors and shades.

FBA - We are the indestructible woven thread.

ALL – We are the bridge to the world…of tomorrow!!

MADIAMA MBAYE Certified Executive Coach Madiama Mbaye (Majama) is a husband and a father of four children. He is an entrepreneur and the founder of Motivate 2 Elevate, a platform made to help him in his vision of becoming a full-fledged participant in creating a better world. Madiama is the author of Fated to Win, and a Certified Executive Coach with a focus on mental fitness.

After graduating from college with a Masters Degree in African American Literature, Madiama attended a vocational School (Ensut) in Dakar to study International Business. When he came to the U.S. in 2000, he taught French at a local High School in Kansas City, MO. In 2001, Madiama moved to Denver, CO and worked for a company for about 11 months before he started his own business, M&B Enterprises, with a Jani King of Colorado Franchise. He is also the CEO and founder of Mafatihul Bichri International, a media company.

Today alongside his businesses, he teaches Public Speaking and Leadership 101 Classes at the African Leadership Group in Denver, CO.

ELHADJI AMADOU NDAO Consul General, Republic of Senegal His Excellency Mr. Elhadji Amadou Ndao was born and raised in Senegal, West Africa, where he attended primary and secondary school. After graduating high school, he went to the University of Dakar where he, along with other thirty-two elite students in the literary track, had the privilege to be of the class that would be the first promotion of the Sociology Department newly opened at the renowned “Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines” at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar.

A year into it, he had the opportunity to travel to the United States of America in the pursuit of a higher learning. A higher leaning indeed, for beyond obtaining his B.A. in International Relations at the City College of the City University of New York, he had the pleasure to experience the American culture in its fullest sense: The New York City experience.

After graduating from City College Mr. Ndao served for various NGO’s, Action Against Hunger –USA and The Humanist Center for Cultures, in their communications department before joining the United Nations Secretariat in 2011. At the UN, Mr. Ndao worked in the Department of Management for two years and then joined the Executive Office of the Secretary General, Every Woman Every Child team in the Strategic Planning Unit.

His Excellency Mr. Elhadji Amadou was appointed Consul General of the Republic of Senegal by Executive Order of His Excellency President Macky Sall since January 7th, 2015, and took office on January 30, 2015

YEMI MOBOLADE Mayor of Colorado Springs Blessing ‘Yemi’ Mobolade was sworn in as the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs on June 6, 2023. This is his first four-year term as mayor. He is the first Black man and immigrant to be elected mayor of Colorado Springs and one of the youngest.

Mobolade moved from Indiana to Colorado Springs in 2010, where he started a church as part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. After identifying a need in downtown Colorado Springs for cultural gathering places, he became one of the first entrepreneurs to invest in downtown after the Great Recession when he co-founded The Wild Goose Meeting House in 2013.

Seeing a greater need for collaboration within the faith community, Mobolade began working as director of outreach and engagement at First Presbyterian Church, where he would go on to co-found COSILoveYou, a nonprofit that unites more than 100 area churches under the common mission of serving the Colorado Springs community.

In 2017, Mobolade co-founded Good Neighbors Meeting House in the Patty Jewett neighborhood to provide an additional gathering place in the downtown area. He also began to leverage his success as an entrepreneur and business owner and began working as the vice president of business retention and expansion at the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation. Here he was instrumental in caring for local employers and attracting new companies during a period of record job growth for Colorado Springs.

In 2019, Mobolade served the City of Colorado Springs as a small business development administrator. In this role, he established tools to assist entrepreneurs with starting a business, COSOpenForBiz.com and Permit Partner, and led many collaborative efforts across the community’s public and private sectors. Mobolade stepped down from this position in March 2022 to officially launch his mayoral campaign.

Mobolade was born in Nigeria to two bi-vocational pastors. His father was in finance and his mother was a secondary education teacher. At age 17, he immigrated to the United States, following in the footsteps of his brother to pursue the American Dream through education. He has bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer information systems from Bethel University (Mishawaka, Ind.) and master’s degrees in management and leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.) and theology-intellectual leadership from the A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary, part of Simpson University (Redding, Calif.).

He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Abbey, a nurse and nursing educator, and their three young children.

PROFESSOR ALIOU SOW KEYNOTE ADDRESS Minister Of Culture And Historical Heritage Of Senegal Professor Aliou SOW is the Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage of Senegal since September 2022. Full Professor of Universities (African Studies) of CAMES at Cheikh University Anta Diop from Dakar, UCAD, Aliou SOW holds a postgraduate doctorate in English (2006) and a doctorate in literature (2013). He is working on a thesis of single doctorate in political science at UCAD since 2021.

A journalist by training, he is from the 29th class of CESTI and holds the diploma higher education in journalism (option: television / specialty: economics), a certificate of master’s degree in information and communication sciences from CESTI / UCAD and a master II in political science (defence, security and peace) from the Faculty of Sciences legal and political aspects of UCAD and the Center for Advanced Defense and Security Studies (CHEDS) of the Senegalese Armies.

On the political and state level, Aliou SOW was elected deputy in 2001, to then become vice-president of the liberal and democratic parliamentary group (majority), first secretary of the inter-parliamentary committee of the Western Economic and Monetary Union (CIP-UEMOA), vice-president of the Political Committee of the Assembly member of the Francophonie (APF) and President of the Business Commission foreign countries, the African Union and Senegalese outside the Assembly national from 2007 to 2008. Minister of the Republic for a decade from 2002, he was successively Minister of Youth, Youth and Employment, Minister Interior Delegate and Minister of Decentralization and Local Authorities.

He left the Government in April 2012 following the change of regime to rejoin it in September 2022 as Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage.

A former leader of the pupil and student movement and youth organizations, he was president of the CEM Moustapha Ndiaye student hostel in Kaolack), president of the students from the Lycée Valdiodio Ndiaye in Kaolack, budding genius at the Lycée Taiba-ICS in Mboro, President of the Student Association of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences of UCAD, leader of the liberal youth of the PDS (UJTL) and vice-president of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) in charge of Africa. At the local level, Aliou SOW served as President of the rural council (mayor) de Ndiognik and regional councilor of Kaffrine from 2009 to 2014.

From October 2016 to September 2022, he served as High Territorial Councilor, Chairman of the Commission for Studies, Planning and Monitoring of the Evaluation of Decentralization, Development and Regional Planning Policies of the High Council of Territorial Communities (HCCT). Aliou SOW is the president of the Movement of Patriots for Development (MPD/Liggeey), a liberal and pan-Africanist political party. He is the author of eight books and around thirty scientific articles published in Senegal and abroad and study reports. He has supervised and chaired juries for several dozen dissertations by master’s and doctoral theses. He is Commander of the Order of La Francophonie and of the dialogue of cultures, of the Order of la Pléiade and international consultant.

MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE, SENEGAL Together, let’s rebuild our humanity.

You have done me the honor of inviting me to give an inaugural lesson as part of the annual meeting of the African Leadership Group in this year 2023, which I accepted with very good grace for several reasons but, mainly, because of my academic career, the essential lines of coherence of which revolve around diaspora studies and the defense of human rights. Indeed, by the happiest of coincidences, my intellectual trajectory coincides, very opportunely, with the theme of this year’s meetings “Breaking down barriers and building bridges”.

Bridges, we certainly need them because we have many barriers to demolish, starting with the imagination of black people in American culture, despite the immense progress made, from the dream of Martin Luther King to the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States of America in 2008.

Remembering this news and working to bring together all the communities is a noble mission that could not leave me indifferent. I come from the country of Senghor, the first President of the Republic of Senegal, but also and above all a man of culture. With great figures from the diaspora and from Africa, they laid the foundations for a reaffirmation of Africa as the cradle of humanity, to which we all belong.

Thus, across space and time, we are all human regardless of our nationality, our religion or even our political choices and intellectual and artistic orientations.

I am therefore pleased, and I will come back to this issue at length in my inaugural lesson, to magnify the scope of our meetings this year “Breaking down barriers and building bridges”. Because, in reality, it is not only a constituent element of the American dream and the assumed diversity of the constituent communities of the nation but, more fundamentally, an invitation to dialogue between cultures, this fertile ground for the civilization of the universal is an obligatory path for a new humanism, the only guarantor of a world of peace, prosperity and development, shared by all and which centralizes the human being, whatever their color, nationality or even their religious beliefs.

I therefore invite you, with Senghor, to the banquet of the universal so that, all together, we can “Break down barriers and build bridges”.

Professor Aliou SOW Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage Senegal

MIKE JOHNSTON Mayor, City and County of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is a Colorado native who started his career as a school teacher in the Mississippi Delta, an experience that inspired him to write his award-winning book “In the Deep Heart’s Core.” Shortly after, he came home to Colorado to address educational inequities as a school principal, leading three different schools in the Denver metro area.

Additionally, he served as a Senior Advisor to President Obama during his presidential campaign and transition. He was then elected to the Colorado State Senate serving two terms representing Northeast Denver, where he worked to get bipartisan support to pass Colorado’s version of the DREAM Act, pass major gun safety legislation, and speed the state’s transition to renewable energy.

He went on to serve as the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a local philanthropic organization, where he built broad, diverse coalitions to pass the state’s first plan for universal preschool, pass the first successful effort to fund affordable housing and homelessness statewide, and create the Dearfield Fund, an award winning organization committed to closing the Black wealth gap through access to homeownership.

As Mayor, he is committed to transforming Denver into America’s best city by delivering a city that is vibrant, affordable, and safe for everyone. Mike lives in East Denver with his wife Courtney, and their three kids, Emmet, Seamus, and Ava.

Eric Goodman has been involved in the non-profit world for nearly three decades. He’s worked with the United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters; Make a Wish Foundation, Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, and Firefly Autism. His enthusiasm for helping non-profits led him to become a benefit auctioneer in 2015.

Eric spent nearly 20 years as a television sports anchor including stops at CNN and Fox Sports Net in Chicago while he’s hosted a radio sports talk show in morning drive in Denver over the last 13 years. This is one reason why he’s so comfortable speaking in front of large audiences.

He’s passionate about learning and is committed to understanding your non-profit to connect with your audience to maximize your fundraising. His commitment to preparing thoroughly for each event, coupled with his energy and enthusiasm, has allowed him to raise millions of dollars for non-profits, schools, and churches.

When you work with Eric, you are taking advantage of many years of fundraising and benefit auctioneer experience and his reputation for delivering exceptional results and record fundraising galas.

PAPA DIA

Founder and Executive Director

LORI COLLIER

Director of Operations & Professional Event Planner

OUSMAN BA

Education Program Coordinator

ELISHA ROBLES Events Coordinator

BRIANA ROREX

Office Administrator/ Coordinator

AFRICAN LEADERSHIP GROUP TEAM

PAPA DIA

Founder and Executive Director

LORI COLLIER

Director of Operations & Professional Event Planner

JASON GAULDEN

Partner, Oak Rose Group

TYLER SANDBERG Founder and Owner, Timor Strategies

AFRIK IMPACT & FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

OUSMAN BA

Committee Chair, Education Program Coordinator

AMADOU DIENG Committee Member

KATHE TRAORE

Committee Member

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT COMMITTEE

ELIZABETH WAMUKOYA Committee Member

PAPA DIA

LATERRELL BRADFORD Yoga Instructor, Mentor

Mathematics Instructor, CEC Charter School Network, Committee Member

UGO AKIRI

MOSES NSUBUGA

DR. H. MALCOLM NEWTON

Committee Chair. Founder & Executive Director, ALG

Founder, Caring Sisters Initiative & Rehab Project, Committee Member

ALPHONSE NEMBOT

Flight Simulator, Technician, United Airlines, Committee Member

JALEEL AWINI

Retirement Plan Advisor, Empower, Committee Member

Director of Strategic Partnerships, Committee Member

DANI NEWSUM

Director of Strategic Partnerships, Cobalt Committee Member

BREAKING BARRIERS COMMITTEE

KWAME WARNER

Committee Chair, Business Strategy Specialist, CrossPurpose

TAYO OKUNADE

Business & Employment Attorney, OKUNADE LLP, Committee Member

SOLOMON MUWANGA Vice President, Commercial Banking, MidWestOne Bank, Committee Member

ORMAN “LEE” TOKO

Business & Employment Attorney, OKUNADE LLP, Committee Member

WILLIAM TUCKER CPA, Hanson & Co.

DR. JAMAL BOWEN

Educator & Business Owner, Empowering Community Entrepreneurs (ECE), Committee Member

JUSTIN GILMORE

Project Manager, Director of Business Development, Gilmore Construction Corporation, Committee Member BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE

DR. ANNE KEKE

Committee Chair | APS Board of Education

SELMA HAMED

Senior Finance Coordinator, International Rescue Committee, Committee Member

SELAM GHIDEY Community Leader, Committee Member

OUSMAN BA

Education Program Coordinator, Committee Member

SETIN DANSU

Community Leader, Committee Member

TATENDA BLESSING

Stedman Elementary School Teacher, Founder of Montessori on Wheels, Committee Member

VIVIAN MENSAH

Cofounder of Diversifying Our Communities, Committee Member

BECKY HOGAN

Edge Consulting Services, Committee Member PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE

DR. JAMAL BOWEN

Educator & Business Owner, Empowering Community Entrepreneurs (ECE), Committee Member

KADI KOUYATE

Community Leader, Committee Member

YANEASH DONALDSON Committee Chair, Educator & Mathematics Tutor

OUSMAN BA Education Program Coordinator

TUTORING COMMITTEE

ABDUL PESSIMA

Committee Chair, Chaplain, Suntree Hospice

MEDHANET GELAW Registered Nurse, Committee Member

PASCALE ADOU

ANNE ATTOUAH

JUSU SAWI

Certified Nurse Aide, Committee Member

Community Education, Navigation & Outreach, Committee Member

Mortgage Closing Specialist, Committee Member

ELIZABETH MUNOZ

VERA GARYEAZON

SUSAN LEVINE

CDC Foundation Program Manager, 365 Health, Committee Member

Caregiver, Committee Member

HEALTH & WELLNESS COMMITTEE

Retired Dentist, Committee Member

BEATRIZ GONZALEZ

GEORGE OWUSU

ADEDOTUN (DOE-TUNE) OLADINNI, Banking Officer,

NS SUELIMAN

Committee Chair, VP, Community Lending & Diverse Markets Business Development Officer, Bank of the West

First Bank, Committee Member

Broker/Owner, Owusu Realty, Committee Member

Sign of a Kind, Committee Member

HOMEOWNERSHIP & FINANCIAL COMMITTEE

LAURA GARCIA VILLALPANDO America’s Financial, Wellbeing Coach, Operation Hope, Committee Member

DAVID BABINEAUX

Realtor, Coldwell Banker Realty, Committee Member

FESEHAYE ABRHALEY Committee Chair, Senior Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin

OMAR MONTGOMERY

Director of Equity, Culture and Community Engagement for Cherry Creek School District, Committee Member

REILLY PHARO CARTER RPC Consulting, Committee Member

LISA NEAL GRAVES

Senior Technical Executive and Thought Leader, Committee Member

VINCENT OMEGBA

Minister, V.P. International Collaboration, Consensys Group LLC, Committee Member

EVANS MENSAH

Author, and Cofounder of Diversifying Our Communities, Committee Member

LATERRELL BRADFORD DR. DERRICK HUDSON Yoga Instructor, Mentor, Business Owner, Committee Member

LEADERSHIP AFRICA COMMITTEE

Teaching Associate Professor in (HASS), School of Mines, Committee Member

TAYO OKUNADE

Committee Chair, Business & Employment Attorney, Okunade LLP

DANIEL OKWENA

Immigration Attorney, Okwena Immigration, LLC, Committee Member

MCKENNA NEWSUMSCHOENBERG Immigration Attorney, Committee Member

LEGAL COMMITTEE

MADIAMA MBAYE Committee Chair & Instructor

OUSMAN BA

ALG Education Program Coordinator, Committee Member

PUBLIC SPEAKING COMMITTEE

TUNEISHIA HARRIS Manager, African Service Center, Committee Member

BETH ABATE

Committee Chair, Community Member

TONYA COOPER

Committee Co-chair, Employee Relations Specialist, City of Aurora

LATERRELL BRADFORD Yoga Instructor, Mentor, Committee Member

TATENDA BLESSING

Stedman Elementary School Teacher, Founder of Montessori on Wheels, Committee Member

ANNE ATTOUAH

Community Education, Navigation & Outreach, Committee Member

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT COMMITTEE

NDEYE NDAO

Community Engagement Specialist, International Rescue Committee, Committee Member

TUNEISHIA HARRIS Manager, African Service Center, Committee Member

Thank you for attending our

8th Annual Afrik Impact 2023 Celebration!

FUNDERS, SPONSORS AND DONORS On behalf of the African Leadership Group, we thank you for your generous support. Your sponsorship, donations, and funding are greatly appreciated and important to our success. With your generosity, our programs and services offered to the community continue to grow.

WE APPRECIATE YOU! AFRIK IMPACT CELEBRATION WEEK PARTICIPANTS To all the Sponsors, Emcees/ Mr, Speakers, Panelists, Exhibitors, Elected Officials, Business Pitch Judges, Business Pitch Finalists, International Guests, Guests from Out of State, Community Leaders, Entertainers, Dance Performers, Afrik Impact Guests, Transportation and the entire Community at large; we are thrilled and can’t thank you enough for being a part of our special Afrik Impact week-long celebration.

WE APPRECIATE YOU! SPECIAL THANKS

Denver Botanic Gardens ALG’s Graphic Designer, Program Books Design | Kolorgraphix, Jody Gilbert Videographer & Photographer | M&B LLC Enterprises | Madiama Mbaye Photographer | Snap Shots Photography | James Rowe Online Registration Tool | Spotlight Colorado | Kenton Kuhn Printing Services | Turbo Press Inc. | Travis Traver Breaking Barriers Communities’ Project - All Affinity Groups Catering | Roots - The Gourmet Kitchen TV Networks: 9News, TheDenverChannel 7, CBS News Colorado Channel 4 Colorado Public Radio Lacy’s Chair Cover Rentals, LLC Cloud 9 String Quartet Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage of Senegal, Prof. Aliou SOW Baaba Maal, Senegalese singer and guitarist Massamba Diop, the Talking Drummer in Black Panther Oumou Sy, Senegalese Fashion Designer Goodman Global Consulting & Events | Auctioneer ProductAV | Audio Visual The Collier Family Cherry Reynolds African Leadership Group Staff Members ALG’S AMAZING VOLUNTEERS! AMAZING STAFF, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS Thank you very much to our amazing staff, Board of Directors, committee members and volunteers for making this event happen! You are indeed the reason for our everyday success. You all performed with excellence, and this event could not have happened without the wonderful people like you. Each and every one of you is greatly appreciated! Job well done!

You can reach out to us on our website: www.usalg.org WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU NEXT YEAR FOR OUR 2024 AFRIK IMPACT FUNDRAISING CELEBRATION!

Thank You!