President Joe Biden of the United States has made notable appointments, welcoming two professionals of Nigerian descent to serve as special advisers. Osagie Imasogie and Chineye Ogwumike have been appointed as part of the 12-member President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States.
Silvester Scott Beaman will chair the council, and the other members include Mimi E. Alemayehou, Rosalind Brewer, Viola Davis, Helene D. Gayle, Patrick Hubert Gaspard, C.D. Glin, Almaz Negash, Chinenye Joy Ogwumike, Ham K. Serunjogi, and Kevin Young. The council members will serve for the 2023-2025 term.
The establishment of this council aims to enhance dialogue between United States officials and the African Diaspora. The council comprises individuals who have distinguished themselves in various fields, including government, sports, creative industries, business, academia, social work, and faith-based activities.
Their role is to provide valuable guidance to reinforce cultural, social, political, and economic ties between the U.S. and Africa, and to promote trade, investment, and educational exchanges between the United States and Africa.
Here are brief profiles of the two appointees:
Osagie Imasogie:
- Chairman of the Investment Bank and SEC/FINRA registered Broker-Dealer, Quoin Capital and Quoin Advisors.
- Co-founder of PIPV Capital, a private equity firm focused on the life sciences vertical, with over $1 billion in investments.
- Established GlaxoSmithKline Ventures and served as its founding Vice President.
- Held senior commercial and R&D positions within pharmaceutical companies such as GSK, SmithKline Beecham, and DuPont Merck.
- Former Price Waterhouse Corporate Finance Partner and practicing attorney with leading U.S. law firm, Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis.
- Serves on the board of various financial institutions, including FS-KKR Capital Corp and Haverford Trust.
- Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center.
- Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, Chairman of the Board of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and an Adjunct Professor of Intellectual Property.
- Holds LLM degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and is a member of the New York State Bar.
Chinenye “Chiney” Ogwumike:
- 2-Time WNBA All-Star for the Los Angeles Sparks.
- Full-time, multi-platform ESPN host and NBA analyst.
- Born in Cypress, Texas, to first-generation Nigerian-American parents.
- Graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations degree, under the mentorship of Dr. Condoleezza Rice.
- Led Stanford to three Final Fours and excelled academically, receiving multiple honors for her academic achievements.
- 2014 WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2-Time WNBA All-Star (2014, 2018).
- Served as the vice president of the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) from 2018 to 2022, instrumental in negotiating the groundbreaking 2020 collective bargaining agreement.
- Became the first Black woman to host a national, daily sports-talk radio show in August 2020.
- Executive Producer of an ESPN Films documentary titled “144” on the 2020 WNBA season.
- A full-time multi-platform ESPN NBA Analyst since 2018, making her one of the youngest national sports studio analysts and one of the only full-time professional athletes to hold such a position.
- Actively involved in youth empowerment and education initiatives in Africa, using basketball as a tool for development.
These appointments underscore the diversity and expertise that individuals of African descent contribute to American society and their roles in fostering connections between the United States and Africa.