About Us

Abimbola Ishola ("Abi") heard about AfriMETRO, Inc. and the work we are doing in the community and decided to interview our Founder, President & Chair of the Board of Directors, Folake Ayoola. Abi contacted Folake in December 2010 wanting to know why Folake is passionate about giving back. Abi's work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Heart & Soul, and Essence.com

By day, Abi works as a producer/reporter for channel 75 in New York City, by night she assumes her role as host of “Culture Shock: Nigerians in America,” a vehicle to connect Nigerians in Nigeria to Nigerians in America. In connection with Culture Shock's stated philosophy, Abi - impressed with the work Folake has been doing through her founded organizations - decided to have a chat with our founder so that those in Nigeria can be privy to what AfriMETRO and similar African-focused organizations are doing in America.

Please click on the link below to listen to Abi's chat with Folake Ayoola.

http://cultureshocknigerians.com/shows/episode-22-folake-ayoolas-giving-spirit/

About Our Founder

AfriMETRO, Inc. was founded in 2009 by Folake K. Ayoola, Esq. to provide a forum for African professionals and people of African descent, including friends of Africa, to meet each other in settings outside of the traditional places like school and work with the objective of sponsoring or co-sponsoring events that enable us to give back to our community, network with fellow professionals and empower each other, with the idea that we may find issues of common interest and share approaches to tackling those issues. This initiative has resonated with highly talented, dynamic and socially responsible professionals in the tri-state area and beyond. Since inception, AfriMETRO has grown significantly and has reached hundreds of people with its activities and programs.

Ms Ayoola recently moved from New York City to the United States’ capital, Washington D.C., to serve as an attorney-advisor in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).  At the Commission, Ms Ayoola works on a team overseeing key corporate disclosures and providing interpretative guidance on Commission rules. She also collaborates with persons in other divisions, such as the Division of Enforcement and the Division of Investment Management, to ensure a shared understanding of material issues with respect to disclosure obligations. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms Ayoola was an associate in the securities and capital markets group of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s New York office, one of the world’s leading law firms. At Simpson Thacher, she provided coordinated legal advice and representation on some of the largest and most complex transactional corporate matters in the world. She was an active member of the Associates Committee and a Moderator for the Affinity Group’s Professional Development Series. Ms Ayoola started her legal career at the Houston office of Baker Botts LLP, the number one energy law firm in the world, where she worked on cutting edge corporate transactions, including securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate control and governance and general corporate and securities matters.

She has also worked on numerous pro bono matters, including the successful representation of a Pakistani Christian girl in a novel religious and social group persecution asylum matter and a Colombian mother and child with their Violence Against Women’s Act application. At various times, she has represented and provided legal services to survivors of domestic violence, and represented indigenes in divorces, child custody and probating of wills matters. Ms Ayoola is admitted to the New York State Bar and the Texas State Bar. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, and the Houston Young Lawyers Association. Ms Ayoola is currently the President of the Nigerian Lawyers Association (USA), which provides leadership and advocacy for the legal needs and interests of the Nigerian community in the United States.

Ms Ayoola attended the Columbia University School of Law where she obtained her Juris Doctorate and Masters of Laws degrees. At the Columbia School of Law, she was, among other distinctions, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International & Comparative Law award recipient. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University College London, University of London (UCL), graduating with upper class honors (magna cum laude).  At UCL, she was, amongst her numerous accomplishments and involvement, the Vice President of the Law Society, a prestigious law faculty students’ association, and a founding member and tutor for the “Property Law Peer Assisted Learning" (PAL) Program.

When she is not busy practicing law, Ms Ayoola gives back to her community through her involvement with certain nonprofits she founded, including without limitation, AfriPRO Houston, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization (www.afriprohouston.org). Ms Ayoola is an Associate of the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (NLI), an international non-profit organization and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (http://nli-global.org). She is a former Director of The Endeavor for Hope Foundation, a U.S. based charitable organization (www.efhf.org), and a former mentor for the Dress for Success Woman to Woman Mentoring Program.

Ms Ayoola works tirelessly to make a positive impact in her community and, in 2010, she received the 2010 Emerging Leader Award, which was bestowed on her by the Egbe Omo Obokum of Ijesaland (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut chapter). In 2008, she was recognized as the Top 40 Under 40 Nigerian Female Professionals by NiPRO International, Inc. for her academic prowess, professional excellence, community involvement, and philanthropy. In 2007, Ms Ayoola was awarded one of the Top 10 Individual Fundraisers by the Breast Cancer Network of Strength (formerly known as Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, or Y-ME), a Chicago-based national 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.  She is an avid reader, enjoys traveling, playing chess, swimming, and professional networking.