2011 AFRIMETRO HONOREES
PINNACLE AWARD
Dr. Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade
Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade is Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Global Health at The University of Chicago Medical Center.
Dr. Olopade graduated with distinction from the University of Ibadan College of Medicine in Nigeria and completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Cook County Hospital where she also served as Chief Resident. Trained broadly in clinical hematology/oncology and cancer genetics at The University of Chicago, Dr. Olopade’s research has focused on understanding familial forms of cancer. Her seminal observations on the genetic basis of breast cancer in young women of African ancestry in the US and West Africa has broadened our understanding of the complex interactions of genes, lifestyle and the environment in breast cancer causation.
As a physician and scientist, Dr. Olopade works tirelessly to translate scientific discoveries at the individual and population level into optimal interventions for women at risk of breast cancer. Dr. Olopade effectively disseminates the benefits of her work, inspires students and colleagues, and is a role model for women scientists worldwide.
A global leader in academic medicine, Dr. Olopade has received numerous honors and awards, including the ASCO Young Investigator Award, the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award, the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award and the MacArthur Foundation Genius Award. Dr. Olopade is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the National Cancer Advisory Board, the American Philosophical Society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Olopade is a member of the National Cancer Advisory Panel.
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSIONAL
Claudius Sokenu is a partner in the securities enforcement and litigation, white collar defense, congressional investigations, and commercial litigation practice groups where he maintains a global practice representing multinational corporations, hedge funds, private equity firms, broker-dealers, investment banks, accounting firms, auditors, and public and private companies and their employees in all aspects of securities litigation, securities enforcement, white collar criminal defense, crisis management, corporate and congressional investigations, related derivative actions, FINRA enforcement proceedings, and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Sokenu has extensive experience in handling high-profile matters that require concurrent representation in the civil, criminal, and political spheres.
In addition, Mr. Sokenu regularly represents domestic and multinational entities and their employees in all aspects of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) self-reported and government initiated investigations, compliance and enforcement matters before the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), the United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office, the Munich Prosecutor's Office, and other civil and criminal authorities in the United States and in other countries. He has represented boards of directors, audit committees, senior management and employees of multinational companies in FCPA investigations in dozens of countries, including, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, France, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Malaysia, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Before entering private practice in 2001, Mr. Sokenu served in the Washington, DC office of the SEC in the Division of Enforcement, on the Honors Program, first as a Staff Attorney (1998-2000) and later as Senior Counsel (2000-2001), where he was responsible for handling a broad range of the SEC's domestic and international enforcement matters, including investigations involving accounting fraud, insider trading, initial public offerings, illicit payments under the FCPA, investment companies and investment advisers, market manipulation, and broker-dealer misconduct. He was also a member of the Enforcement Division's FCPA Working Group, which is now known as the FCPA Unit, one of the five specialized units created by the Enforcement Division in 2009. As a member of the Enforcement Division, he handled a number of high-profile enforcement matters and initiatives, including the first-ever joint enforcement action with the DOJ against KPMG and Baker Hughes, Inc. for FCPA violations; an FCPA enforcement action against a chief financial officer of a publicly traded oil services company; FCPA enforcement action against a former controller of an oilfield services company; and the SEC's enforcement action against Goldman Sachs & Co. for violations of the federal securities laws in connection with the international public offerings of PetroChina Company Limited, China Telecom Hong Kong Limited, Chinadotcom Corp., and Giga Media Limited for which Goldman Sachs served as underwriter.
Mr. Sokenu is an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC where he teaches an advanced level course on Securities Enforcement and Litigation. Mr. Sokenu has lectured and published extensively on securities litigation and enforcement matters and has been quoted in the financial press on a variety of securities law issues.
In January 2011, Mr. Sokenu was named one of seven "Best FCPA Lawyers Outside the Beltway" by Main Justice, an independent news organization that covers the US Department of Justice (DOJ). In February 2011, Mr. Sokenu was awarded the 2011 Outstanding Outside Counsel award by the National Bar Association, Commercial Law Section. In December 2010, he was named to Diversity & The Bar’s “Leading Law Firm Rainmakers” list. In February 2007, Mr. Sokenu was named to Securities Law360's "10 Under 40," a list of 10 lawyers under the age of 40 who have demonstrated an outstanding breadth of knowledge and experience in the securities enforcement and litigation field. In 2005, the City Bar Association of New York appointed Mr. Sokenu to serve on the Task Force on the Role of Attorneys in Corporate Governance. In 2003, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association honored Mr. Sokenu as an Outstanding Outside Corporate Counsel. In 2001, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York honored Mr. Sokenu for outstanding pro bono work in connection with a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States.
He earned his LL.B with Upper Second Class Honors (Magna cum laude equivalent) from the London South Bank University, an LL.M from the University of London's London School of Economics and King's College London, and an LL.M in Securities and Financial Regulations from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC.
IMAGE AWARD
Jacqueline Nwobu is the Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Munaluchi Bride Magazine, (www.munaluchibridal.com/about-us) the leading nationally distributed wedding magazine catering to women of color. With no prior experience within the publishing industry, Jacqueline and her husband managed to launch Munaluchi Bride Magazine in 2010 and obtain national distribution within major retailers including Target and Barnes and Noble.
Women of color are major contributors to the billion dollar wedding industry, yet, their presence within major bridal publications and websites/blogs is rare. Jacqueline's vision and determination to fill this void is what gave her the strength and willpower to break into and positively impact an industry she knew very little about. Prior to launching Munaluchi Bride, Jacqueline obtained her B.S. degree in Medical Technology and worked for major pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, including Johnson and Johnson. The rapid success of her magazine has landed her interviews on NBC, ABC, and WPIX NY. Jacqueline resides in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
COMMUNITY HERO
Born and raised in Ethiopia, Alfa Melesse Demmellash, came to the United States at the age of twelve with a keen interest in poverty alleviation and confliction resolution, having grown up on less than a dollar a day, and against the backdrop of torture and murder. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2003, where she majored in Government. During her time at Harvard, her interest in conflict resolution took her to study in Rwanda. Recognizing the role poverty plays in fueling conflicts, Alfa turned her focus to economic empowerment as a strategy in achieving peaceful societies. Inspired by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Alfa co-founded Rising Tide Capital, a nonprofit microenterprise development organization that supports underserved entrepreneurs in the low-income urban communities of Northern New Jersey. In 2009, Alfa was selected and profiled as a CNN Hero. Alfa is a recent recipient of Avon’s Hello Tomorrow Fund Award for working with women ntrepreneurs. In 2007, Alfa was featured on the Suze Orman show and in O, The Oprah Magazine, and mentioned in Essence magazine and Redbook magazine for her work on ntrepreneurship. She was also the 2007 recipient of the Redbook Strengths and Spirits Award. In 2010, Alfa was awarded honorary doctorates from St. Peter’s College and New Jersey City University. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship, education, conflict resolution, and the environment.
FRIEND OF AFRICA
Sivan Borowich-Ya’ari
Born in Israel and raised in Nice, France, Sivan Borowich Ya’ari first traveled to Africa as a part of her work for a multinational clothing company. After receiving her Masters in International Energy Management and Policy from Columbia University, Borowich Ya’ari returned to Africa to work with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). She was struck by the living conditions she witnessed in Madagascar, Botswana, Kenya and other areas: hungry children, huts that barely provided shelter, lack of clean water. It would take a few years, a master’s degree in energy management and a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but Borowich-Ya’ari would eventually found Jewish Heart for Africa in 2088 – a non-profit 501©(3) organization that uses solar technology from Israel to bring light, clean water, improved education and proper medical care to African villages in need. Since the launch of Project Sol in 2008, they have completed more than 38 solar projects in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi, providing light to schools, clinics and water pumping systems. Over 150,000 people have received light from their solar panels, and 75,000 children have received properly stored vaccinations for the first time thanks to their solar refrigerators.
