Current Business Issues in African Countries
Supply Chain, Climate Change, Sustainable Development, Entrepreneurship, Health and Wellbeing
Governing Board
Shani D. Carter, Ph.D.
New Jersey, USA
Dr. Carter is the founder of CBIAC, which she created in 2016 after attending the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Dr. Carter received a Ph.D. in Industrial and Labor Relations (Personnel/Human Resource Studies, Labor Economics, and Research Methods) from Cornell University, an M.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations (Personnel/Human Resource Studies and Labor Economics) from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Government from Cornell University.
Dr. Carter is the Associate Director of Assessment at Stevens Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Stevens, Dr. Carter served as a full professor, and over a 30-year career, she taught courses in: Human Resource Management; Organizational Behavior; Leadership; and Thesis / Practicum. Dr. Carter has published more than 40 articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings on Human Resources and the Assessment of Student Learning.
Dr. Carter has traveled extensively for business and leisure to many globally important cities in Europe, Asia, Oceana, and Africa, and she enjoys sharing her love of international travel with her students.
Mrs. Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh
Monrovia, Liberia
Evelyn is the founder & CEO of Just a Girl Initiatives in Liberia.
Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh is a multiple award-winning Liberian journalist. She’s passionate about storytelling and has documented scores of under-reported stories. Evelyn holds over 11 years of experience working as an active journalist. Her most recent media award was from her country’s Press Union of Liberia in May 2022 for her resilience, investigative, and professional reporting on Female Genital Cutting (FGM).
Evelyn has reported for both local and international media outlets. Her reports have been featured in the Turkish News Agency- Anadolu Agency (AA), the BBC, and Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and she currently corresponds for the Germany International Public Broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW)Radio, the English For Africa Service as its Liberian correspondent. Evelyn is presently a senior reporting fellow at New Narratives. With the New Narratives, Evelyn reported on the West Africa Justice Reporting Project documenting war crimes committed by some former Liberian warlords.
Evelyn has also produced detailed research reports on Climate Change, Land Rights, Justice, and now the Investigating Liberia’s Project. Her resilience and professionalism led her to win a series of media reporting grants and fellowships from reputable international and national media development institutions that include, the National Geographic Society (NGS)- as a storytelling explorer, the International Women Media Foundation (IWMF), Forum For African Investigative Reporters (FAIR), Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL), and the Earth Journalism Network (EJN).
Others are The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP15 Reporting Fellowship, and WeltFilme Documentary & Film making production, among others.
Evelyn is the founder and CEO of Just A Girl Initiatives, a non-for-profit that was established in 2014 as a result of an investigative radio documentary she produced on the growing wave of teenage prostitution in post-war Liberia. From helping just one girl to date, over 400 girls and women have been impacted through Evelyn’s work in her native land, Liberia. Evelyn is an advocate of girls' and women’s rights, protection, and empowerment.
Evelyn is a Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus, and a YALI Network member.
Valerio O. Thompson Boco
Equatorial Guinea
Valerio O. Thompson Boco is a human capital developer, entrepreneur, educator, ideation coach, indie filmmaker, writer and girl child advocate from Equatorial Guinea.
He is the founder and executive director of Center for Professionalism, Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training Institute, Girl Child Empowerment Initiative-GCEI which a nonprofit focused on educating and empowering the African girl child, and also VTB Ideation Hub.
He is a two-time Africa Youth Awards nominee (2016 & 2018), a member of the International Exchange Alumni of the U.S Department of State, an International Associate on Civic Leadership to Wagner College, an Obama Foundation African Leader, a Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneur and Coach, a Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus (2017 at Wagner College), a YALI Network member, an African Change Makers alumnus, and a Global People's Fellow.
He has been featured on BBC radio news, Gabz FM Botswana, Cool FM Lagos-Nigeria, USAID impact videos series, TEF audio podcast on African entrepreneurs, Radio Malabo and various TV programs in Equatorial Guinea.
He has over 10 years of experience in leadership, and speaks 4 languages.
Ioan David Legman, Ph.D.
Targu Mures, Romania
Dr. Legman received a Ph.D. in Engineering and Management at George Emil Palade University of
Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu-Mures.
Dr. Legman teaches courses in : Economics, Applied Economics, Entrepreneurship Education. Dr.
Legman participated in several international conferences, having published several specialized
articles.
Leslye Kornegay, Ed.D.
North Carolina, USA
Dr. Leslye Kornegay currently serves in an Executive leadership role for a predominately white institution in higher education in the United States. Additionally, she is a faculty member in the Graduate program at Champlain College in Burlington Vermont. She has held dual roles in higher education executive leadership and academic studies in the MBA, MMKT and Leadership programs for the past 14 years. During her leadership trajectory, she conducted her academic research on African American women’s experience leading in Publicly White Institutions. Dr Kornegay’s is the owner of Kornegay Konsulting, and the Kornegay Foundation. She is a certified Life Coach and is in the process of editing her next book on her career journey into executive leadership. Doctor Kornegay is the Principle founder of the Kornegay Foundation, which is a non profit.
Charlene Chekenya
Eastlea Harare, Zimbabwe
Charlene Chekenya is the Director and Founder of the Stand Foundation Trust for Women and Girls, which empowers young women and girls
https://www.facebook.com/standfoundation0/
She was a member of the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and studied Civic Engagement at Wagner College.
Her work with the Stand Foundation Trust includes dialogue sessions on women's and girls' rights, self-defense lessons, and mentorship. She seeks to end violence against women and has appealed to men to participate in the "End Violence Against Women and Girls" campaign. She is also a facilitator for the Voices against Violence curriculum under the World Association of Girl Guides and Scouts.
Patrick Ngugi Muriuki
Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Muriuki is an accomplished manager with experience driving revenue through building and maintaining businesses. He is a Board Member of the Mzazi Foundation and the Managing Director of St Patrick Optical and Eye Clinic Ltd. His credentials include a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Nairobi, a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Nairobi, and a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science from Mount Kenya University. He is a creative and dynamic manager with proven expertise in consistently penetrating new markets to ensure sustainable revenue growth. Mr. Muriuki is also adept at working effectively to achieve goals both as a cross-functional team member, manager and individual contributor.
Andrea Smith-Hunter
Loudonville, NY
Dr. Smith-Hunter is a Professor at Siena College. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies from the University at Albany, SUNY, an M.B.A. in Finance from the College of Saint Rose, and a B.A. in Accounting from the University of the West Indies. She has published dozens of articles on a variety of issues. Dr. Smith-Hunter is dedicated to the overall well-being of the student. Not just in the classroom and her courses, but she is very much interested in how a student is doing overall in their life, for example, in internships and on their road beyond Siena.
Dr. Smith-Hunter sees herself as a teacher-scholar. She likes to interject her research on women entrepreneurs across racial lines into what she is teaching. Her research covers management issues, gender issues, ethnic issues, global issues, as well as economic and sociological issues and she is able to bring all of that into the classroom and relate them to various areas in her teaching. Dr. Smith-Hunter also sees herself as a facilitator of students' thoughts and she works hard at getting the students to engage in a very interactive and application-based classroom.
The direct link to her latest book, Women Entrepreneurs In The Global Marketplace, can be accessed here: http://www.e-elgar.com/bookentry_mainUS.lasso?id=13320
With over 20 years of progressively responsible experience within executive leadership and senior management teams, I have contributed to strategy development and implementation across academic institutions, government, the parliamentary sector, and not-for-profit organizations.
Throughout my career, I have led advocacy initiatives for social change. This involved engaging and influencing key stakeholders, policymakers, and executives to shape policy outcomes
As an experinced policy practitioner, I have contributions at international and national conferences. I am a member of global networks on consumer protection and sustainability, with a particular focus on vulnerable consumers.
Being a Judicial adjudicator at the National Consumer Tribunal, I prepared legal judgments on cases related to regulation of the credit market and consumer protection, involving consumers, credit providers, regulators, debt counsellors, retailers and alternative dispute resolution agents.