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Chairman- Kofi A. Boateng, CPA, PhD

Dr. Kofi A. Boateng, is the Executive Director of West Harlem Development Corporation.  WHDC is the organization that manages the $150 million Community Benefits Agreement between Columbia University and West Harlem. They are doing wonderful things such as awarding $14 million in grants to the community’s nonprofits, initiating employment and educational enrichment programs for youth and seniors; and assisting with workforce development and affordable housing. Prior to coming to WHDC, Dr. Boateng was the COO and Acting CEO of the World Trade Centers Association where he saw to several African countries joining, and to the opening of a World Trade Center in Accra, the capital of Ghana.  He had previously served as the COO of The Africa-America Institute that has funded advanced degree education for thousands of Africans to study in the USA, including the father of President Barack Obama from Kenya. Previously he was the Executive Director of the National Puerto Rican Forum, and Director of Accounting at Prudential Insurance Company.

Dr. Boateng is a graduate of Yale University. He has a Master’s degree from Northeastern University, and a PhD in Management with a concentration in Finance from Walden University. His dissertation was nominated for a best dissertation award. Along the way he has founded several businesses including Traders International Inc., a commodities broker.

As the Chairman of New York City based Progressive Alliance Movement, Dr.  Boateng led a suit filed in Accra High Court of Human Rights to compel Ghana's Electoral Commission  to enforce the law that extends the franchise to vote from abroad to Ghanaians Living Abroad (Representation of the People Amendment Act - ROPAA). The court found in favor of the five applicants on December 18, 2017. Some call him "Kofi ROPAA" after the law in recognition of his persistence to see the law from passage to prospective implementation, spanning 12 years so far.

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kofib@gccusainc.net

Vice Chair - Owusu Kizito, PhD

Dr. Owusu Kizito is the Founder/CEO of  NJ- based InvestiGroup. He has over twenty (20) years of experience in investment management, professional writing, lecturing, consulting, banking, financial analysis, and project management. He is a member of several boards of directors, including those of large companies. He is a young and energetic professional with exceptional entrepreneurial skills. He has thus established an enviable track record of successfully designing solutions to difficult engagements and then coordinating their implementation. As a result, he has been credited with creating, as well as maintaining, lucrative client relationships, and boosting the sales and profitability of his company and that of his clientele. Dr. Kizito has multiple areas of expertise in investment management, financial planning, taxation and housing counseling. Dr. Kizito has an MBA and a doctorate in Business Administration. He also possesses several Financial Services Licenses, IRS Enrolled Agent license and Debt Adjustment Licenses for resolving credit and mortgage issues. Dr. Kizito is an author for Amazon bestseller titled Lived Experiences of Home Foreclosures Consequences on Physical and Mental Health.

okizito@investigroup.org

COO and Board Member - Mr. Charles Nimmo Ntiamoah-Mensah

Popularly known as Mr. CNN, the ever-present Mr. Charles Mensah is a photo journalist who doubles as the Founder/CEO  of 3G Media.

mrcnn247@gmail.com

Treasurer and Board Member - Ms. Rose Ivy Quarshie

More popularly known in the New York City Ghanaian community simply as Ivy, Ms. Quarshie has been the only female  to lead the New York City based National Council of Ghanaian Associations as its Executive Secretary General. 

Ivy is a Certified Management Professional (CMP) with nearly 30 years of experience, mostly in banking. She holds a Masters degree in Management from Queens College (CUNY) and a BA in Accounting from York College (CUNY).

rquarshie23@yahoo.com

Deputy Treasurer and Board Member - Japhet Aryiku

After 25 year at JPMorgan Chase, Japhet retired as a Vice President/Chief of Staff in the Finance Division. Currently serves as the Executive Director, Helping Africa Foundation, a New York based non-profit with the mission to support the African continent with social and humanitarian interventions. He is the founder of the New York based Adakum Educational Foundation which provides educational and basic healthcare opportunities for disadvantages children and their families in Ghana. The flagship school of Adakum is the L&A Memorial Academy in Mallam, Accra, where a unique annual Girls Education Enhancement Program (GEEP) prepares village girls for entrance and success in high schools.

Through his firm, JLM Support Services, Japhet also serves as a Consultant to businesses, individuals, and institutions that are doing or want to do business in Ghana. He serves as a Senior Adviser to the Business Council for International Understanding, (BCIU), and is a member of the Northeast Council of MedShare International. He is a graduate of Baruch College of the City University of New York.     

japhet.aryiku@admef.org

Secretary and Board Member - Lucy A. Asare

Ms. Lucy Asare is the Founder/Executive Director of Queen Mission Foundation (QMF).

lasare@email.essex.edu

Board Member - Mohammed Mardah

Alhaji Mardah, as he is affectionately called by the New York Ghanaian community is a former president of Yankasa Association, and a former Executive General Secretary of the National Council of Ghanaian Associations. He possesses contacts with many Ghanaian , African , and New York City political organizations and individuals. 

Mardah is a Certified Marketing Professional (CMP), and has worked for more than 20 years with a major hotel chain.

He holds BA (cum laude) from Herbert Lehman College.

mmardah@aol.com

Board Member - Eric Okyere-Darko, Esq.

Lawyer Eric Okyere-Darko is the Founder/Managing Partner of Eric Darko & Associates. The law firm has offices in New Jersey and Ghana.

eridarko@yahoo.com

Appointed Board Member - Mr. Samuel Underwood

Mr. Samuel Underwood represents non-Ghanaians on the board of directors.

sunderwood01@gmail.com

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Members of GCC-USA Board of Directors

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