Board Members

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett is the Convening Founder and Head of Mission of the (AU) Diaspora African Forum, the first and only diplomatic embassy in the world dealing specifically with the Diaspora issues. H.E. Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett is a dynamic and positive, motivational speaker, author and a seasoned diplomat who has travelled and lived in Africa for over 45 years, bridging the gap between the Diasporas and Africa. Dr. Bennett’s devotion to her work as a bridge between the Diaspora and Africa, and her work in promoting Diaspora Affairs, has also earned her quite a number of awards all around the world, such as, African Global Leadership Award in London, the Trumpet Awards in the United States of America, as well as the Pan African Women of Excellence Awards in South Africa. Recently she received the Visionary Leadership Award in Washington, D.C. and other outstanding awards such as the Africa Woman of the Year in Ghana, Women in Entrepreneurship Honoree in Ghana, Envoy of Peace from the World Voices of Peace in Ghana and an award for her excellent work in bridging the gap between the African Diaspora and Africa at the Aje Festival In Nigeria.

Dr. Bennett is a trusted Advisor to ECOWAS and she also served on the Advisory Counsel of the Past President of Ghana. Dr. Bennett has been an informal trusted Advisor to several Presidents. Dr. Bennett is the President of African Communications Agency that convenes a yearly media summit that deals with the Image of Africa. ACA under Dr. Bennett’s direction was partially responsible for the creation and launching of Inside Africa Show, one of CNN’s most popular shows. ACA was the first communications agency that represented CNN in Africa. Dr. Bennett counsels regularly a virtual “Who’s Who in Africa” list of clients including Heads of States, Ministers, Ambassadors and prominent businessmen. Dr. Bennett is recognized in the world over for her tremendous charitable contributions, she is generous benefactor of several children’s causes. She lives her way and makes no excuses. Her Moto is “we create our world”

Dr. Toni Luck is an accomplished seasoned business woman with five decades of creative business development. Dr. Luck is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Ilali Hemp Enterprises, an exciting and innovative agricultural project that is designed to take advantage of the amazing Hemp product which can produce more than 20,000 items from textiles to airplanes.

She is the Founding Chair of the African Legacy Trust, (ALT) which is one of the first of its kind development trust which is designed to inspire creative and active African Philanthropy by African industrialists and entrepreneurs. Additionally, she is the founder and CEO of My Home Town Africa Legacy Fund, an innovative remittance and investment program for the Diaspora.

Over the past three decades, Dr. Luck has been involved in assisting in the consideration and developmental projects for Africa spanning through transportation, infrastructure development (roads and renewable and sustainable energy development), education and curriculum development for emerging nations among many others. She is currently a Senior Advisor for an $8 billion integrated infrastructure project in West Africa.

Juliette M Tuakli is a seasoned Physician Leader with an established track record of leading, transforming and developing high performing global organizations. Her experience extends from small, medium enterprises to large, centuries old, federated, global organizations.

Juliette has had extensive leadership and acclaim in global medicine and public health, business strategy, corporate and environmental social governance in Britain, USA and Africa. Innovative, inclusive diverse community impact and development has been significant signature strength.

Juliette is the immediate Past Chair, Board of Trustees of United Way Worldwide (UWW); an international network of 1,800 affiliates based in 40 countries. She also serves on Zenith Bank (GH) as an Independent Non-Executive Board member: Since 2019, chairing the Finance and General Purpose subcommittee.

Juliette has been a member of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative as a Non-Executive Board member since 2017, International Board member of Mercy Ships International (2011-2021), Chairs the Ethics Committee: Currently engaged in establishment of Safe Surgery Centers of Excellence with WHO, a Consultant to the El Zayed Sustainability Prize, (since 2019), Juliette serves as Health Advisor to the Annual Prize (2 million dollars) program in the UAE.

Juliette received her MD from the University of London, an MPH from University of California, Los Angeles with additional credentials from Queen Charlotte Maternity Hospital, England, University of Zambia and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, England.

Attorney Kofi Asmah is a lawyer and entrepreneur  who is deeply committed to narrowing the division between developed countries and emerging nations, by promoting more foreign direct investment from the US and Europe into Africa. He is the director of the African Economic Development Center of Atlanta, Georgia.

In 2004, he co-founded his law firm, Gyandoh, Asmah & Co which is one of the top notch business law practices worldwide. He also serves as an advisory to many corporate and individual brands on general commercial matters as well as a director of over eighteen companies in the real estate, agriculture, trading, energy and the financial sectors. Also, He is Principal Consultant for Baume, Barry and Geller, an International Business Advisory and facilitation consulting organization.

Kofi Asmah is a member of the American Bar Association, Ghana Bar Association, International Bar Association and a proud member of the Rotary Club. Kofi Asmah is also Co-Chair for the Ghanaian Hungarian Business Council.

Leonard Abdul Latif Bennett Esq. was born in Huntsville, Alabama, in the United States. He has been a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania for over 28 years. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Political science from Alabama A & M University. From there, he attended Wake Forrest University School of Law, where he excelled in Trial Advocacy. He went on to become one of Philadelphia’s premier trial attorneys.

He has dedicated much of his adult life to Africa. He is one of the Charter Members of the Diaspora Africa Forum, still serving as its General Counsel since its founding in 1997. He is also the Executive Director of the Diaspora Africa Forum Foundation in the US, the fundraising arm of DAF Ghana and has leads campaigns as well as is a constant benefactor of DAF Ghana programs and initiatives. He is undoubtedly one of the pillars of DAF Ghana. He is also the General Secretary of the Pan African Ahmadi Muslim Association-USA (PAAMA), the Diaspora Subsidiary of the 128 year old Ahmadiyya Muslim Association.

He has been a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community since 1996, and visits Ghana regularly to support DAF programs with his time and resources. He is married and has one daughter. Attorney Bennett’s commitment to Ghana rivals any existing citizen. He is always willing to dedicate his time and resources to support DAF Programs.

Nadia is Founder and President of the Miracle Africa International Foundation (MAIF), a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.  A native of Tripoli, Libya, she has a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Franklin University, Switzerland. Her business career has included senior positions at several multinational companies, where she focused on international expansion in Arab and Mediterranean markets.  She also has organized and managed many international events and exhibitions, for both for-profit and non-profit organizations.  These activities and others have the common theme of promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding to effect positive world change.

Nadia created MAIF in 2008 to specifically address the suffering and hardships that people in Africa were increasingly facing on a daily basis, and her work has been recognized by several international organizations.  This year Nadia was honored by The African Women of Excellence Awards in Dubai. Previously she was presented the “Global Achievers Award” at the African International Media Summit.  She also was named “Ambassador of Peace” by two Nobel Prize laureates, Rigoberta Menchu’ and Adolfo Pèrez Esquivel, at the International Forum on Women’s Rights held in Argentina.  In addition, she was recognized as a “Peace Humanitarian” by The Better World Awards in Monaco.

She is a world-renowned philanthropist and a Princess from the Royal Ocansey Family of Ada, Ghana. Her Excellency is a graduate of Rutgers University – College of Engineering, New Jersey, USA. She obtained her doctorate in Divinity from CICA University and Seminary, Canada. She is a multiple award-winning International Consultant, Theologian, bestselling Author, Chairperson of UNYA-GHANA, Executive Chairperson of the Nekotech Center of Excellence and the Center for Labour Migration Diplomacy.

Additionally, she is the Principal Consultant to the Government of Sierra Leone on the Transfer2Transform™ Project for mega direct investments, Diaspora engagement and overseas decent work with a strategic remittances program for accelerated national development.

Her Excellency serves as a Consultant to the African Union representing the Diaspora African Forum – serving in an advisory capacity to African Heads of States and Governments on Labour Migration. Her passion is to see a paradigm shift to more compassionate people uniting to create a global force for good!

Professor Kwame Addo is a development architect, a product of Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI. USA, specializing in strategy implementation and visual communication. Ghanaian by birth, he has been a professor of Architecture, Graphic Design and Industrial Design in South America, offering under Graduate and Continuing Education courses at the Javeriana University, Bogota and the School of Fine Arts Valle University, Cali, Colombia.

As a consultant and advisor to governments and private institutions around the world, Addo works on projects in the Built Environment, Urban Planning, Transportation, Petroleum, Tourism and Marketing sectors, while formatting developmental roadmaps that reveal resources, infrastructure trajectories and economic activities across the continent of Africa.

With a variety of creative works ranging from Theme park designs to musical productions, art exhibitions and book publications, he brings together integrated solutions in all his endeavors. Recently, Prof. Addo has applied his natural Diasporas dimension to enable the creation and composition of the unifying flag and the awakening anthem that represent the 6th region of Africa (the Diaspora).

Rabbi Nathanyah Ben Yehudah Halevi,Ha’Kohain, the Head of Mission of Bereshith Hashuvah Mission is both a Rabbi and a Priest in the Levitical Priesthood. Rabbi Kohain holds a Masters in Theology, an Arts Education degree and certificates in Fine Arts, Art History, Public Speaking, Evangelism, African History and Anthropology, and Event Programming and Organization.

In November 1993, he received a Proclamation from the Westchester County (New York) Board of Legislators that 20^th November 1993 be recognized as “Rabbi Kohain Nathanyah Halevi Day” in Westchester County for community service in the City of Mt. Vernon and County of Westchester.  He was also recognized as the Central Region Tourism Personality of the Year, 2004 by the Ghana Tourist Board.  Additionally, in 2008, he has been honored and enstooled as the Ebusua Panyin for the Diaspora Community in Ghana.

Rabbi Kohain currently holds a number of leadership roles in organizations geared at the development of African people worldwide. This includes: Executive Secretary/Director of PANAFEST (Pan African Historical Theatre) Foundation, Convener the Central Region African Ascendants Association of Ghana (CRAAAG); and the Co-Founder Bereshith Cultural Institute Inc. In these roles, he seeks to establish the truth about the history of Africa and the experience of its people, using the vehicle of the arts, culture, education and community empowerment.

Dr. Williams is a renowned Transformational Psychologist for the past 25 years providing individuals with time-tested processes to Live their Best Life. She is an expert in life transitions and bridge building with over 25 research papers on life, life challenges and transitions.

Dr. Williams currently serves as US/Africa Consultant for Africa Reconnect (www.africareconnect.net) with offices in Accra Ghana and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In that role, Dr. Williams works collaboratively with key investors, business developers and stakeholders interested in potentially working in the development of economic and social development in Africa. She serves in several consultant roles including COO & consultant to MicroSociety, an international NFP in 40 states and 4 countries (South Korea, Canada, Kenya and Indonesia).

Dr. Sandi is also the founder A Wealth of Women International based in Pennsylvania and A Wealth of Women Ghana ((Bridget Kyerematen Dark Division) with an office in Accra Ghana managing a school with over 1,000 girls and also partners with a local organization in Kumasi Ghana to support a clinic.  Dr. Williams is Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of B.O.S.S. Women LLC (www.bosswomen.us)

Dr. Williams holds a BA, MA and PH. D in Psychology (all with honors), is an international scholar and an active member of the prestigious Golden Key International Honor Society.

Ms. Brenda Taylor Powell has lived in Ghana for the past 15 years with great experiences and memories.

She attended University in the U.S and a Registered Nurse by profession for many years with specialties in geriatrics, psychiatry and nurse administration. While here in Ghana, she worked as general manager at Nyaho Medical Centre. She had the honor of opening Kunte Kinte Orthopedic hospital in Mampong, Akuapem, Eastern Region and worked with a great team at West African Rescue Association in Labone.

Ms. Brenda is the owner of Safe Hands Caregivers, which provides services to seniors per request as well as works with senior community groups.

She also works and serves as a board member at DAF on numerous projects.

Brenda L. Belton,  Ph.D. is a seasoned administrator, personal development coach, researcher, program designer and a visionary leader with a keen sense for strategy and forward thinking . She possesses four decades of extensive experience in leading, designing, developing, and implementing programs. She is a respected scholar, consultant and educational leader among national, regional and global organizations.

Dr. Belton completed an intensive at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Born and raised in Washington,DC she earned her Ph.D. degree in Administrative Leadership, from Atlanta University (Georgia); her M.A in Mathematics Education, from The Catholic University of American (Washington, DC); her B.S in Mathematics and Business from The District of Columbia Teachers College (Washington, DC).

Of her many accomplishments, Dr. Belton is a founding member of the Board of Trustees of The University of District of Columbia and a Golden Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Beverly G. Williams,P.E. has dual degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering from Tennessee State University, combined with 40+ years of professional experience in project and program management, business development, infrastructure design, and master plan development. She has successfully implemented both public and private assignments on major projects with complex requirements, serving in multiple capacities. Her experience with Capital Improvement projects for various large cities and small towns. She was awarded the Woman of the Year Award NFPW 2011-2012. She was also recognized as a Lifetime Member of the Worldwide Who’s Who 2012.