WASHINGTON, DC — The Constituency for Africa (CFA) announces the Co-chairs for its 2017 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series. This year’s series will be held from September 18^th  through September 22 ^nd  in Washington, DC. The schedule of events and registration information are available at  www.ronaldbrownseries.org .

“The theme of the 2017 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series is Mobilizing the Diaspora in Support of the U.S.-Africa Agenda,” stated Mr. Melvin P. Foote, CFA’s President & CEO. “We are extremely fortunate to have such distinguished Co-chairs, representing government, industry, civil society, academia, and the media. As CFA stakeholders, our Co-chairs enable us to broadly engage and mobilize our constituency in the U.S., Africa, and throughout the African Diaspora.”

The Co-chairs of the 2017 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series include:

• Honorable Arikana Chihombori, African Union Ambassador to the U.S.;
• Ambassador Andrew J. Young, Chairman of the Andrew J. Young Foundation;
• Honorable Karen Bass, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations;
• Ambassador Rueben Brigety, Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University;
• Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Joint Visiting Fellow, University of Pennsylvania Perry World House and Brookings Institution;
• Honorable Jendayi Frazer, Adjunct Senior Fellow for African Studies, Council on Foreign Relations;
• Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control;
• Mr. Roger Nkodo Dang, President of the Pan African Parliament;
• Mr. John Momoh, Founder & CEO, Channels TV Nigeria;
• Ms. Mimi Alemayehou, Managing Director at the Black Rhino Group;
• Mr. Raymond Dabney, CEO of the Cannabis Science Research Foundation;
• Mr. Renato Almeida, International Government Affairs Manager at Chevron;
• Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba, Founder and Executive Chairman of AllAfrica Global Media;
• Professor Akin Abayomi, Principal Investigator, Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium (GET Africa);
• Dr. Wilfred Ngwa, Global Health Catalyst Director at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center;
• Honorable Pamela Bridgewater, President & CEO, The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa;
• Honorable Lauri Fitz-Pegado, Partner, The Livingston Group, LLC;
• Mr. Forrest Branch, Managing Director & Partner, EMH Prescient Investment Management (Namibia);
• Mr. Michael Sudarkasa, CEO of Africa Business Group (South Africa); and
• Ms. Jeannine Scott, Founder & Principal of America to Africa Consulting.

The purpose of the 2017 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series will be to bring together stakeholders from the U.S., Africa, and throughout the Diaspora to assess the U.S. Administration’s Africa policy, and to identify challenges and opportunities in a number of key areas, including Healthcare Infrastructure, Democracy & Governance, Trade & Investment, Next Generation Leadership, Agriculture, and Diaspora Engagement. CFA and its partners will produce a Diaspora strategy to include policy recommendations for the U.S. Administration and the African Union. This year’s series is being organized by CFA, in cooperation with the African Union Mission in Washington, DC.

CFA also announces the appointment of Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins to its Board of Directors. “We are excited to have Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins join CFA’s Board of Directors. She will lend her considerable experience and expertise to our current team, and help position CFA for the years to come,” stated Mr. Foote. Before her recent position as a Joint Visiting Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Perry World House and Brookings Institution, Ambassador Jenkins served as Ambassador at the U.S. Department of State and was the Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. Also during her time as Coordinator, Ambassador Jenkins worked on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), which is an international effort with over 55 countries to reduce infectious disease threats such as Ebola and Zika.

On the CFA Board of Directors, Ambassador Jenkins joins Dr. Roscoe M. Moore, Jr., Interim Chairman and former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General and Rear Admiral, U.S. Public Health Service (retired); and Board Members Honorable Stanley L. Straughter, Chairman of the UNESCO Center for Global Education; Mr. Raymond C. Dabney, President, CEO, and Co-founder of Cannabis Science, Inc.; Mr. John Momoh, Chairman of Channels Media Group; and Ms. Jeannine B. Scott, Founder and Principal of American to Africa Consulting.

About the Constituency for Africa :

For over 26 years, CFA has established itself as one of the leading, non-partisan organizations focused on educating and mobilizing the American public and the African Diaspora in the U.S. on U.S.-Africa policy.  As a result, CFA has helped to increase the level of cooperation and coordination among a broad-based coalition of individuals and organizations committed to the progress, development, and empowerment of Africa and African people worldwide.

Contact Information :

Constituency for Africa

2001 L Street, NW, 5^th Floor

Washington, DC 20036

Attention: Mr. J.P. Walker

Email: jpwalker@cfa-network.org