Kofi Appenteng recently launched The West Africa Fund, a private equity fund based in Accra, Ghana, that invests in middle market companies in the West African region. Previously, Mr. Appenteng had a 16 year career at Thacher Proffitt in general corporate practice, joining in 1991 as an Associate and becoming a Partner in 1994. At Thacher Proffitt, he was a member of the Corporate and Financial Institutions Practice Group. He advised foreign and domestic individuals and companies on matters related to corporate governance, securities law compliance, acquisitions, corporate finance, regulatory compliance and crisis management, among other issues. He was an associate at Webster & Sheffield before joining Thacher Proffitt.

Mr. Appenteng has counseled a wide range of clients, from bank holding companies to entrepreneurial enterprises and foundations. He also advises non-profit institutions on a variety of matters as he helps them to achieve their goals and objectives.

He is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the New York City, New York State and the American Bar Associations. He also serves on the boards of The Ford Foundation, University of Cape Town Fund, Inc., Community Service Society of New York, among many other professional and civic affiliations. Born in Ghana, West Africa, he attended preparatory schools in England and came to the U.S. to attend Wesleyan University and then Columbia University Law School.

Nadine B. Hack is President of beCause Global Consulting, which provides advisory services on cause-related strategies and philanthropic initiatives – as integral components of core business – for corporations, governments, foundations and individuals. She has expertise in concept development, policy analysis, problem solving and politically sensitive negotiations. She’s provided strategic guidance to or created crucial partnerships for clients internationally and has imparted creative direction for their campaigns and special projects. She links private resources with public needs benefiting women, children, minorities, human rights, health, the environment and economic development.

She has extensive experience with the UN system globally and served as NYC Commissioner for the United Nations, Consular Corps and International Business, the city’s senior official liaison with the world’s largest diplomatic and business communities. A longtime Africanist, she has served as an advisor to heads of state and other senior government officials, including the African National Congress executive committee in exile in Lusaka Zambia and South Africa’s subsequent ANC government.

She was president of the Sister City Program of the City of New York, formulating and managing financial, technical, educational, cultural and sports exchanges with cities globally. Other non- and for-profit boards on which she serves include Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation (chair), Nigerian-based Xechem International, Inc., Africa Division Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, United Nations Association of New York, International League for Human Rights and Synergos Institute. Numerous honors include International Outstanding Achievement, NYWA Star, Woman of the Year, Distinguished Women of New York, SAAO Leadership, New American Leader, CDO Madame C.J. Walker and AJC Louise Waterman awards.

She has Master Degrees from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science at the New School. She is adjunct professor of a course she created for the International Program at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, Global Development Strategies and Initiatives: Internal and External Capacity-Building through Creating and Sustaining Multi-Sector Partnerships.

Joseph Moodhe is a litigation partner with Debevoise & Plimpton. His practice is focused on securities and insurance regulatory matters, product liability litigation and tax disputes. He is admitted to appear before the First, Third, Eighth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the U.S. Tax Court. Mr. Moodhe has authored ”Outline of Reporter’s Privilege,” Communications Law, Practicing Law Institute (1984-93) and “The Use of Prior Uncounseled Convictions in Gun Control Prosecutions,” 92 Harvard Law Review 1790 (1979). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1980, where he was a Case Editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Mora McLean is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Africa-America Institute (AAI), the oldest U.S.-based nonprofit organization concerned with increasing Africa’s global competitiveness and economic wellbeing by investing in African human resources; and with promoting U.S.-Africa relations through education, training and dialogue. She joined AAI from the Ford Foundation, where she was Deputy Director for Africa and Middle East Programs, and before that the Foundation’s West Africa Representative based in Lagos, Nigeria.

A native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ms. McLean was graduated with honors from Wesleyan University before earning a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is a Wesleyan University Trustee, a governing board member of the U.S. International University in Nairobi, Kenya, and chair of the U.S. Trade Representative's Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA). Ms. McLean served on the federally appointed bipartisan Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program. She is also a member of the adjunct teaching faculty of New York University’s Center for Global Affairs the African Studies Association; and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Rosalind Kainyah joined the De Beers Group in 2002 as Corporate and Commercial Legal Counsel at the Diamond Trading Company (DTC), the Group’s sales and marketing arm. Prior to joining De Beers, she was a corporate lawyer at Linklaters, a major law firm in London, England. In July 2004, she was appointed Executive Director of DTC Corporate Communications, with the responsibility for building and maintaining relationships between the DTC and its stakeholders, which include governments, clients, NGOs and the media.

Ms. Kainyah spent six years, from 1993 to 1999, as an international environmental lawyer. She was engaged by international and national organisations and institutions to advise government departments and agencies on environmental policy and legislation and on reviewing and drafting environmental legislation. These organisations and institutions included the UN Environment Programme (Nairobi, Kenya), the UN Development Programme, the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands) and the Land & Agricultural Policy Centre (Johannesburg, South Africa), Imperial College of Science & Technology (London, UK) and Oxford University (Oxford, UK). During that period, she also worked as an environmental lawyer for Anglo American Corporation of South Africa.

Ms. Kainyah was appointed to her current position in August 2006 to represent the De Beers Group in its work to develop an audience for African economic and social development issues in the US. This non-commercial position focuses on outreach to members of Congress and the Administration, civil society, the media and academia on De Beers’ social investment programmes in Africa.

Of particular importance to Ms. Kainyah’s new role is consideration of the respective economic growth objectives of the countries in which De Beers operates and the continuing international fight against HIV/AIDS, both of which reach to the heart of the company’s business. Ms. Kainyah’s experience in international law and corporate communications gives her a rare appreciation of both the economic and social impact of companies doing business in Africa in the 21st Century. Beyond this she brings to her new role a passion to see African countries develop to their full potential.

Ms. Kainyah was educated in Ghana, West Africa and in England. She has a degree in English from the University of Ghana; Bachelor of Laws and Masters in Law degrees from the University of London; and is a member of the Bar of England and Wales.

George Kirkland is Executive Vice President of Upstream and Gas for Chevron Corporation. He is responsible for managing Chevron Corporation’s global exploration, production and gas activities. He assumed this position in January 2005 and is headquartered in San Ramon, California. A native of Florida, Kirkland graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1972 and 1974, respectively. Upon graduation, he joined Chevron as a construction engineer in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1978, he accepted an assignment with Caltex Pacific Indonesia, a Chevron affiliate based in Sumatra. From 1980 to 1985, he served as project engineering manager for the giant Duri Steam Flood project in Indonesia. In 1985, Kirkland returned to the United States as a senior project manager for Chevron U.S.A. Production Co. Over the next three years, he held positions of increasing responsibility in Chevron operations in Midland, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.

In 1988, he worked on the Chevron U.S.A. Production Co. headquarter’s staff in San Francisco. In 1990, Kirkland was appointed group manager of upstream technology for Chevron Research and Technology Co., for which he managed efforts aimed at providing technical support, technology development, project support and consultation to Chevron’s worldwide exploration and production activities. In 1992, he was named general manager of production for Chevron Nigeria Ltd. and was named general manager of asset management in January 1996. In November 1996, Kirkland was appointed chairman and managing director of Chevron Nigeria Ltd. and was responsible for all its operations, including such diverse projects as the West African Gas Pipeline Project, a major gas-to-liquids project with SASOL of South Africa; the Escravos Gas Project expansions; and deepwater exploration offshore Nigeria. While in Nigeria, Kirkland took a very active role in industry, economic and environmental organizations.

In January 2000, Kirkland was named president of Chevron U.S.A. Production Co., responsible for exploration and production operations in the United States and Canada. In October 2001, he assumed the position of president of Chevron Exploration and Production Co. In January 2002, he was named president Chevron Overseas Petroleum, responsible for managing Chevron’s exploration and production activities outside North America. Kirkland is a member of the Board of Trustees of Africa America Institute, a board member of Corporate Council on Africa, a director of the U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Association, and also a director of the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Carlton Masters, President, CEO and co-founding Principal, manages daily operations and the long-term direction of GoodWorks International. He negotiates and coordinates all client engagements and provides strategic advisory services to several governments. As President and CEO of GWI, Mr. Masters plays the lead role in engagements joining numerous Fortune 500 companies with Caribbean and African nations. In the majority of these engagements, Mr. Masters forges new partnerships and facilitates positive interaction between the public and private sectors, relying heavily on his strong and long-established relationships in both sectors.

Before forming GoodWorks International, Mr. Masters enjoyed a lengthy and successful career in international banking. He held executive positions with the Bank of Montreal in financial centers across North America, Europe and the Caribbean, and was appointed Agent General and Deputy Minister for Trade to the U.S, on behalf of the government of Ontario, Canada. Mr. Masters complements his knowledge and experience by maintaining strong ties with many institutions and individuals within corporate, governmental and financial domains.

Mr. Masters is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bretton Woods Committee and the 100 Black Men of America. He actively serves on the boards of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, the Corporate Council on Africa, the Africa Society, the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund, the Africa America Institute and the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies.

Adebayo Ogunlesi is currently Chairman and Managing Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners. Prior to his current role, he was Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of Credit Suisse, based in New York. He previously served as a member of Credit Suisse’s Executive Board and Management Council and chaired the Chairman’s Board. Previously, he was the Global Head of Investment Banking at Credit Suisse. Since joining Credit Suisse in 1983, Mr. Ogunlesi has advised clients on strategic transactions and financings in a broad range of industries and has worked on transactions in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Mr. Ogunlesi was an attorney in the corporate practice group of the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. From 1980-81 he served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall of the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Ogunlesi received his B.A. with the first class honors, from Oxford University, his J.D. magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. He was a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the Yale School of Organization and Management, where he taught a course on transnational investment projects in emerging countries.

Steven Pfeiffer currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., having been elected by his partners to serve a four-year term commencing January 1, 2003. Mr. Pfeiffer previously served as Partner-in-Charge of Fulbright & Jaworski’s Washington and London offices and as head of the firm-wide International Department. In his law practice, he has had principal responsibility for a wide variety of corporate and commercial transactions involving United Kingdom, African, Middle Eastern and European-based banks, corporations and individuals investing in the United States. Mr. Pfeiffer has been responsible for the firm’s representation of certain sovereign entities, including the U.K., Canada and several African governments. From 1992 to 1994, he was Chairman of the Section on Energy and Natural Resources Law (SERL) of the International Bar Association.

Mr. Pfeiffer is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. He serves as a director of Riggs National Corporation (RNC), the largest and oldest bank holding company based in D.C. He also serves as non-executive Chairman of Riggs Bank Europe Limited in London. He is a director of Barloworld Limited, a publicly traded company based in South Africa, a trustee of St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, Delaware and Chairman Emeritus of Wesleyan University, where he served as Chairman of the Board from 1987 to 1992.

Mr. Pfeiffer received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1969. He then studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, completing a B.A. in Jurisprudence at Oxford and an M.A. in Area Studies (Africa) at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. During this time he traveled widely in Africa on a Thomas J. Watson Foundation Travel Fellowship. He earned a J.D. in 1976 from Yale University.

Gayle Smith is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. She has spent most of her career in international affairs in the field, based in Africa for almost 20 years as a journalist and advisor to non-governmental organizations. Her areas of expertise include African affairs, economic development, complex political emergencies, crisis prevention and post-conflict management, failed states and transnational threats. In 1998, she was appointed Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. Prior to that, she served for five years as Senior Adviser to the Administrator and Chief of Staff of the US Agency for International Development.

Ms. Smith negotiated a ceasefire between Uganda and Rwanda in 1999 and won the National Security Council’s Samuel Nelson Drew Award for Distinguished Contribution in Pursuit of Global Peace for her role in the successful negotiation of a peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Ms. Smith has traveled extensively in active war zones, published pioneering analyses of complex political emergencies and humanitarian intervention and covered military, economic and political developments in East and North Africa for the BBC, Associated Press, Reuters, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Toronto Globe & Mail, London Observer and Financial Times until the mid-1980s. She won the World Journalism Award from the World Affairs Council and the World Hunger Year Award in 1991.

Ms. Smith has also consulted for a wide range of non-governmental organizations, foundations and international governmental agencies, including UNICEF, the World Bank, Lutheran World Relief, Dutch Interchurch Aid and the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. Smith is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an advisor to the U.N. Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa. She was a member of the Commission on Capital Flows sponsored by the Institute for International Economics and the Corporate Council on Africa, and now serves as a member of the Center for Global Development’s Commission on U.S. Policy Toward Low-Income Poorly Performing States. She is a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution, where she recently co-authored The Other War: Global Poverty and the Millennium Challenge Account.

Ted Smyth is Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of the H.J. Heinz Company – a global food company with annual sales in excess of $9 billion. He is a member of the Heinz Management Committee and heads up the company’s organization and human resources processes, government relations, media and corporate communications worldwide, joining Heinz in 1988.

A native of Ireland, Mr. Smyth was a senior diplomat in the Irish Foreign Service, serving in Irish embassies and offices in Geneva, Portugal, United States and the United Kingdom. He was a Senior Advisor to the Irish Prime Minister on media matters and on Northern Ireland, a member of the Secretariat of the New Ireland Forum and a delegate to the East/West conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Mr. Smyth is a Director of the Hain Celestial Company, the Ireland Funds, (Ireland’s largest global philanthropy) and a Trustee of the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation.

An honors graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, Mr. Smyth majored in history and political science. He is married to the writer Mary Breasted and they have three children.

Maurice Tempelsman is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lazare Kaplan International Inc., the largest cutter and polisher of “ideal cut” diamonds in the United States. He is also senior partner in the firm of Leon Tempelsman & Son, a company active in mining, investments and business development and minerals trading in Europe, Russia, Africa, Latin America, Canada and the Far East. Mr. Tempelsman serves on the International Advisory Council of the American Stock Exchange. He served as Chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa from 1999 – 2002 when he became Chairman Emeritus. He is a past Chairman of The Africa-America Institute, and also is a trustee of the Eurasia Foundation.

Mr. Tempelsman is a Director of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs; the Center for National Policy; the Business Council for International Understanding and the U.S.-Russia Business Council. He is Chairman of the International Advisory Council of the Harvard AIDS Initiative, and is an honorary trustee and an honorary member of the corporation of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and was named a Visitor to the Department of Classical Art of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass. A director of The Academy of American Poets, Mr. Tempelsman also serves as a trustee of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and on Lenox Hill Hospital’s Advisory Board.

Mr. Tempelsman has served on several Presidential Commissions including the President’s Commission for the Observance of Human Rights, the Citizen’s Advisory Board of Youth Opportunities and the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee, and was appointed by Governor Carey to the New York Council on International Business.

Born in Belgium in 1929, Mr. Tempelsman came to the United States as a child. He attended New York public schools and New York University. He has three children. He is fluent in several languages and his interests are in the fields of history, archaeology and sailing.

Carole Wainaina was recently appointed to the position of Executive Assistant in the Office of the Chairman & CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Previously she served as the President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and Corporate Responsibility Director for The Coca-Cola Company in Africa, responsible for the overall strategy and management of the Foundation.

Under Ms. Wainaina’s leadership, the Foundation has strengthened its partnership approach to Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and wired its funding to the business performance of the Company, in order to ensure sustainability and enhance the impact and effectiveness of its activities. Drawing on her experience in Human Resources, Ms. Wainaina is adopting a “people-centered” approach to CSI and ensuring that the Foundation is structured in order to unleash the creativity and potential of its staff for the benefit of African communities. Greater emphasis has been placed on transparency and accountability, improving governance systems and processes to ensure the highest standards of corporate good practice are respected.

Previously, Ms. Wainaina was Africa Group director, Human Resources where she worked with the Africa Leadership Team and Operating Units to build capability and implement people initiatives that contribute to the achievement of business objectives. She joined The Coca-Cola Company in July, 1998 in Nairobi Kenya. She has held a number of senior Human Resources positions in Coca-Cola Africa before moving to run the Foundation.

Ms. Wainaina started her career as an HR consultant at Price Waterhouse in 1989. She has also worked for the Kenya Wildlife Service where she supported the Executive Director through a major change initiative to transform a government department into an effective parastatal organisation. Immediately prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Ms. Wainaina was an independent consultant with a wide range of clients in both private and public sector in different parts of Africa.

Ms. Wainaina has a degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. She likes to participate actively in community initiatives, particularly in support of the education and development of girls and young women. She was, for two years, the President of Young Business & Professional Women’s Club in Kenya and is proud to continue her commitment to leveraging her experience to provide career counseling for girls in high school. She is married with two children.