The FPG Team PDF Print E-mail
Founders and Executive Directors

Hussahassa8

     Hassanatu Blake                                                                                                                      Hussainatu Blake

Ms. Hassanatu and Hussainatu Blake are Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Focal Point Global, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization empowering disadvantaged youth to tackle community issues through global education and innovative technology. Since the organization’s launch in 2010, The Blakes developed and organized the U.S.-Namibia HIV/AIDS Education Initiative and the US-Cameroon Anti-Child Trafficking project, both interactive teleconferences between US, Namibian, and Cameroonian students to discuss actions to reduce HIV/AIDS and child trafficking in their respective communities.

Ms. Hassanatu Blake is also focused on improving health issues domestically and globally. She currently works with BroadReach Healthcare to implement a national management and leadership training program for health professionals in Zambia. She previously conducted maternal/child health research with National Institute of Health and University of Alabama in Jamaica, worked with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Namibia supporting their national AIDS program, managed technical assistance projects with USAID Global Health Technical Project in Washington, DC, and managed health and HIV awareness programs on college campuses nationally with the United Negro College Fund Special Programs (UNCFSP). She has written on a variety of health topics for the African-American health resource BlackDoctor.org and Bushfaller’s Magazine, a magazine targeting Cameroonians in the Diaspora.

Ms. Hussainatu Blake began working with African immigrants while living in Germany, where she assisted the NAACP with educating Africans about their legal rights and available health resources. She also worked for World Relief in Maryland, where she assisted African immigrants, particularly teenagers, with legal issues. In addition, Ms. Blake worked for the United Nations (UN) affiliate, International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Counter-Trafficking Department in South Africa, where she aided African immigrants who were trafficked throughout the African continent. She has also written about slavery and racial discrimination in Africa for International Affairs Forum, a publication of the Center for International Relations in Washington, DC.

The Blakes earned their BA from Tufts University. Hassanatu earned her MPH from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University; Hussainatu earned her MAIPS from Middlebury College’s Monterey Institute of International Studies. Born in Limbe, Cameroon and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, the twin sisters have worked and studied in several countries including Namibia, South Africa, Jamaica, Dominica, Zambia, and Germany. They serve as International Advisory Board Members for 2011 Global Education Conference and have been featured in Black Gives Back philanthropic blog, Obaasema Magazine, and Maryland’s Urbanite magazine. The Blakes have also been keynote speakers for the Global Education Conference and Connecting Online Conference and have presented at the NAACP and Harvard University’s Center for AIDS Research’s “The Forgotten Epidemic HIV/AIDS: Crisis in Black America”. Hassanatu was named 2011 Washington DC Capital Cause Changemaker finalist and Hussainatu was named 2010 Washington DC “Power 30 Under 30” finalist.

Advisory Board
 

bisila_onuMs. Bisila Bokoko, Executive Director

The Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, http://www.spainuscc.org/ http://bbalp.org/

Bisila Bokoko is the Executive Director of The Spain-US Chamber of Commerce located in New York City. The Chamber is a bi-lateral private U.S. non-profit organization with a $1.7 Million budget and a staff of 14 dedicated to fostering trade, investment and institutional relations between Spain and the United States. As Executive Director, Mrs. Bokoko provides day-to-day operational leadership, including supervision of staff across four departments: Foreign Trade, Publications, Events, and Professional Exchange Program; secures financial resources through membership fees and fundraising events; and develops long-term and short-term sustainability strategies with the Board of Directors. Always reminded by the obstacles she faced as one of only a handful of African families living in Spain, and the joy and power of reading that kept her focused on her goals, Mrs. Bokoko founded the, Bisila Bokoko African Literacy Project, a foundation focused on leveraging resources and from all over the world and providing books and resources to children and families in Africa. Recently Mrs. Bokoko was named Ladybrille Magazine International Woman of the Month and inducted into the Movers and Shakers, and the ringing of the Nasdaq bell. Mrs. Bokoko received her Masters in International Relations from the City College of New York, her Masters in Business Administration and a Degree in Law (J.D. Equivalent) from the Universidad CEU of San Pablo. She is on the board of directors of the Global Information Network, Macdella Coopers Foundation, Advisory Board of the African Fashion Week, Africa Development Institute, Black National of MBA’s, TCPS Spain, The Climate Project Spain and the National Association of Female Executives.

 

Ryan_4.2Dr. Ryan Greene, Director, International Student Center

Seattle University, http://www.seattleu.edu/isc/Inner.aspx?id=19556&linkidentifier=id&itemid=19556

Ryan currently serves as the Director of the International Student Center at Seattle University where he supports over 540 international students from sixty-three different countries and works closely with campus partners to implement a wide variety of cultural and global programs. Prior to coming to SU, Ryan served as the inaugural Director of the Office of Multicultural & International Student Programs at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, where he also served as an Instructor in Hofstra’s Master’s degree program in Higher Education Administration teaching classes on higher education governance and lecturing on issues of diversity in U.S. higher education. Prior to departing Hofstra, Ryan was honored with the NAACP Award for Excellence issued by the Hofstra Chapter of the NAACP. His recent publications have appeared in the journal International Higher Education (Boston College) and in the book Higher Education in Africa: The International Dimension (2008). Ryan is also a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland (ABD), and he also served as a Visiting Scholar and Lecturer at the University of Pretoria in Tshwane, South Africa where he conducted dissertation research on the internationalization of their College of Education. Ryan has been a diversity education training specialist for over thirteen years, and also spent time working in Residential Life positions for the University of California system, and he is active in both NAFSA and NASPA.

 

Lawrence_James_picMr. Lawrence James, CEO and President

Connexus Technology, LLC, http://www.connexustechnology.com/

Lawrence James, co-founder of Connexus Technology, is President/CEO of Connexus Technology and is responsible for the strategic direction and business development effort of the firm. Connexus Technology is a Systems Integrator implementing data management technology that helps organizations turn their information into a strategic asset.Over the eight years of Connexus’s existence Connexus’s clients have included TD Bank, DOW Chemical, Independence Blue Cross, Geisinger Health Systems and Morton Salt to name a few. Lawrence has garnered awards from the Small Business Administration of America for 2007 "Young Entrepreneur of the Year", and the Excellence Award from the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce for 2007 "Innovative Business of the year". Lawrence also spearheaded a Connexus Technology initiative called PrayerConnexus (www.prayerconnexus.com), a website designed to unite the globe in prayer by connecting people in need of prayer with churches and faith-based organizations that have missions to pray for others in need. Lawrence currently serves on Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s Small business board as well as the Philadelphia Chamber’s Executive committee and the Local legislative tax committee.

 

DeborahLong1810_5x7-HiResMs. Deborah Long, Senior Vice President, Governance and Corporate Administration

Girls Scouts of the USA, http://www.girlscouts.org/

She provides the vision, leadership and direction for the work of the governance and corporate administration division. As member of a senior leadership team, Deborah is actively engaged in strategic planning, executing strategy, and positioning the organization for future growth and development. Deborah has more than 28 years of professional expertise in non-profit management with an extensive background in children and family services, youth development, and organizational development.  She was the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley in Rochester, NY and previously served in leadership positions with Catholic Family Center and the Urban League of Rochester, Inc.  Deborah has held numerous volunteer leadership positions at a host of non-profit organizations in the mental health and grassroots community development sectors.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and American History, and her Masters of Science degree in Community Services, both from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.