African Professionals Network (APNET)
The people who keep this running
Officers, directors and advisors. Most of them found APNET the same way you might: at an event, as a guest, before anyone asked them for anything.
An organization this size only works if everyone knows their job
APNET is led by two separate bodies. The Board of Directors runs the organization. The Advisory Board advises it. Nobody sits on both.
The officers of the Board of Directors carry the operating responsibility, from governance and finance to events, communications and partnerships. Alongside them, a small group of directors and staff handle the week to week work: grants and donor management, membership, student engagement and corporate relationships.
The Advisory Board is deliberately at one remove. Its members bring expertise from academia, business, law and community leadership, and their job is strategy and long range judgment rather than day to day management.
The essentials
Two boards, two jobs
Keeping operations and counsel in separate hands is what lets each body do its work without second guessing the other.
Registered 501(c)(3)
Incorporated in 2016, with defined officer roles and fiduciary oversight.
Published filings
Our organizational profile and filings are public. View our Candid / GuideStar profile.
One way in
Email apnetcincy@myapnet.org and we will route your message to the right person.
Officers
The elected officers of the Board of Directors. They carry the day to day responsibility for running the organization, from finance and governance to events, communications and partnerships.
Directors and Staff
The people who run the work week to week: finance operations, grants and donor management, membership and student engagement, and corporate relationships.
Megan Ryan
Enoch Benedict Owusu
Godfred Brobbey
Rose Che
Advisory Board
A separate body from the Board of Directors. These members are not involved in running APNET. They are here to be asked hard questions, and to answer them from outside the day to day.
Founders and founding members
The Founders
APNET was established by four individuals who formed the inaugural chapter and shaped the organization’s early vision, governance and programming. Under APNET’s governing documents, Founder designation is reserved exclusively for them.
- Prince Ellis
- Ruth Nduta Ellis
- Frederick Odame
- Peter Nyame
Founding Members
Early supporters who built the organization’s credibility and culture through volunteerism, leadership, event participation and outreach during its formative years.
- Angella Maingi
- Clara Matonhodze
- Jane Muindi
- and others
Questions people ask about the team
Tap any to open.
What is the difference between the two boards?
The Board of Directors oversees the day to day operations of the organization and its network of partners, which covers coordination, management and growth. The Advisory Board is a separate body that brings outside expertise to bear on strategy, innovation and long range decision making.
How do I reach a specific person?
Twenty of the people on this page link a LinkedIn profile, which is usually the most direct route. Otherwise email apnetcincy@myapnet.org with the name in the subject line.
Are there openings on the board?
Composition changes over time, and committee seats open more often than board seats do. Write to us with your background and we will be straight with you about what exists right now.
I would rather help without joining a board.
That is often the better place to start. Four hours a year at an APNET event earns a full one year membership, and it is how many of the people on this page began. See the volunteer page.
Why is Founder a separate designation?
APNET’s governing documents reserve the Founder title for the four people who formally established the organization. Founding Members are recognized separately for the work they did in the years that followed.
Where can I read about the organization itself?
The programs and events page covers what APNET runs through the year, and our published profile covers governance and finances.
Every person on this page started as a guest
If you want to serve on a board or a committee, tell us who you are and where you think you could help. We will tell you honestly what is open.
Trying to reach one person in particular? Email apnetcincy@myapnet.org and we will pass it along.