Kofi Appenteng, Senior Advisor

Kofi Appenteng has three decades of domestic and international experience as a corporate lawyer, investment banker, and board director. He previously served as Senior Counsel at Dentons, a global law firm with more than 75 offices in 50 countries.

Throughout his career, Mr. Appenteng has been active with numerous civil society organizations. He is currently the Chair of the Board of the Ford Foundation, a $12 billion global grant making foundation headquartered in New York with 10 offices throughout Latin America, Asia and Africa. He is the first African to serve in this position. Mr. Appenteng is currently the President and CEO of the Africa-America Institute, a 63-year-old organization with a mission of promoting enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training and dialogue.

Additionally, Mr. Appenteng serves on the Board of the International Center for Transitional Justice, a human rights organization that provides technical assistance to governments in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In recognition of his work in business and philanthropy, he was named a “Great American Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation in 2013.

He holds a BA from Wesleyan University and earned a JD from Columbia University, where he was an International Fellow.