Directors

Victor Mayeya Odwori

Victor is a management professional with over 20 years of broad experience in administration, supervision, management, production, and creativity in the advertising industry.
He is a seasoned Marketing and Public Relations expert with relevant hands-on experience. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Cypace Marketing, a U.S.-based consultancy firm with representation in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition, Victor has handled operational management roles in Kenya with Take Two Communications, Forward Vision Communications, and Face to Face Limited. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Infinite Quest Marketing, a communication consulting firm, and Kisima Music Awards, an awards initiative recognising the achievements of the East African Community in the entertainment field.

Victor has engaged with various initiatives and worked with multiple organisations, such as Kenya Connect, a U.S non-profit as a board member and Learn for Life Kenya, a U.S. non-profit. Victor heads Afti-pace, a non-profit subsidiary of Cypace Marketing LLC, that promotes international cooperation and fosters actions throughout the diaspora to guide change. He is a Director at Ankara Hospitality Group, a premium service provider of African products.

He is passionately dedicated to advancing Africa by engaging in corporate patriotism initiatives with the various embassies in Washington, D.C., and supporting activities and initiatives through a branding and public relations advisory role.

Victor’s academic background includes the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry College Diploma in Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Selling, and Sales Management. He has various certifications in Information Technology, Import, and Export Trade. He has a postgraduate Leadership and Sustainability certification and is pursuing an MBA at the University of Cumbria (Robert Kennedy College) in Zurich, Switzerland.

Carolyn Musyimi-Kamau

Carolyn brings years of experience in the fields of Community Development and International Relations. She currently works as the Executive Director of New American Africans, an organization that strengthens and sustains former refugees of African descent by gathering for mutual support and education. The organization also works to ensure that the youth prosper through building strong relationships with the host community; creating new pathways for African workers to move into living wage employment; promoting leadership development and community engagement among Africans in the greater Concord, New Hampshire community. 

Carolyn earned her undergraduate degree from Daystar University in Community Development and Communications. After graduating, she worked for World Vision International, in Makueni, Kenya, overseeing construction of projects, microfinance groups and volunteers. She gained additional experience, working with youth with HIV, their families and churches to mitigate spread of the disease in Nairobi through the Baptist Aids Response Agency.

She moved to the Boston area to further her studies at Brandeis University where she earned a Master’s degree in Sustainable International Development. Upon completion, she joined the Consortium for Law and Development at Boston University School of Law. She has done a lot of community organizing, fundraising for the Kenyan Diaspora, and organizing events that bring the community together. She joined the Kenya UN Mission in New York, serving on the Economic and Financial Committee of the United Nations that worked on the post 2015 development agenda, a process led by the UN that aims to help define the future global development framework that succeeded the Millennium Development Goals.

Carolyn also founded her own organization Upendo Women Alliance which brings Kenyan women in the USA together for investment purposes. Through this organization that consists of 15 committed ladies, they have invested over Kshs. 8 Million at the UAP Old Mutual Bank in Kenya and have also been able to visit Israel through their savings and interest made from their investment.

Carolyn is excited to share her wealth of experience with the FOKCDF-US as a Board Member.

Irene G. Mugambi

Irene G. Mugambi has practised law for over 20 years now. She served at the Dallas County District Attorney Office as an Assistant District Attorney from 1995-1996, where she negotiated plea agreements with defence attorneys for individuals charged with offenses. She established a strong track record in criminal law, during her time of service as a public servant. In 1997, she went on to establish the Law Office of Irene Mugambi P.C., where she has been working (to date) as a Shareholder Attorney. She has extensive experience in Family Law and Immigration Law and has thus been involved in conducting investigation and mediation on various matters. She is a member of professional association with State Bar of Texas, American Bar Association, American Lawyers Association and JL Turner Association. She is also a member of various boards and committees. Irene is a dual citizen of Kenya and the US, and travels extensively across several continents. She enjoys pro-bono work and is recognized by several organizations for services given to local communities. She brings to FOKCDF-US, a wealth of networks with local city officials and congressional representatives in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Amanda Yagan

Amanda Yagan is a compassionate and community-focused professional currently pursuing a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the University of Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nairobi. She has been actively involved in various professional organizations throughout her academic journey, including the National Student Academy of Audiology and the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. Amanda’s commitment to community service is evident through her extensive volunteer work. She has also volunteered at UConn NSSLHA and the Mission of Mercy in Pittsburgh serving patients in need of dental, vision and hearing care. In addition to her volunteer efforts, Amanda has held significant leadership roles that reflect her dedication to community philanthropy. As the Vice President of Projects for AIESEC Kenya, she led educational initiatives and organized art therapy sessions for children with cancer, demonstrating her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others. She also served on the High School Outreach Subcommittee of the Northeast Alliance for Speech, Language, and Hearing, where she worked to inspire and educate the next generation of audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Currently, Amanda is a graduate research assistant in a Translational Auditory Neuroscience Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.

Chania Lackey

Chania Lackey, brings over 13 years of experience in program management, design, monitoring, implementation, and evaluation of technical assistance programs aimed at strengthening counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) regimes. She specializes in countries at high risk for terrorism financing across Africa and currently leads initiatives at the Global Center on Cooperative Security. Before joining Global Center, Chania gained a wealth of experience in both the private and public sectors, including leading the implementation of regulatory and compliance programs within financial and technology firms across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. She has also worked as a lawyer at law firms in New York (USA) and Nairobi (Kenya) and at the Republic of Kenya’s Attorney General’s Office. Chania holds an AML/CFT accreditation from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists and earned an LL.M. in Commercial Law, specializing in International Financial Law, Regulation, and Policy, as well as an LL.B. (Honors) from The University of Bristol, United Kingdom

Fred Cooper – Advisory

Fred Cooper is the Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships at Toll Brothers, Inc. (Tollbrothers.com) (NYSE: TOL), a Fortune 500 company he joined in 1993 and helped grow to become one of the largest home builders and land developers in the U.S. The company began business in 1967, went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1986, and has been named World’s Most Admired Home Building Company eight times by Fortune Magazine. 

From 1989 to 1993, Fred was the Director of Corporate Finance and Planning at DKM Properties Corp, the real estate arm of the Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation, one of the nation’s largest private companies. From 1984 to 1989, he was Senior Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee of the Financial Services Corporation, New York City’s Economic Development Bank. From 1980 to 1983, he worked in community-based affordable housing and economic development in the South Bronx and Brooklyn, New York.

He holds an A.B. from Brown University and a Master of Public Policy in Finance and International Development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Fred is a founding Board member of the Friends of KCDF-US and an advisor to Reall International, which provides capital and technical assistance to affordable housing developers in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He is a volunteer consultant with the Stanford University SEED Program, where he works with African entrepreneurs in the real estate development sector. He is a frequent university guest lecturer and conference presenter, including at The World Bank Annual Affordable Housing Conference.

Fred serves on the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board and the University of Wisconsin Graaskamp Center Real Estate Board.