She-EO 18.0
Women, led by purpose, become the architects of extraordinary change. They turn dreams into reality, and with every courageous stride, they dismantle barriers. Guided by unwavering passion, they carve paths forward, crafting a world where every bold move lights the way for generations to come.
HOST
She is the Chief Financial Officer of Ashoka. She is a social impact entrepreneur, a published author, and an educator. She is the founder and president of The She-EO – a global platform for women of African descent to have important conversations that matter. In addition to being the founder and coordinating trustee of United for Kids Foundation, Tope created and hosted the Impact Africa radio show, which inspired Africans and Africans in the diaspora to participate consciously and actively in African development from 2013 to 2015. Impact Africa earned Tope an invitation to a meeting with Senior White House officials during the planning stage of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in 2014.
Tope frequently speaks to global audiences with a mission to inspire. She delivered a powerful address at Hillary Clinton’s final presidential campaign rally in Michigan in November 2016, the keynote speech at Grand Rapids City High School’s commencement ceremony in June 2017, and one of the two keynote speeches at the Future Harvest Conference in January 2021. Prior to becoming a full-time social impact entrepreneur, Tope worked for 2 of the “Big Accounting” Firms, a Fortune 100 energy company, and notable nonprofit organizations in Washington D.C. She also taught agricultural business courses at the University of Maryland, College Park until May 2022.
Tope is set to commence a Doctoral degree program in Human and Organizational Learning at The George Washington University in the Fall of 2022 where she plans to focus on lifelong learning and leadership issues and opportunities for women of African descent globally. She is an alumnus of the University of Lagos in Nigeria, Emory University, Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, and the University of Oxford. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and a United States of America Certified Public Accountant.
Tope is dedicated to serving her community. She served as the Treasurer of Future Harvest from 2020 to 2022, as the interim chairperson of the Women’s National Democratic Club’s Foreign Policy and National Security Task Force in 2021, and as a member of the Montgomery County Maryland County Executive’s Economic Recovery Advisory Group in 2020.
Tope is married to Niyi Balogun, who she co-owns Dodo Farms, a Certified Naturally Grown produce farm in Montgomery County (Maryland) with.
HOT SEAT GUESTS
Dr. Bilikis Oladimeji
Dr. Bilikis Oladimeji is a physician and healthcare informatics professional with about 15 years of experience across clinical practice, clinical research, genomics and personalized medicine, pharmaceutical and life sciences, global health, and business of healthcare. Her three things are equity, education, and health.
Currently the Senior Director, Clinical Technology Strategy at Optum Health where she uses technology including Clinical Decision Support, AI/ML models, and advanced analytics and insights, to create and support products and models of care that deliver value-based care. Her prior employers include GlaxoSmithKline, Duke Health, and Proove Biosciences, a startup focused on applied genomics.
She has held and currently holds leadership positions, serving on task forces, committees, and boards across education, work, and volunteering capacities in areas of Analytics, Informatics, AI/ML, STEAM, Innovation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Women’s Health. She currently serves on the Board of Engineering World Health, a non-profit supporting Biomedical Engineering careers. She enjoys and promotes science and the arts - poetry, writing and public speaking, and volunteers/partners for social impact in Education (STEM, Medicine, and Computer Science), Health and Equity.
She has authored multiple scientific publications - some presented at scientific conferences across the US, including recently at AMIA and the HFES (Human Factors and Ergonomics) in 2022. She also co-authored a chapter in a global textbook on Informatics published in 2022 and has received multiple recognitions and awards in education and roles at different organizations. She is frequently a speaker both inside and outside the organization on education/workforce development, health, and equity.
Dr. Folake Kofo-Idowu
Dr. Folake Kofo-Idowu is an infectious diseases consultant, Double Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties. She began her career with a medical education from Lagos State University before proceeding to complete a residency in internal medicine at the University of Maryland. Dr. Kofo-Idowu furthered to obtain a fellowship in infectious disease from the Medical College of Georgia and an additional Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She has almost 2 decades of clinical medicine experience across Nigeria and the United States.
Previously, Dr. Folake worked as an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Georgia and at the NIAID as a Medical Officer in the Division of AIDS (DAIDS), managing groundbreaking HIV and hepatitis research.
Presently, she works as an Infectious diseases physician in the DMV area of the US, She is the Founder/CEO of IYEWO, a health tech start-up in Lagos, and concurrently the Executive Director for Amal Outreach a non-profit that facilitates healthcare access to underserved communities in Nigeria.
Maryam Oluwakemi Funmilayo
Maryam Oluwakemi Funmilayo is a Public Health Professional whose areas of research expertise include faith-based nutrition education and health promotion, community-based participatory research with immigrant and refugee women, food literacy, women's health, and global health.
Her lived experiences in Nigeria, Canada, the United States, Egypt, and Ghana, fueled her passion to research on the role that nutrition education and health promotion play in women's health, especially among women of African descent suffering from breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, uterine fibroids, and trauma.
Her passion for cross-cultural engagement and community health led her to apply to Public Health AmeriCorps (PHA), which is a groundbreaking initiative made possible through partnership between AmeriCorps and the CDC.
She currently works as a PHA Community Health Worker and an independent researcher at a nonprofit organization in Dallas, Texas, where she explores the social determinants of health among the elderly population living in specific zip codes
She earned a Master of Public Health degree (with a focus on Health Disparities) from Lamar University in Texas, a Master of Arts degree in Health Education and Promotion from East Carolina University in North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutrition (with a focus on Public Health Nutrition) from Kansas State University, in Kansas.
Dr. Otito Okpor is a multifaceted professional with expertise in pharmacy, science, and organizational psychology. She holds a Ph.D. and leverages her scientific background to study the impact of genetics and environment on human behavior, work, and life satisfaction. Dr. Okpor's diverse skills and interests allow her to excel in multiple areas, blending her deep understanding of healthcare with her knowledge of psychology and human behavior.
As the owner of a boutique editorial communications and career consulting firm, Dr. Okpor assists clients in achieving their goals through the power of effective communication and strategic career guidance. Her passion for helping others shine through in her work, where she uses her expertise to empower individuals to excel in their personal and professional lives.
Dr. Okpor's unique combination of experiences and qualifications allows her to provide valuable insights and support to those she works with. Her dedication to helping others win with words and her commitment to fostering success in her clients make her a trusted resource and guide in her field.