Obenewa Amponsah is an executive leader and strategist with over two decades of experience advancing racial and gender equity through program design, convening, and stakeholder engagement. She brings a proven track record in developing impact-driven initiatives, designing transformational learning experiences, and building cross-sector partnerships across the U.S., Africa, and the global diaspora. Whether curating high-impact fellowships or guiding organizational strategy, Obenewa centers equity, clarity, and collaboration in all she does.
As an independent consultant, Obenewa partners with clients internationally to deliver tailored coaching, learning, and development solutions for individuals and organizations. Her expertise includes conducting needs assessments, leadership development interventions, and designing and delivering programming.
Obenewa’s current assignment is serving as the Interim Managing Director of Program Strategy at the African-American Policy Forum (AAPF), a New York-based think tank co-founded and led by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw.
In addition to producing and promoting innovative concepts such as intersectionality, AAPF facilitates programs to equip academics, activists, and policy-makers to advance racial and gender equality.
In 2018, Obenewa was selected as a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity (AFRE). AFRE is a transnational fellowship based at Columbia University in New York, USA, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa. Designed to build an international network of changemakers committed to advancing equity, the program is a year-long, curriculum-based immersion experience.
As the Executive Director of the Harvard University Center for African Studies’ (CAS) Africa Office, Obenewa provided strategic and operational leadership for CAS’s work throughout Africa, developing public programming and promoting collaborative initiatives with various institutions and universities.