Leadership

Brice Ngameni, President & Co-Founder

Brice Ngameni is President and Co-Founder of Pembe. Brice is a Cameroonian citizen who immigrated to the United States to further his studies. He graduated from American University in 2012 where he majored in Business Administration. He then went to work for Citigroup ultimately holding the position of Assistant-Vice President in Citi’s Export and Agency Finance group. In that capacity, Brice helped several emerging markets governments and corporate clients of Citigroup raise funding for important infrastructure or capital expenditure programs. Brice graduated from Harvard Law School in 2021, and now works at Skadden as an Energy and Infrastructure Projects Associate. Brice is passionate about the development of energy infrastructure in Africa and its nexus with sustained and inclusive economic growth on the continent. In his spare time, Brice enjoys watching soccer, reading classic African novels, and playing basketball. Brice also enjoys mentoring teenagers from disfavored economic backgrounds.

Dani Makia, COO & Co-Founder

Dani Makia is Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Co-Founder of Pembe. Cameroonian by heritage, she was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2013, where she majored in Government and English Literature. Upon graduating from UVA, she worked as an antitrust litigation paralegal at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. She graduated from William & Mary Law School in 2019, and currently works as a Vice President and Data Privacy Compliance Officer at a mid-sized bank, where she focuses on data privacy and data protection compliance matters. In her spare time, she enjoys long-distance running, listening to music, trying new restaurants in the city, reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Wole Oluborode, Co-Director of Mentee Recruiting

Wole Oluborode is Co-Director of Mentee Recruiting at Pembe. His family is originally from Nigeria. He's currently a Corporate Associate at Latham & Watkins. Wole graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2021, where he was a member of the Black Law Students Association and served on the board for the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives. Wole is passionate about economic empowerment in the African American community, specifically through education, professional advancement and entrepreneurship. Wole enjoys playing basketball, trying out new restaurants and hanging out with friends.

Yemi Adediran, Co-Director of Mentee Recruiting

Yemi Adediran, a third-year at Harvard Law School, is Pembe’s Co-Director of Mentee Recruiting. He studied law for five years in Nigeria before moving to the US in 2013. He subsequently earned a BA in philosophy from Syracuse University in 2016. He then worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Kansas City Public Schools, helping the school district with community outreach in its efforts to provide support for newly resettled refugees who, altogether, spoke over fifty languages. Yemi graduated from Harvard Law School in 2021, and now works at Weil Gotshal & Manges as a Private Funds Associate. He funds Kathēkon, a grant organization that supports education and civil society in Nigeria. He enjoys reading and writing on topics in epistemology and jurisprudence. He also writes plays, short stories, and polemics on culture, religion, and politics.

Zamzam Mohammed, Director of Social Media

Zamzam Mohammed is Director of Social Media at Pembe. She is a public interest lawyer from Nairobi, Kenya and holds a Master of Laws Degree (LL.M) from Harvard Law School. She is passionate about women's rights and currently works at the Kenya Mission to the United Nations in New York as an Advisor on Women, Peace and Security at the Security Council and Gender and Human Rights at the Third Committee. Prior to this, she was a legal fellow at the International Service for Human Rights where she worked to defend and support human rights defenders from around the world. While in Nairobi, she worked as an Associate in the real-estate and property management department at Kaplan & Stratton Advocates. She enjoys podcasting, reading, traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

Patrick Ntchobo, Co-Director of Mentor Recruiting

Patrick Ntchobo is Co-Director of Mentor Recruiting at Pembe. He is a first-generation American of proud Ivorian heritage. After graduating from Baylor University in 2016 with a degree in political science, Patrick spent one legislative session serving as legislative director in the Texas House of Representatives before heading to law school. Patrick graduated from Stanford Law School in 2020 and is currently a litigator at Edelson PC. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys reading, sports, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.

Sabri Siraj, Co-Director of Mentor Recruiting

Sabri Siraj is Co-Director of Mentor Recruiting at Pembe. He's a graduate of Harvard Law School, and currently works as a Litigation Associate at Davis Polk. His family is originally from Eritrea. He was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and completed his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, hiking, reading, and hanging out with family and friends. Sabri looks forward to working with and helping everyone out with anything law school or life related.

Doriane Nguenang, Director of Content

Doriane Nguenang is Director of Content at Pembe. She was born and raised in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and moved to the United States when she was 16. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2021. She is currently an MBA Candidate at HEC Paris. Prior to her business studies, Doriane was an Associate at Baker McKenzie. She cares about the community and is involved in numerous pro bono and volunteering initiatives. In her free time, she enjoys working out, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Naya Coard, Director of Programming

(Biography coming soon.)

Martina Tiku, Co-Director of Mentor & Mentee Engagement

Martina Tiku is Co-Director of Mentor & Mentee Engagement. Martina is a Cameroonian-American, born and raised in Georgia. Martina graduated from Duke University in 2017, where she majored in Public Policy and minored in Education. Her Public Policy background sparked an interest in learning how the law impacts the most vulnerable members of our society. Thus, she decided to attend Harvard Law School. At Harvard, Martina served as President of Harvard Defenders, a student organization dedicated to providing legal representation to low-income individuals in Criminal Show-Cause hearings, and was a board member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the second-largest legal service provider in Massachusetts. Martina currently works as an Equal Justice Works Fellow with the NAACP where she works to address housing insecurity in Atlanta.

Augustine Manga, Co-Director of Mentor & Mentee Engagement

Augustine Manga is Co-Director of Mentor & Mentee Engagement. Born in Alexandria, VA but raised in Prince George’s County, MD, Augustine’s roots trace all the way back to Yaounde and Douala, Cameroon. Augustine graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in 2018, where she majored in both Government & Politics and Criminology & Criminal Justice. Augustine is currently a 3L at William & Mary Law School where she is involved in organizations such as the Black Law Students Association, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition Team, Honor Council, and is a staff writer on the Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice. In her spare time she enjoys watching Christmas movies, listening to music, reading, and eating good food.

Hassan Abdelhalim, Webmaster

Hassan Abdelhalim is the Webmaster at Pembe. He is from Sudan originally and grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended the University of Mary Washington where he studied cognitive neuroscience. After graduation, he worked as a web developer in New York and Los Angeles. He graduated from William & Mary Law School in 2019. Hassan currently serves as staff counsel for the Communications, Science, and Technology Committee of the Virginia General Assembly. In his free time, he is passionate about performing standup and improv comedy, listening to podcasts on behavioral economics, and Crossfit.

Aaron Yemane , Director of Finance

Aaron Yemane is Director of Finance at Pembe. His family is originally from Eritrea. He was raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Aaron graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2021. While in law school, Aaron was a member of the Black Law Students Association and participated in the Federal Legislation Clinic. Aaron is currently an Associate at an international law firm and working in their Boston office. In his free time, Aaron enjoys playing and watching soccer, spending time with family and friends, and cooking. Aaron is passionate about supporting the next generation of legal professionals and improving African American representation in the profession.