TAFFI AYODELE ’00 ANNOUNCED AS 2018 CONVOCATION SPEAKER
On September 5, 2018, current and new students, NA leadership and faculty members will come together for Newark Academy’s 245th Convocation Ceremony and welcome Taffi Ayodele ’00, the keynote speaker. The annual Convocation Ceremony inspires NA students to connect with classmates as they begin the momentous journey of a new academic year.
Taffi co-founded Thando’s, a footwear design and distribution company providing a platform for African artists to co-design shoes for women that are comfortable, convenient, stylish and affordable. Thando’s tied for 1st place in the Beta Group at the Diaspora Demo Day pitch 1competition at the WorldBank in 2015.
The 3rd place winner for the inaugural She Leads Africa Startup Competition in Lagos, Taffi was listed in Forbes as one of the 10 Emerging Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in Africa. Recently appointed to the Board of Trustees at her alma mater New York University (NYU), Taffi serves on the Global Initiatives and Student Life committees.
Taffi served as the Director of the Office of Executive Initiatives at the New York State Dormitory Authority (DASNY), one of the nation’s largest issuers of low-cost, tax-exempt bonds and one of its biggest public builders. To help broaden procurement opportunities and increase utilization of women and minority-owned business, she developed Authority-wide diversity programs.
An alumna of New Jersey SEEDS, she currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the nonprofit organization that provides educational access to high-achieving, low-income students.
An independent school for students in grades 6-12