Laban Opande – Houston, Texas

Laban Opande graduated Cum Laude from Texas Southern University’s School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science in 2001. He was also president of the Environmental Health Club at TSU from 2000- 2001. In fall of 2002, he enrolled for an MBA program at the University of Phoenix, majoring in Global Management.

Laban Opande

In 2007, he graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University with a Juris Doctor degree. At Thurgood Marshall, he was Chief Justice of the Honor Court, Vice President of the International and Immigration Law Society, a Member of the Environmental Law Society, and Member of the Dean’s Diversity Committee. He was also an active participant of the law school’s Client Counseling, Moot Court, and Mock Trial Competitions.

As a law student, he interned for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) General Law Division dealing with Labor, Employment and Contracts Law, and TMSL’s Criminal and Environmental Law Clinics. Prior to his admission to law school, he worked for several years as an IT Technical Analyst for American International Group (AIG) in Houston, as well as a Product Support Consultant for PlanView Inc, a software company based in Austin, Texas.

Mr. Opande is the President and Co-founder of The Kenyan Society in Houston (KENSHO). He is a member of the National Environmental Health Association, and Houston-based Uhuru Soccer Club. He attends Fondren Southwest Worship Center. At the Law Firm of Solomon M. Musyimi, Mr. Opande assists in legal representation in areas of Corporate Law, Business and Contract Law, Property and Real Estate Law, Immigration and Employment Law, Personal Injury and Criminal law.

Source:  Law Offices of Solomon M. Musyimi

Rhoda Matiru – Houston, Texas

Rhoda Matiru graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University with Magnum Cum Laude honors in 2006. Ms. Matiru received the Cali Award for Best in Section for Contracts and Civil Procedure.

Rhoda Matiru

In 2001, she graduated with a Masters of Business Administration from the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University. Ms. Matiru has Bachelors of Science in Zoology and Business Administration from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton in Kenya.

While in Law School, Ms. Matiru worked for the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy Earl Carl. While there she dealt with issues pertaining to Family law. She also worked at the University’s Health Center, International Students Affairs office and the Counseling Center where she coordinated activities pertaining to the International Students. At the Law Firm of Solomon M. Musyimi, Ms. Matiru assists in legal representation of clients in Immigration, Family, Corporate, Personal Injury and Criminal law.

Source:  Law Offices of Solomon M. Musyimi

Solomon Musyimi – Houston, Texas

Solomon Musyimi is a lawyer with his own practice in Houston, Texas.He graduated from the Benjamin Banneker Honors Program at Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration with Cum Laude Honors in 1991. In 1994, he graduated with a Master of Science in Management from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. In 2001, he graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law located at Texas Southern University.

SOLOMON MUSYIMI (Photo: Solomon Musyimi website)

While in Law School, Mr. Musyimi did a Judicial Externship with Honorable Judge Kenneth Hoyt of the United States Southern District Court. Solomon Musyimi has been admitted to Practice Law in all State Courts in Texas, as well as the United States Southern, Northern and Western Districts. Prior to entering into the practice of Law, he worked as a Financial Analyst for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn Michigan. After leaving Ford, he worked for Bristol Myers Corporation as a Senior Financial Analyst in the Zimmer Division located in Warsaw, Indiaina.

Mr. Musyimi represents clients in Corporate, Personal Injury, Criminal, Immigration and Family law. He founded the firm in 2001 and is a shareholder. Since establishing the firm, the Law Firm of Solomon M. Musyimi has handled a wide array of cases that has resulted in numerous favorable settlements. Solomon Musyimi is married with two children. He attends Lakewood Church and is a member of the African Christian Medical Mission group. Through this Organization, Solomon Musyimi has done volunteer work in Kenya, Jamaica and Rwanda. An avid runner, Solomon Musyimi participates in the Susan Komen’s Race for the cure of Breast Cancer. Solomon Musyimi is the Vice President of the Africa Bar Association in America, Member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Port of Houston Small Business Division and a Member of the Houston Minority Council.

Source:  Law Offices of Solomon M. Musyimi

James Gathii, Albany, New York

James Thuo Gathii

James Thuo Gathii is the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship and the Governor George E. Pataki Chair of International Commercial Law at Albany Law School, where he has been on the faculty since 2001. His research and expertise are in the areas of public international law, international economic, international intellectual property and trade law as well as on issues of good governance and legal reform as they relate to the third world and sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Before joining Albany Law School, Professor Gathii taught at the Rutgers Business School. He was also a Crowe and Dunlevy Visiting International Law Professor at the University of Oklahoma’s College of Law.

Professor Gathii has published over 40 articles and book chapters, including the Michigan Law Review. He is ranked among the Top 300 Law Authors based on total new downloads on the Social Science Research Network. Professor Gathii has presented his research at several law schools, including at Harvard, Cornell, UC Davis and the University of North Carolina and around the World including in the U.K., Italy, Canada, Kenya, Finland and Holland. He is a member of the International Law Association’s Study Committee on the Meaning of War.

Professor Gathii teaches Business Organizations, Public International Law, International Trade, International Business Transactions and International Organizations. His current research primarily focuses on the social and public policy issues relating to developing country participation in the Doha Round of negotiations with a particular interest in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

Professor Gathii received his LL.B. from the University of Nairobi and his LL.M. and S.J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Source: Albany Law School

David Otunga, Chicago, Illinois

Jennifer Hudson and David Otunga (WireImage)

David Otunga is probably famous for two reasons–he is engaged to Jennifer Hudson, and he was on the show, “I Love New York“.  Lots of speculation has been thrown around about who he is and what he stands for, but few people really know about him.

Otunga is the son of a Kenyan father and an American mother.  Both of his parents were educators and he and his father were very close.  In an interview with De Novo Magazine he noted that he was devastated when his father passed away.   Otunga graduated from Harvard with a law degree and a Bachelor’s in cognitive science from Columbia University.

He rose to fame on the reality show “I Love New York” where he and other guys vied for New York’s love.  His name on the show was “Punk”.  Jennifer Hudson dedicated her Grammy Award performance to him for the strength he’s provided for her through the hard times that she has been going through.  You can read more about him on his Myspace page.

Ory Okolloh, South Africa

 

Ory Okolloh is one of the most recognized names in the blogger front. A Harvard law graduate, she now works as a consultant on telecommunications and citizen journalism in Africa. She is often spotted at different media and blogger conventions and conferences as a featured speaker whose opinions are held in high regard. During the post-election violence in Kenya, she worked tirelessly with several other bloggers to keep Kenyans in the diaspora up to date with the events that were occurring around the country, as they unfolded.

Her blog, Kenyan Pundit, was one of the most read blogs during that time. She is the co-founder of Kenya’s Parliament watch website – Mzalendo. She is also co-founder of Ushahidi that enabled Kenyans in Kenya to send sms reports and upload pictures about what was going on in their neighborhoods. She recently contributed to the upcoming book Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century and blogs on the Poptech Blog.

A salute to one of the pioneers in citizen journalism that is sweeping the world.

June Arunga – Torino, Italy

June Arunga made Clutch Magazine’s list of 21 most powerful and influential women in the world. She was joined by Wangari Mathaai, Ellen Sirleaf, Angelique Kidjo, and Chimamanda Adichie, to name a few. She has made an impact on several fronts and continues to surge forward with more achievements on the horizon. A journalist with a law degree , she is an powerful advocate for Africans making a difference for Africans and serves on the board of advisors for Global Envision, and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. In 2004 she wrote and hosted BBC’s The Devil’s Footpath, and wrote and presented Africa, Who’s to Blame? She is also a senior fellow with Instituto Bruno Leoni, in Italy. To learn more about all the awardees, visit Clutch Magazine’s website. Yes, just another Kenyan doing what comes naturally.

Source: Jamati 

Suzzanne Gitata, Atlanta, Georgia

Suzzanne W. Gitata, a graduate of Nottingham University Law School (U.K.), co-founded RJW because, in her words, she was looking to “be a part of something that transcends [her] immediate universe.” The daughter of Kenya’s first female dentist, she has seen firsthand the impact an individual can have on a community. As a believer in the adage of teaching a man to fish, she was also part of a grassroots movement at the age of 15 called the Youth Network Center that involved peer to peer training about HIV prevention and AIDS through the auspices of Kenya Anti-Rape Organization. She brings to RJW a deep belief and clear vision of what the Foundation can accomplish. An enthusiastic board member, she lives in Atlanta with her family, where she practices financial planning as a private wealth manager.

She joined the board of Common Cause in 2007.

Source: RJW Foundation

Andrew Owiti, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A true renaissance man, Andrew Owiti is an attorney who is very involved in the performing arts scene in Philadelphia, Washington DC and New York. Between 1999 and 2003, he worked on various performing arts ventures in New York and Washington, DC, including the composition of an original musical, “The White Picket Fence”, and starring in the independent film, “Standalone”. At 18 he won a scholarship to the United World College of the Atlantic in Cardiff, Wales, where he earned the International Baccalaureate Diploma. He then won another scholarship to Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Music in 1998. He attended the Georgetown University Law Center, earning a Juris Doctor in 2004.

You can visit his myspace page for more information or visit his blog.

Source: RJW Foundation