Don H. Barden, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Barden Companies, Inc.
Detroit, MI
Mr.Barden is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Barden Companies, Inc., which operates in the real estate development and entertainment industries. He is also chairman and owner of Barden International, Inc., based in Namibia, Africa, which is engaged is engaged in the automotive upfitting and distribution business John T. Bolden, Manager, International Marketing, Caterpillar Inc.,
Washington, D.C.
Since November 1997, Mr. Bolden has been assigned to Caterpillar's Washington office in the International Services Division, as Manager of International Marketing. Mr. Bolden's current responsibilities included supporting sales development efforts of Caterpillar's marketing units for Africa. David B. Cooke, Senior Vice President, Allfirst Bank
Baltimore, MD
Mr. Cooke is a Senior Vice President at Allfirst Bank (formerly First National Bank of Maryland), in Baltimore, Maryland, where he is beginning his third decade financing companies in Latin America. Mr. Cooke has been in banking since 1983, and manages a business unit which finances emerging-market buyers of equipment and services manufactured or designed in the U.S. Robert E. Duncan, President and owner of Leawood Export Finance, Inc.,
Overland Park, KS
Mr. Duncan is President and Owner of Leawood Export Finance, Inc., an export trading and finance company doing business in 20 countries including Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Mr. Duncan also is affiliated with Leawood International Associates which focuses on large trade and project financings in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Ambassador Koby Arthur Koomson, Embassy of Ghana
Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Koomson was appointed by His Excellency Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings as Ghana's Ambassador to the U.S. with concurrent accreditation to Mexico and the Bahamas in October 1997. Prior to Ambassador Koomson's appointment, he was President and CEO of Koomson Financial, a tax accounting and management-consulting firm in Los Angeles, CA and Fortune 500 companies including Beatrice Food, Transamerica Insurance and Genstar. Lauren Lenfest, Vice President, International Development, Oracle Corporation
Washington, D.C.
Mima S. Nedelcovych, Ph.D., Vice President, International Business Development
F.C. Schaffer & Associates, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA.
Mr. Nedelcovych is an expert in international finance and marketing in emerging economics, with over 21 years experience working in Africa. He is the former Executive Director of the African Development Bank. Charles Oshunremi, Vice President for International Relations, QUALCOMM Inc.,
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Oshunremi is Vice President for International Relations at QUALCOMM Inc., one of the fastest growing telecommunications companies in the world. He is responsible for strategic business and industry interests in the Africa and Middle East region. In fiscal year 1999, Ex-Im Bank supported more than $600 million in sales to sub-Saharan Africa, up from nearly $50 million the previous year. Ex-Im Bank is an independent U.S. government agency that assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to developing markets around the world, through export credit insurance, working capital loan guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. In fiscal year 1999, Ex-Im Bank supported nearly $17 billion of U.S. exports worldwide.
