Akilah!
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Last night we also headed to the Mayflower for a reception for the Akilah Institute for Women. We snapped former Congressman and event host Jim Davis with Georgetown’s Tricha Kumar, Akilah co-founder/CEO Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes, Katz Watson Group’s Colleen Brown, and Mercer partner Angela Watson. Akilah provides college educational opportunities to women in Rwanda and Burundi.
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Event host and Sandler Trade’s Marideth Sandler joins Akilah alumni Nadine Niyitegeka and Thierry Uwilingiyimana, with Holland & Knight’s Michael Cavanaugh and lawyer Honorine Umwizerwa. Nadine was recently featured in a Washington Post article talking about the Rwandan genocide and the positive impact Akilah has had on her life.
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GWU professor Joann Weiner wrote the article. She’s surrounded by Akilah VP Karen Sherman and by her husband, Sidley Austin’s Richard Weiner, and their daughter Naomi, a Sidwell student who spent last summer working at the Akilah Institute in Rwanda.
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Natl Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ Joe Doctor, Akilah Burundi’s Carmen Nibigira, and Beyond Z’s Susan Cheng. Guests enjoyed an open bar reception with appetizers, including a massive cheese and vegetable platter.