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HomeU.S.-Africa Leaders Summit...President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement

# President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement

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events

press/media

council member bios

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## About

The African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum, held on December 13, 2022 in Washington, D.C. as part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, reflected the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening the dialogue between U.S. officials and the Diaspora in the United States.  During the Forum, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the creation of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States (PAC-ADE) and that same day, President Biden signed Executive Order 14089 directing the Secretary of State to establish the PAC-ADE, which will enhance the dialogue between United States Officials and the African Diaspora.The PAC-ADE will advise the President, through the Secretary of State, on strategies to:

          -  Strengthen cultural, social, political, and economic ties between African communities, the global African Diaspora, and the United States.
          -  Address challenges and opportunities to advance inclusion, belonging, and public awareness of the diversity, accomplishments, culture, and history of the African Diaspora.
          -  Increase public- and private-sector collaboration and community involvement in improving the socioeconomic well-being of African Diaspora communities.
          -  Increase the participation of members of the African Diaspora in the U.S. with regard to trade, investment, economic growth, and development programs relating to Africa.
          -  Strengthen educational ties and exchanges. 

More information about the Advisory Council can be found in **President Biden’s Statement on Announcing the Inaugural Members of the Advisory Council**, and **Secretary Blinken’s Statement on the Inaugural Members of the Advisory Council.**

### Photo Gallery

The President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement, in collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hosted a special edition of “Advance with Africa” in Atlanta, GA on March 18, 2024.

## Events

### Upcoming Events

May 6, 2024

Corporate Council on Africa US-Africa Business Summit at Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, TX

### Past Events

April 16, 2024

Third Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD)

PAC-ADE Executive Director Deniece Laurent-Mantey and PAC-ADE member Patrick Gaspard joined the U.S. Government delegation to the Third Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) April 16-19, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland.  The Permanent Forum is a consultative mechanism for people of African descent and other relevant stakeholders as a platform for improving the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent.  Ambassador Gaspard gave remarks during the U.S. side event on Ensuring Equal Access to Educational Opportunities Regardless of Race, Color, or National Origin.

Photos by staff of U.S. Embassy in Geneva

April 13, 2024

Africa Business Club Conference

PAC-ADE Executive Director Deniece Laurent-Mantey was the Keynote Speaker for the 5th Annual Africa Business Conference on Saturday, April 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.

March 20, 2024

ADIS24: African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2024 at Hayes Mansion in San Jose, CA

PAC-ADE members participated in the Ninth Annual African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS), March 20-22 in San Jose, CA. 

Council member C.D. Glin delivered the opening keynote address and participated in a panel discussion on exploring the impact of the PAC-ADE, joined by Executive Director Deniece Laurent-Mantey, and PAC-ADE members Mimi Alemayehou and Almaz Negash. Almaz is the founder and CEO of African Diaspora Network (ADN), which organizes and facilitates the symposium every year. 

The ADIS 2024 (ADIS24) theme was “Activate with Africa: Climate Change, Connections, and Action”, exploring how to activate the African diaspora, Africans on the continent, and friends of Africa to contribute toward Africa’s sustainable growth and development.

Photos by Silicon Valley African Film Festival

Read more on the ADIS24 event.Collapse Additional Content

March 18, 2024

Advance with Africa Event Co-Hosted with U.S. Chamber of Commerce

March 18, 2024

Second Plenary Session Meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States

Council members discussed priorities for 2024 and reviewed proposed initiatives.

The President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States (PAC-ADE) gathered in Atlanta, Georgia on March 18, 2024, for its second plenary session meeting.  All 12 members of the Council participated in the meeting, during which they discussed priorities for the 2024 calendar year and reviewed proposed initiatives.  The meeting, which was open to the public, was attended by faculty and students from Spelman College, members of the Kenyan Diaspora community, staff from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and members of the African Diplomatic Corps.  Ambassador Andrew Young and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens both joined the meeting and offered words of support and recommendations for the Council’s work. 

The Council adopted a series of recommendations, to include programs focused on student exchanges for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and African education institutions.  The Council also agreed to call for more U.S. Government policy support for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and funds for climate-focused initiatives in Africa, facilitation of a platform for holding PAC-ADE townhall-style meetings with African diaspora community groups, improving visa processes for those on the African continent to travel to the United States, and strengthening investments and collaboration in the African creative industries.  The Council also adopted PAC-ADE sub-committees on trade and investment, creative industries, education, health, and youth engagement.  Follow-up work on the Council’s adopted recommendations is ongoing. 

In addition to convening for the meeting at Spelman, the Council members toured the Carter Center and participated in a roundtable discussion on election monitoring and governance and democracy trends in Africa.  Council members also attended and participated in the “Advance with Africa” event, in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on fostering economic engagement through diaspora business ties.

Photos by Charles S. Canady Jr. of Spelman College

Read more about the second plenary session meeting.Collapse Additional Content

October 30, 2024

Secretary Blinken at the Swearing-in Ceremony for the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement

October 30, 2024

Recording from Inaugural Council Meeting and Swearing-In Ceremony at White House [YouTube]

## Press/Media

March 15, 2024

President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States Meeting in Atlanta

January 11, 2024

Delegation to the Africa Cup of Nations to Strengthen People-to-People Ties

October 30, 2023

The Swearing-In Ceremony and Inaugural Plenary Session Meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States

September 26, 2023

Inaugural Members of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States

## Council Member Bios

### Members of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement

The President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States (PAC-ADE) includes 12 members, who are representatives of and reflect the diversity of the African Diaspora from African American and African immigrant communities, including individuals who have distinguished themselves in government, sports, creative industries, business, academia, social work, and faith-based activities.

Kevin Young, Member

Kevin Young is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Young served as the Director of The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from 2016 to 2021, and spent two decades prior as a distinguished professor of creative writing and English. The author of fifteen books of poetry and prose, Young’s most recent works include Stones (2021), a finalist for the T.S. Eliot Prize, and a children’s book, Emile and the Field, named one of the best children’s books of 2022 by the New York Times. His first nonfiction book The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness (2012) was a New York Times Notable Book and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Young is also the editor of nine volumes, most recently the anthology African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song (2020). Young holds degrees from Harvard College and Brown University and has held a Stegner Fellowship in Poetry at Stanford University and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. Also the poetry editor of the New Yorker magazine, Young is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Society of American Historians, and was named a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Both sides of his family hail from Louisiana.

Deniece Laurent-Mantey

Executive Director

Deniece Laurent-Mantey serves as the Executive Director of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States and the senior State Department representative for the U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit. From April 2021 – February 2023, she served as the Director for Africa at the White House National Security Council where she led over 18 U.S. government agencies and coordinated with various stakeholders to execute President Biden’s priorities for the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and was the policy architect behind the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement. Laurent-Mantey led efforts to help generate $15 billion to support trade and investment across Africa, and a $55 billion commitment to advance U.S.- Africa shared priorities. Under her guidance, the White House launched the $800 million Digital Transformation with Africa initiative. Since 2008, Laurent-Mantey has served on the Secretary of State’s policy planning staff, held the position of Acting Deputy Director and Desk Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs, served as Special Assistant to Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry, and worked as a Staff Assistant and intern in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science; the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; and the Bureau of African Affairs from 2008-2012. Laurent-Mantey is the recipient of two Department of State Superior Honor Awards and two Meritorious Honor Awards. She was named one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in 2018. She has an MA in African Studies and Public Policy from Howard University and a BA in International Relations from Syracuse University.

Matthew Becker

Designated Federal Officer

Matthew Becker serves as the Designated Federal Officer of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States and is a Senior Foreign Affairs Officer in the Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary. From 2020-2023, he served on the Human Rights Team in the Bureau of International Organizations’ Office of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs and from 2016-2020 as a Multilateral Diplomacy Advisor and PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Program Manager in the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. Mr. Becker has also completed detail assignments in the Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking and the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. He joined the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2013 and is the recipient of a Department of State Superior Honor Award and a Meritorious Honor Award. He has an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University and a B.A. in Political Science from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

## Contact Us

For inquiries on the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States, contact us at **AfricanDiaspora@state.gov**.

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