Akwasi Aidoo has extensive experience in philanthropy in Africa. His previous positions include regional program officer for West and Central Africa at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), head of the Ford Foundation’s offices in Senegal and Nigeria from 1993 to 2001, and director of the Ford Foundation’s Special Initiative for Africa from 2001 to 2005. Dr. Aidoo sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Resource Alliance, Fund for Global Human Rights, Global Greengrants Fund, Open Society Institute for West Africa, and International Beliefs and Values Institute. He was educated in Ghana and the United States, completing his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Connecticut in 1985, and has taught at universities in Ghana, Tanzania, and the United States. He writes poetry and short stories in his free time.