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Founder & Guardian

Chukwuma Ekwelum

Founder

Passionate about youth development, youth advocacy, and improving the human condition through education, Dr. Ekwelum is proud to serve as LEF's Founder and ex-officio Board Director. His hope is not simply to cultivate fine scholars in the classroom, but to also play a role in shaping better ambassadors for a world in desperate need of more people who proliferate God’s love. He has overcome a great deal of hardship in his lifetime and cherishes opportunities to uplift others with his personal story. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, but the eldest child of Nigerian immigrants, he possesses a cultural background and lens that enables him to understand a wide range of life experiences. A dedicated, lifelong learner, Dr. Ekwelum is thankful to God for all of the scholastic achievements that He has blessed him with, including membership in the Charles F. Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Cohort, recipiency of the Bank of America Leaders in Urban Education Scholarship, recipiency of the United States Department of Education Title III Scholarship, and membership in the Wisconsin Idea Executive Ph.D. Cohort in K-12 Leadership. With close to two decades of combined experience in the field of education as a teacher, an in-school administrator, an Adjunct Professor, an Instructional Coach, and a private, Educational Consultant, he brings to this work a profound respect for the process of successfully guiding our youth and the process of supporting continuous adult learning - two areas that require a great deal of humility and compassion. Additionally, he is the author of Education's Silent Exodus: A Critical Exploration of Race & the Shortage of Black Men in the Teaching Profession.

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Away from work and parenting, Dr. Ekwelum enjoys listening to music, exercising, reading, writing, playing chess, playing video games, and watching competitive sports.

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Vanessa Ekwelum

Guardian

With a heart for empowering the next generation, Mrs. Ekwelum is proud to serve as LEF's Guardian. A “Third Culture Kid” (“TCK”) growing up, having been born in Nigeria, yet raised partly in Denmark and partly in the United States, she possesses a rich cultural background and worldview. The eldest of seven children, she learned how to play a motherly, nurturing role at a young age. While in Denmark, Mrs. Ekwelum benefitted from a holistic, cognitively-demanding education that unlocked her ability to think critically. She eventually went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine and then a Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine, both from the University of Southern Denmark. After completing her studies, to be able to invest fully in her family, Mrs. Ekwelum made the decision to lay aside a promising career in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries - a life-changing, rewarding decision that she has not regretted to this day. With regard to the field of education, she has a keen interest in Early Childhood Development, specifically in implementing community-based interventions for supporting children and their families, 360-degrees. This passion led her to enroll in and successfully complete Harvard University's edX course titled, Early Childhood Development: Global Strategies for Implementation in 2023.  

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Away from work and parenting, Mrs. Ekwelum enjoys singing, listening to music, cooking, gardening, makeup artistry, skin care, and watching (and reviewing) movies.

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