Ogechi Ugwulebo is a Wife, Mother, Senior Software Engineer, Information Security Professional, Community Leader and Founder of the Association of Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals (ANWEP), a 501c(3) non-profit organization, registered in the state of Texas with a mission to empower women through education, role modeling, mentorship and support for women in crisis. As a leader, Ogechi inspires other minority women living in the state of Texas to give back to their immediate communities by making a positive impact through volunteerism and practical philanthropy. Ogechi understands that role models and mentors help young women visualize themselves as Professionals and future Leaders which is why her mentoring efforts not only provide successful role models for future women in STEM, but also showcase the range of opportunities a STEM education makes possible. Ogechi recognizes that female education is a crucial component to poverty alleviation and investing in girls education also helps delay early marriage and parenthood.
Ogechi is originally from Nigeria and moved to the United states in 1996. Prior to moving to the United States, Ogechi obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. Upon her arrival in the United States, Ogechi decided to pursue another Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Nevada in Reno and later obtained a Master of Science Degree in Cybersecurity from the University of Dallas. Among Ogechi’s many talents, one of her greatest passion is to give back to her community through active participation in empowering the next generation of women leaders and entrepreneurs.
Through ANWEP, Ogechi has developed the following programs:
1. “Confident Girl Teen Empowerment initiative” features a day of STEM activities for pre-teen and teen girls ages 9-16 and a leadership workshop covering areas such as self-esteem and positive body image, identifying early signs of sexual assault and gender based violence and much more. The aim is to create awareness, education and empowerment with an emphasis on the value of intelligence and competence.
2. “Empower Girls in STEM” initiative which is designed to give underrepresented groups, particularly girls and women, a window into STEM careers through mentorship and role modeling. It is Ogechi’s mission to increase the number of women in STEM through ANWEP’s career-focused programs and initiatives. Investing in young people’s education is very vital since it is directly correlated to employment opportunities, leadership and entrepreneurship. ANWEP awards academic scholarships annually to undergraduate female students in the four areas of STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
3. “Adopt-a-Family for the holidays”, Ogechi’s philanthropic spirit can be seen in her passion to make our community a better place to live by creating the Adopt-a-Family program which focuses on providing emergency assistance to families in need within the DFW communities and beyond. The goal is to make everyone’s Christmas wishes come true. ANWEP collects the list of wants for Christmas and endeavors to provide most items on the list or issue a gift card to enable the family to purchase food and other necessities.
4. “Support for Victims of Domestic Violence”, ANWEP participates as a Sponsor at the Denton County Friends of the Family (DCFOF) annual Holiday Express Fundraiser. DCFOF is a shelter for women who are victims of sexual and domestic abuse.
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ogechi-ugwulebo-2954461/
National President – Ogechi Ugwulebo
Ogechi Ugwulebo is a Wife, Mother, Senior Software Engineer, Information Security Professional, Community Leader and Founder of the Association of Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals (ANWEP), a 501c(3) non-profit organization, registered in the state of Texas with a mission to empower women through education, role modeling, mentorship and support for women in crisis. As a leader, Ogechi inspires other minority women living in the state of Texas to give back to their immediate communities by making a positive impact through volunteerism and practical philanthropy. Ogechi understands that role models and mentors help young women visualize themselves as Professionals and future Leaders which is why her mentoring efforts not only provide successful role models for future women in STEM, but also showcase the range of opportunities a STEM education makes possible. Ogechi recognizes that female education is a crucial component to poverty alleviation and investing in girls education also helps delay early marriage and parenthood.
Ogechi is originally from Nigeria and moved to the United states in 1996. Prior to moving to the United States, Ogechi obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. Upon her arrival in the United States, Ogechi decided to pursue another Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Nevada in Reno and later obtained a Master of Science Degree in Cybersecurity from the University of Dallas. Among Ogechi’s many talents, one of her greatest passion is to give back to her community through active participation in empowering the next generation of women leaders and entrepreneurs.
Through ANWEP, Ogechi has developed the following programs:
1. “Confident Girl Teen Empowerment initiative” features a day of STEM activities for pre-teen and teen girls ages 9-16 and a leadership workshop covering areas such as self-esteem and positive body image, identifying early signs of sexual assault and gender based violence and much more. The aim is to create awareness, education and empowerment with an emphasis on the value of intelligence and competence.
2. “Empower Girls in STEM” initiative which is designed to give underrepresented groups, particularly girls and women, a window into STEM careers through mentorship and role modeling. It is Ogechi’s mission to increase the number of women in STEM through ANWEP’s career-focused programs and initiatives. Investing in young people’s education is very vital since it is directly correlated to employment opportunities, leadership and entrepreneurship. ANWEP awards academic scholarships annually to undergraduate female students in the four areas of STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
3. “Adopt-a-Family for the holidays”, Ogechi’s philanthropic spirit can be seen in her passion to make our community a better place to live by creating the Adopt-a-Family program which focuses on providing emergency assistance to families in need within the DFW communities and beyond. The goal is to make everyone’s Christmas wishes come true. ANWEP collects the list of wants for Christmas and endeavors to provide most items on the list or issue a gift card to enable the family to purchase food and other necessities.
4. “Support for Victims of Domestic Violence”, ANWEP participates as a Sponsor at the Denton County Friends of the Family (DCFOF) annual Holiday Express Fundraiser. DCFOF is a shelter for women who are victims of sexual and domestic abuse.
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ogechi-ugwulebo-2954461/
National Vice President – Rachel Azinge
Dr. Rachel C. Azinge is a family dentist and the dental director of Dental Spa of Texas in Frisco, Texas, since 2004. Dr. Azinge received her Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from New York University College of Dentistry in 1997. While practicing in New York, she began to perfect her skills as a dental craftswoman, whose scientific knowledge and artistic insight has helped perform many smile makeovers with amazing results.
Dr. Azinge, also known as Dr. Amazing by her patients, has completed hundreds of hours of post-graduate residency training in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and at Bronx Lebanon Hospital.
Dr. Rachel Azinge is one of the few dentists to be recognized as a preferred provider by the makers of Invisalign® clear aligners. Dr. Rachel Azinge has proven her dedication and commitment to her profession by developing a reputation of excellence, trust and partnership within the Frisco and surrounding communities. She is known as the Gentle Dentist. She believes that listening and showing deep concern for her patients will make them feel comfortable in all dental procedures. This belief is also reflected in her team.
Dr. Azinge is one of an elite group of dentists who personally sculpt patients’ new smiles in sync with facial proportions and personal goals. Her approach to cosmetic dentistry provides her patients with smiles that are not only beautiful but help them project that image of “all that they can be.” She welcomes patients of all ages and is great with kids and all family members. She welcomes all patients from Frisco, Prosper, Celina, McKinney, Allen, Plano, The Colony, Little Elm and Carrollton.
Dr. Azinge has a very simple philosophy: To treat all patients the way she would want to be treated, with a lot of respect and kindness! She proudly became the “Official Team Dentist” for the Dallas Maverick’s affiliate, the Texas Legends NBA-D League, in 2016. Since then, she has sponsored several Frisco community events and enjoys helping with donations to the Frisco Family Services.
Chisorom Okwuosa – Board Member
Attorney Chisorom Okwuosa is the Chief Legal Counsel at the State of California department of aging. She has been with the State of California since 1993 and serves as the principal legal advisor to CDA Director and Deputy Directors providing legal advice to CDA Executive Management team and program staff on the most difficult, sensitive and complex program issues in the Department. She is a great advocate for women affairs and a great mentor to our young and upcoming women leaders. She is a strong believer in women empowerment and shares our vision of giving back to the communities that we live and work in. Chisorom understands that success depends on discipline and commitment – commitment to your enterprise, to your personal development, and to growing your effectiveness. All of these commitments result in personal wealth. To her, receiving comes as a result of being a good giver and successful leaders have the DNA to give.
Dr. Amiso M. George, APR, fellow PRSA – Board Member
Amiso M. George (Ph.D., Ohio University; Accredited in Public Relations (APR); Fellow of the Public Relations Society of America [PRSA] is associate professor and former chair of the Strategic Communication Department in the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at Texas Christian University (TCU), Fort Worth, Texas.
She is the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2017 Educator of the Year. She also received the 2017 Bridge Award for Excellence in Strategic Communication Research from the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference (ICRCC) and the University of Central Florida Nicholson School of Communication. George was director of the Public Relations program at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno, where she developed and taught the first course in crisis communication. A visiting professor of strategic communication at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, in 2012, she had worked as a journalist and freelance broadcaster in radio and television and consultant for nonprofit organizations in the United States, including C-SPAN, and universities in Nigeria, Australia and Malaysia. President-elect of the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and a Carnegie Foundation Fellow, George is co-editor of Culture and Crisis Communication: Transboundary Cases from Nonwestern Societies (Wiley, 2017), Crisis Communication: An International Perspective on Hits and Misses (Routledge/Taylor Francis, 2012) and Race, Gender and Other Minorities: Readings for Professional Communicators (Cognella, 2012). She consults in crisis communication. Professor Amiso also volunteers her time and talent to teach Proper Etiquette at the ANWEP Confident Girl Self Esteem workshop.
Contact her at a.george2@tcu.edu.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amiso-george-apr-fellow-prsa.
Follow her on Twitter @Tampriye