Naima Oyo

Naima Oyo is Executive Director of Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy (“Ifetayo”), and was inspired by the question posed by Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation, “What are you willing to do with your privilege and what are you willing to give up?” Ms. Oyo made the decision to join the ranks of her deeply-respected nonprofit colleagues who work determinedly to make our world a more just and better place for all.

As a proud Brooklyn native, Ms. Oyo brings an exceptional combination of corporate, foundation and community organizing skills, developed through an African-centered life and work experience, to Ifetayo. Ifetayo is a movement! It is a place where the values, strength, and creativity of the African Diaspora empower, embolden, and elevate youth and families. As a forward-thinking and strategic Brooklyn-based institution, Ifetayo inspires current and future generations to develop a strong African-centered cultural identity so that the extended Ifetayo community understands their power and responsibility to transform social inequity – from Brooklyn to Zimbabwe!

In her prior profession, Ms. Oyo spent 20+ years in the financial services sector. Most recently, she was Community Development and Outreach Officer for BankUnited. She previously served as the Community Relations Manager at TD Bank, and as the Metro-NYC Regional CRA Officer at M&T Bank. Ms. Oyo successfully built effective collaborative and wealth-building relationships with key community partners across markets to mutually serve the needs of each financial institution and the communities they served.

Ms. Oyo enjoys both working and volunteering in the community. She helps ensure that community members are active participants in the development of programs, community plans and visioning. She served on the Boards of IMPACCT Brooklyn, the New York Mortgage Coalition, and two donor-directed funding collaboratives – the New York City Change Capital Fund and the Long Island Fund Racial Equity Donor Collaborative. She previously served as the Board Chair of Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, Inc.

Ms. Oyo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Business from Brooklyn College and lives with her family in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.