INTRODUCTION OF THE SAN FRANCISCO AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD

The San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce and its successor, the San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1973 and has been a founding member of numerous other organizations, including the California Black Chamber and the National Black Chamber of Commerce.  In 1996, the San Francisco Chamber was named the number one chamber in the United States by the National Black Chamber.  The Chamber and Chamber Board are made up of a highly diversified businesses, corporate executives and government officials.  The San Francisco Chamber Board of Directors consists of the following Directors, in alphabetical order, who stand ready to assist:

  Auditor:  Mr. Hyacinth Ahuruonye, CPA, President, HCA & Co. – Owns one of the most prominent certified public accounting firms in San Francisco and is a national officer of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the oldest and largest Black fraternity in the US. 

  Mr. Mathew Ajiake, President of Sonika Corporation – Sonika Corporation is a management consulting firm.  Mr. Ajiake has written several books on organizational management and serves as a small business consultant.

  Michael Baines, GC, President, Baines Group – Mr. Baines, a licensed General Contractor, is one of the most prominent African American general contractors and developers in the Bay Area.  He has been actively involved in the real estate and development business since 1980 within the industrial, commercial and residential sector.  He is also a long time residential developer.

  Dr. Hausmann Banet, RA, President, Lion Capital Management Group.  – A former university economics professor, he is a principal of a $390 million highly successful hedge fund that owns the largest chocolate factory in the US in upstate New York.  He recently sold an equity position to the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire.  He also manages a recently established private equity firm that is of a select number approved by the United States FDIC to buy bank owned foreclosures and failed banks throughout the US

  Mr. Kofi Bonner, Division President, Lennar Urban-  Lennar is one of the largest home builders in America.  Mr. Bonner is in charge of the development of the $1 billion Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Redevelopment Project and the $1 billion 6,000 home development of Candlestick Park in San Francisco.  He is the former City Manager of Oakland, CA

  Vice President:  Dr. Caesar Churchwell, DDS, Principal, Churchwell & Co. – San Francisco Commissioner and a former California State Commissioner, Dr.  Churchwell is a residential developer and a parking management operator.  He is Vice President of Public Relations for the Chamber.

  President and Chairman:  Mr. Frederick Jordan, PE, President, F. E. Jordan Associates – Fred is the head of an engineering and construction management firm that has completed over 1,000 projects throughout the Western US, as well as Africa and Central America.  He is a real estate developer, including the 42 story St. Regis Hotel and Condominiums, San Francisco and is the principal of a profitable start-up hedge fund, The African Opportunity Fund.

  Mr. James McGhee, President, J.L.M. Management Group – California State Commissioner McGhee is a management consultant and is the Outreach Consultant for the $4 billion SF Public Utilities Expansion Program, matching minority contractors with majority prime contractors.

  African American Democratic Club:  Dr. Toye Moses, Executive Director, San Francisco South East Community Facility Commission – San Francisco Commissioner Moses also heads an educational consulting company, Preventive Health Services and is the President Emeritus of the African American Democratic Club.

  Linda Fadeke Richardson, President, ADR Continental Group – An Environmental, Infrastructure, Community Participation, Management Consulting Company, based in San Francisco.  She is a    San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner and serves as Co-Chair of the Commission’s Local Business Enterprise.  Ms. Richardson has served on the San Francisco Planning Commission, Civil Service Commission and the Commission on the Environment. 

  General Counsel:  Mr. Robert Simms, Esq., President, Park SFO – Owns and manages one of the largest airport parking garages at the San Francisco International Airport and owns the only African American Air Cargo Handling Company in the US.  A lawyer, he serves as legal counsel to the Chamber.

   Mr. Richard Soyombe, Director, Center for International Trade Development, Skyline College – Mr. Soyombe develops and leads trade missions to Asia, Central and South America.  He also directs certified solar installation training programs in San Mateo, Marin and San Francisco counties of California.

   Mr. Myles Stevens, AIA, RLA, President, Stevens + Associates, Architects – An international Architect, Planner and Landscape Architect, his firm has performed award winning planning and design of major structures throughout California and internationally.  

   Mr. Mathew Thomas, President, World Connect, Inc. – A former member of the San Francisco Convention and Tourism Board, Mr. Thomas is a noted expert on tourism.  He has provided consulting on tourism throughout the world, from Russia to Australia

   Mr. Fred Williamson, Jr., Vice President, Commercial Lending, Trans Pacific National Bank – Formerly a Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank, Mr. Williams has substantial expertise of providing loans to minority and underserved communities as well as major commercial banking.

Ruth Mays, Executive Director

San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce