Dr. Bosede Airhia has been in the education industry for more than 13 years. In that capacity, she has implemented and led several education initiatives in the United States. She is the President and CEO of Schekinah Mentors International in the US with global affiliations.
She is a visionary who is passionate about empowering young people. A deep lover of education, she is driven to make society better by helping to find a solution to the problem of high school dropouts in the Greater Houston area, especially the Houston Independent School District. She has devoted her energy and resources to this goal.
Schekinah Mentors has been the platform for the mobilization of youth and young adults to go back to school and take their education to a higher level. She believes firmly that education is key to socioeconomic and national development. Bosede has been very successful in convincing this set of individuals through the awareness campaigns mounted. For ex-convicts out of the prison, Schekinah Mentors International has also provided a place for them to take the GED, learn a trade, or be equipped with basic technology tools for integration into society or the workforce. Dr. Airhia has also recorded considerable success in this endeavor.
Dr. Bosede Airhia has an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Texas Southern University, an MS in Management Information Systems from Texas Southern University, and a B.Sc. in General Business Management from the University of Maiduguri.
Dr. Bosede Airhia is happily married and has an adorable daughter.
Dr. Marvin E. Johnson is an Adjunct Instructor in the School of Education and Human Services. Dr. Johnson teaches statistics and serves as a quantitative methodologist for a cohort of students in the Ethical Leadership Doctoral program. Additionally, Dr. Johnson is a fulltime teacher at YES Prep North Forest high school. Prior experiences include instruction at Prairie View A&M University and San Jacinto College.
Dr. Johnson has a Ed. D. in Higher Education Leadership from Texas Southern University. His research focused on the employability of African American engineers and the factors that would make them more marketable and competitive in their careers. A key strength is the focus on student learning and overall development both academically and socially. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Johnson spends his time as an entrepreneur with a publishing company and beverage company. His latest project is a non-profit that will provide services for foster care children across the state of Texas. He is also a mentor and active supporter of several STEM programs as well as time in his vegetable garden.
Dr. Marvin Johnson is originally from Greenville, South Carolina. His background includes a three-year enlistment in the U. S. Army where he received an honorable discharge. He holds a B. S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and a M. S. in Chemical Engineering from Missouri School of Science and Technology. Prior to transitioning into education, Dr. Johnson had a more than 20-year career in industry in several technical and leadership roles at various Fortune 500 companies.
Dr. Johnson currently resides in Pearland, TX with his domestic partner of more than eleven years. He has three sons, one granddaughter and one grandson.
Jessica Thompson is the Director of three Day Care Centers in Houston, Texas: ARM Learning Center, South Gessner Child Care and Learning Center, and West Park Learning Center.
Her passion is early childhood development, and she has carved an enviable reputation in the Day Care business in the Houston metropolis. The children under her care – well-rounded and groomed in character, respect, attitude, manners, and learning, set her day care centers apart from the flock.
Ms. Thompson is a philanthropist par excellence, having been involved in numerous philanthropic projects. She has been instrumental to sending many youth and adults back to school to earn college degrees, oftentimes assisting with paying their school fees.
Her experience combined with her zeal in education, her entrepreneurial ability laced with determination to succeed, come in very useful for SMI.
Oumoul Hairou Setamou is a Beninse-American currently residing in San Antonio, Texas.
Her undergraduate background is Medical Anthropology, Public Health and Women and Gender Studies.
She is interested in concepts such as racial and gender equity in education, structural violence, the social determinants of health, gender based violence, and the ways in which education, race, gender, and health & illness is discussed within the public health apparatus. Her research is grounded in the intersections of health & illness, and the body, within the context of post-colonial frameworks.
Currently, Oumoul is an ELA teacher that is pursuing a Masters of Science in Reading Specialization, with a focus on improving Literacy education for impoverished youth of color.
Dr. Ozie S. Owen has been a leader in the Oil Industry for the last 30 years. In that capacity, he has led and managed diverse teams and individuals from all over the world. Also, he is an ordained Pentecostal minister that has held many diverse roles in the church that include associate and assistant pastor, television director, youth ministry leader, marriage ministry leader, prison ministry leader (men and women), newspaper editor, bible study teacher, etc.
More recently, Ozie is working with ministries in Uganda and is planning future outreach to other countries.
He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and recently received a Master’s in Ministry Leadership (MML) from Belhaven University. His calling is to encourage “hunger for God” through a ministry of all nations. He is currently working on a couple of book projects and planning to start a blog.
Ozie lives in Houston Texas with his wife Lisa. They have three adult children (Colin, Jessica, and Ozie), two school-age children (Oliva and Audra), and four grandchildren. Ozie and Lisa are natives of Illinois.
Management
Friday Airhia is the Program’s Executive Director. He has responsibility for implementation of the strategic direction and day-to-day operation of the program. Friday has served in different top management positions in diverse organizations, including multinational corporations.
He has been involved in project developments in Africa, and has provided consultancy services to various organizations and institutions, including small and medium scale enterprises. He brings to the organization his versatility and vast wealth of experience spanning more than 15 years in project start-up, project implementation and management.
The area of youth empowerment through the instrumentality of education is not new to him as he had a stint as a college lecturer in Nigeria from 1983 to 1991. A Master degree holder of Business/Public Administration, Friday Airhia has applied for a Doctoral degree in Educational Administration.