By Destiny Day
Marca Bristo and Gbenga Oyebode have been admitted into the Board of Trustee of Ford Foundation.
Their membership was communicated to the public on Friday in a statement signed by Darren Walker President, Ford Foundation.
Walker wrote: “It is my great pleasure to announce that the trustees have elected two new members to join the foundation’s board: Marca Bristo and Gbenga Oyebode. Both Marca and Gbenga are accomplished leaders who possess a commitment to Ford’s vision of a more just and fair world.
“Marca is a distinguished disability rights advocate and founder, president, and CEO of Access Living, a Chicago-based disability service and advocacy organization that empowers people with disabilities to lead independent, satisfying lives.
“She has worked for more than four decades on local, national, and international social and policy reforms that protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities. As a member of the US Task Force on the Rights and Empowerment of Americans with Disabilities, she worked to draft and win passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And, in 1994, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to chair the National Council on Disability.
“In Marca we gain an extraordinary leader and voice for large communities of people whose rights are often challenged. Her perspective will be critical as the foundation carries out its commitment to integrate disability issues into our work addressing inequality in all its forms.
“Gbenga, chairman of the Nigerian law firm Aluko & Oyebode, is a noted investor, philanthropist, and a founding board member of the Africa Philanthropy Forum. He serves on the Global Advisory Council of the African Leadership Academy and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a director of Teach for All, and chairman of Teach for Nigeria.
“Gbenga’s sharp legal acumen and decades of advising with global corporations will bring invaluable insight to the board, particularly as the foundation works to strengthen connections between local and global efforts and make a broad, meaningful impact on the systems and structures that perpetuate inequality.”