Toluwalope Onafowokan ’05, Strategic Communications Officer at the Ford Foundation, will be the featured speaker at Williston Northampton School’s Cum Laude Society induction ceremony, to be held January 7, 2022. Watch live at 10 a.m.
Supporting the foundation’s work in the arts and culture, journalism, civic engagement, voting rights and redistricting, Onafowokan also works with corporations and in impact investing. In this area, the foundation encourages “thinking more holistically about how investments are made, and prioritizing purpose alongside profit,” she told The Bulletin in a recent article. “A lot of the focus in that space is on diversity and equity, affordable housing, and the quality of jobs.”
Onafowokan previously worked at New York City-based communications firms Sunshine Sachs and BerlinRosen. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history and American studies from Columbia University and her master’s of public administration in public policy management from the London School of Economics.
The Cum Laude Society is a national honor society modeled on Phi Beta Kappa. Williston Academy joined the society in 1921. The Northampton School for Girls received its charter in 1951. In 1971 the society granted the merged Williston Northampton School a new charter. Membership into the Cum Laude Society is the highest academic award that the Williston faculty can bestow. Twelve students will be inducted during the ceremony.