The Council

A Different Kind of Leadership

Diamond Mine Academy is stewarded by a Council drawn from within our Manifesting Collective — Africans and global allies who have lived the realities this work addresses and who bring professional skill, discernment, and shared responsibility to the organization.

We do not operate through rigid hierarchy or centralized authority.

We operate through coherence.

Leadership is distributed. Roles are functional rather than positional. Accountability flows through relationship, transparency, and shared values — not power.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts.

It is about one life influencing another.”

— Brené Brown

Why a Council Model

The Council model was chosen intentionally.

Traditional nonprofit structures often concentrate decision-making far from the people most affected by those decisions.

Our work takes a different path.

Diamond Mine Academy is being built by Africans, for Africans, with global allies serving in supportive and advisory roles — not control.

The Council exists to:

• safeguard mission integrity
• ensure ethical and transparent use of funds
• guide long-term strategy
• protect dignity and safety
• steward growth without urgency or extraction

Additional Council Members & Safety

In addition to the roles listed above, the Council includes five additional members who actively participate in governance, discernment, and decision-making.

These individuals are fully known within Diamond Mine Academy and are integral to the stewardship of the organization.

However, sharing their names or personal details on a public website could place them — and their families — at risk due to the political, social, and security conditions in the regions where they live.

For this reason, their identities are intentionally protected.

This choice is not about secrecy or lack of accountability.
It is an act of care, responsibility, and ethical leadership.

For investors, partners, and donors — large and small — we openly encourage private Zoom meetings with members of our Council. We welcome direct relationships, dialogue, and verification. We have nothing to hide.

We simply choose not to create unnecessary public exposure that could cause harm.

Documentation, governance processes, and Council participation can be shared privately with institutional partners and serious collaborators when appropriate.