Akunna Cook is the visionary CEO and Founder of Next Narrative Africa, a media production company telling African stories for global impact. Before founding Next Narrative Africa, Akunna led Africa policy at the State Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.  She has successfully led initiatives in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.  The Nigerian-American diplomat, lawyer, and strategist now brings her multi-sector track record of success and passion to the mission of changing the narrative about Africa and people of African descent. Akunna is a proud graduate of Howard University, from which she graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics and business administration.  She is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she earned a masters degree in public policy with a concentration in political advocacy and leadership, and the Yale Law School. Akunna serves as an advisor to Keseb, the Harambeans, and on the board of directors of the Alliance for Justice.

Akunna is a creative at heart, having grown up in Abia State, Nigeria and Somerset, New Jersey with dreams of becoming an actress and writer.  She has studied acting at the Theater Lab in Washington but mostly uses her legal and policy skills to promote African creativity and economic prosperity. She is a mom of two young adults who think she listens to too much Afrobeats but will admit their mother is the coolest.