• Return to Club Website
The Wharton Club of New York Magazine
  • Home
  • Club
    • From the President
    • History
    • Portraits
    • Affinity Groups
    • Editor Notes – Kent Trabing
  • Startups
  • Finance
  • JW Dinner
  • Health
  • Commerce
    • Retail & Media
    • Real Estate
  • Social
  • BACK ISSUES

KOFI KANKAM, WG’04 20TH PRESIDENT OF THE WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK

12 August, 2021

By: Kent Trabing, WG'01

category: Club, History

0

Kofi Kankam, WG’04, joined WCNY in 2005, soon after graduating. He hopes it’s a trend that he will build-on. He recently reached out to many volunteers, and of course, many already know him for being warm-hearted and thoughtful. The Club looks forward to Kofi’s leadership!

In the context of your professional life and your wonderful family, becoming President of the Wharton Club of New York is a major commitment. It’s actually an act of generosity to the Club and Wharton community. Why are you taking this on?

It is a lot of work, but it’s a community that I am deeply rooted in. My first business partner and my groomsman and friends are Wharton alumni. When I came out of Wharton, I wasn’t married. Now, I’m married with kids. I got involved with the Club when I was in my 20s, and now, I’m in my 40s. I feel like I can relate to new alumni who want to grow with the community and contribute. And I can’t speak about wanting change unless I’m willing to get involved.

I also look forward to growing as a leader by working with tremendous people who have different backgrounds and viewpoints.

What are challenges that some alumni and graduates face? How do you see WCNY helping them meet those challenges?

We face the same challenges as the rest of the population. Employment, economic dislocation, not doing work they love to do and not progressing as quickly as they like. The challenges of balancing career, self-care and family.

From a human perspective, the challenge is — that great experience at school when we were immersed in an environment with tons of smart people — is hard to replicate. Alums remember that time when anything was possible. That ever-present sense of excitement and exchanging ideas. If the Club can provide that kind of vibrancy, everything can flow from that.

People want to invest when they have that sense of community. Based on their stage of life and personal and professional associations, we can build on that. If we can develop partnerships, then perhaps we will be less dependent on the Joseph Wharton Awards Dinner. Or grow both! All of that stems from relevance. Based on age and stage of life, we’ve got to be relevant. We’ll have more paid members and less dependence on companies.

Yes, beyond the Club, people have experienced a reduction in the sense of community. And there is more apprehension. So, if WCNY can serve as a model there…

The Club hosts different communities, and we have diversity in every way you can imagine. The Club tries to be apolitical, but bringing together people of different backgrounds and perspectives is not inconsequential. We have the ground game to engage people. We can be civil. It’s a great place to come together and find out what motivates each of us. Then you can say, “I don’t agree with him, but I have grown from that. I respect him.” I hope we can provide that environment.

What help do you need?

We have an amazing team. I have been calling them and getting to know them better. We do need more members to volunteer in areas that make sense for them. We don’t want it to be burdensome. Their work should help their own professional or personal growth.

I need people to get off the sidelines, people who care about the community, and who want to create the Club that they want to have. If they feel the Club is not doing a certain activity, then they should come forward and create that. We want more engagement that is relevant to their lives.

In your non-Wharton hours, what are you doing?

I serve as VP of Operations for TRANSFR, a virtual reality company, which trains people to find jobs. My wife is a marketing executive for the U.S. Tennis Association. We live in Westchester with our two kids, who are a joy.


♦

Rating

  • 0comments

Subscribe

Subscribe to comments

recommend to friends

CURRENT ISSUE

Major Sponsors

boeing_black_large-gray-01
boeing_black_large-gray-01
general_dynamics
general_dynamics
kohls
kohls

Platinum Sponsors

zmc-logo-sans (1)
zmc-logo-sans (1)
BSC_wtag_541blue_OL
BSC_wtag_541blue_OL
Island Capital Logo
Island Capital Logo
John P. McNulty Foundation logo_border1-blk-01
John P. McNulty Foundation logo_border1-blk-01
Hilton Brand Logo_Black
Hilton Brand Logo_Black
art-logo-MEDTRONIC-gray-01
art-logo-MEDTRONIC-gray-01
BDT & Company (with tagline)
BDT & Company (with tagline)
johnson_and_johnson
johnson_and_johnson
MINDY & JONATHAN GRAY
Fried_Frank_logo_words_Black-01
Fried_Frank_logo_words_Black-01
McKinsey-BW-logo-01-blk-01
McKinsey-BW-logo-01-blk-01
ST_Logo_1Color_Blk_2014
ST_Logo_1Color_Blk_2014
JJ Logo Black 50Gray-01
JJ Logo Black 50Gray-01
perry_ellis
perry_ellis
macys
macys
burlington_coat_factory
burlington_coat_factory

Gold Sponsors

Ronit and William Berkman
Pete & Ginny Nicholas
Evercore
Evercore
Evercore
Oak Hill Logo
Oak Hill Logo
JOHN & KATHLEEN SCHREIBER
Black_(transparent_background)
Black_(transparent_background)
abbvie
abbvie
mile26_capital
mile26_capital
FIT
FIT
Tailwind Capital
Tailwind Capital

Supporters

PFNYC-logo-PMS-CoolGray11_coated
PFNYC-logo-PMS-CoolGray11_coated
NYMC Logo 2014 2c Stacked v2
NYMC Logo 2014 2c Stacked v2
New York Medical College
IAC LOGO 300 DPI Full Color resized
IAC LOGO 300 DPI Full Color resized
IAC
GDC Logo-blue-300dpi
GDC Logo-blue-300dpi
Gibson Dunn
decode_m_logo
decode_m_logo
Decode
Ampush-Logo-CMYK-01-01
Ampush-Logo-CMYK-01-01
Ampush
Cargill_R_H_black_1c-01
Cargill_R_H_black_1c-01
Cargill
USBank black-01
USBank black-01
DENIS & BRITTA NAYDEN
under_armour
under_armour
BACK TO TOP

Do you receive the Wharton Club of New York Magazine?

This Wharton Club of New York Magazine is printed and mailed to over 25,000 alumni in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

If not, email here.

If you are a Wharton alum living in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut and do not receive this magazine by mail, then please let us know at editor@whartonny.net.

Bloom Website Design & Development, LLC.

Close

Enter the site

Login

Password

Remember me

Forgot password?

Login