The Minneapolis Urban League Board of Directors has appointed David Oguamanam (prounounced: Oh-guam-ann-am) interim president/CEO of the north Minneapolis-
based non-profit, effective August 1. 

As the interim president/CEO, Oguamanam will be charged with the overall operation of the agency, an operating budget of $6.5 million and a staff of  approximately 100 full and part-time employees. He will preside as president/CEO until a candidate is found to fill the permanent position.  

The Minneapolis Urban League Board of Directors has established a committee to search for a new CEO.  
Oguamanam, has been employed with the Minneapolis Urban League since 1997; he rose to program services director in 2004 to manage the largest of the agency’s three program areas, which includes an elementary school and high school. As director, he reported to  Clarence Hightower, the outgoing president/CEO, and was responsible for overseeing an approximate $2  million budget. He had the direct and indirect  management of more than 60 program staff, as well as all decision making to ensure all program and  service goals were met. 

He has been credited with foreseeing the changes in the  mortgage industry and for collaborating with MN ACORN and ACORN Housing to launch in January 2008 the Sustainable Homeownership and Anti-Foreclosure Response Center, or SHARC, which provides foreclosure prevention services and mortgage counseling to individuals experiencing foreclosure -- a service that had been lacking within the north Min-neapolis communities.

Prior to joining the Minneapolis Urban League, Oguamanam was a practicing civil and corporate law attorney and owned his own law firm, in Lagos, Nigeria. 
He was born in Minneapolis and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, where he earned an undergraduate degree and in 1987 earned his law degree and began his practice. When he and his family returned to Minneapolis in 1992, and he enjoyed five years with Flatley Law Services. 
In 2000, he earned a mini-MBA for Non-profit Organizations from the Center for Non-profit Manage-ment at the University of St. Thomas.  
“I have learned a lot from Mr. [Clarence] Hightower during his tenure here at the Minneapolis Urban League,” Oguamanam said. “And I look forward to carrying on where he left off. We have a number of programs and activities planned for the rest of the year, and we have a staff that is dedicated to our  mission and to serving our community. I’m honored to be given this important task.”