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MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
February 25, 2025
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350Pennsylvania Avenue,NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 5 of the Office and Commission on
African Affairs Act of 2006, effective June 8, 2006 (D.C. Law 16-111, D.C. Official Code§ 2-1394),
I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Ms. Khaosara Akapolawal
I st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(Ward 5)
for appointment as a public member of the Commission on African Affairs, filling a vacant seat
formerly held by Theodore Ngatchou, for the remainder of an unexpired term to end October 27, 2026.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council's earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor's Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
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at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To confirm the appointment of Khaosara Akapolawal to the Commission on African Affairs.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA , That this
resolution may be cited as the "Commission on African Affairs Khaosara Akapolawal
Confirmation Resolution of 2025".
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
Khaosara Akapolawal
1st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(Ward 5)
as a public member of the Commission on African Affairs, established by section 4 of the Office
and Commission on African Affairs Act of 2006, effective June 8, 2006 (D .C . Law 16-111, D.C.
Official Code§ 2-1393), filling a vacant seat formerly held by Theodore Ngatchou, for the
remainder of an unexpired term to end October 27, 2026.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
KHAOSARA A. AKAPOLAWAL
EDUCATION
Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C. May 2022
Juris Doctor
Honors: Legal Writing Dean’s Fellow – HUSL Writing Center (Student Teacher)
CALI Award: International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice; Race, Law, and Change
Activities: Student Mentorship Program; African Law Student Association; Research assistantships (Prof.
Carlton Waterhouse – 14th Amendment and Social Dominance Theory; Prof. Darin Johnson –
international alternative dispute resolutions in Sudan and South Sudan)
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA May 2016
Bachelor of Arts, High Distinction, in Government and African American and African Studies
Honors: Distinguished Majors Program; Thesis – “The Search: A Critical Exploration of African Identities a
the University of Virginia;” Dean’s List; Harambee Award for Academic Achievement
Activities: Young Alumni Council of the UVA Alumni Association (2016-2022); Summer Orientation Leader;
Fashion for a Cause – Executive Director and Director of Philanthropy; Black Student Alliance
EXPERIENCE
Hogan Lovells US LLP, Washington, D.C. Oct. 2023 – Present
Associate – Global Regulatory Practice Group
• Draft memorandum regarding international import and export requirements for medical equipment alongside local counsel.
• Draft publication regarding U.S.-Africa trade relations and trade preference programs.
• Research and analyze state, federal, and international regulations and executive orders to summarize to clients and ensure
compliance.
• Compose various Comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
in response to Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) and orders.
• Craft alternative legislation proposals to federal bills by reframing ideas, researching legislative history, and adopting adjacent
state provisions to benefit overall technology and telecommunications client initiatives.
• Member of the Africa Practice and the Foreign Direct Investment working group.
Summer Associate May 2021 – July 2021
• Analyzed the Office of Foreign Asset Control’s (OFAC) Enforcement Actions to summarize enforcement and sanctions trends
for International Trade assignments.
• Created an International Trade and Arbitration trends presentation to present to 40+ attorneys.
• Conducted comparative regulatory research to advocate for state fair housing regulation changes.
• Drafted an article analyzing current Congressional Investigations in the private sector.
Maryland Judiciary, Annapolis, M.D. Aug. 2022 – July 2023
Appellate Court of Maryland – Judicial Law Clerk
• Researched various criminal and civil law matters for Maryland’s intermediate appellate court.
• Created concise, draft appellate opinions, ranging from 17-55 pages, for Judge’s and Appellate panel’s review.
• Attended oral arguments.
World Bank Group, Washington, D.C. Aug. 2021 – Apr. 2022
Howard Law WBG ADR Extern – International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) unit
• Researched and analyzed over 40 Investment Treatises and protocols to provide notes on various government responses and
negotiations to each treaty and protocol.
• Researched over 95 ICSID Annulment Decisions via International Law and Arbitration search engines to create concise
summaries of each via search an excel table.
• Composed a 17-page draft ‘Decision on Stay of Enforcement’ (like judicial opinion) for members of the ICSID ad hoc Committee
by objectively summarizing each of the parties claims and conducting legal research.
• Created initial ‘Request for Arbitration’ screening memorandum to summarize arbitration request for the ICSID Secretariat-
General and Deputy Secretariat-Generals.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Washington, D.C. Aug. 2020 – Nov. 2020
Student Honors Program Extern – Enforcement Division
• Investigated initial offering fraud and Ponzi scheme complaints to provide directors with a six-page, single-spaced
memorandum, and recommendation of next steps.
• Attended committee meetings and proffer witness testimonies.
Troutman Pepper LLP, Richmond, VA Jun. 2020 – Aug. 2020
1L LCLD Summer Associate
Due to the cancelation of the formal program, attended virtual training and networking events.
Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), Washington, D.C. May 2020 – Aug. 2020
PILPG Negotiating Justice Summer Research Lab Assistant
• Investigated the development of transitional justice in peace processes within Sudan and South Sudan.
• Analyzed various State practices, case studies, peace agreement language, and how transitional justice agreements are approached
to create a Negotiating Justice Handbook.
Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, D.C. Dec. 2016 – July 2019
Legal Assistant
• Conducted research and drafted legal memoranda on domestic and international public policy, trade conditions, and
cultural considerations to advise Senior International Advisors, attorneys, and economists within the Public Policy,
Election Law, Latin America, and Africa practice areas.
• Assisted in revising Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) memorandum for prominent
telecommunications merger.
• Established and maintained hard copy and electronic record organization via records system.
PUBLICATIONS
• Kelly Ann Shaw, Khaosara Akapolawal, and Feven Yohannes, What’s Next for the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA)?: Revitalizing United States-African Relations, Hogan Lovells Engage (June 2024)
• Khaosara Akapolawal and Feven Yohannes, What’s Next for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)?: Revitalizing
United States-African Relations, ABA International Trade Committee (May 2024)
• Charles Mathias, Katy Milner, Khaosara Akapolawal, and Thomas Veitch, FCC Revisits Net Neutrality, Extending Reach and
Targeting National Security and Cybersecurity, Hogan Lovells Engage (Oct. 2023)
BAR ADMISSIONS
• District of Columbia Bar Association, Washington, D.C. (2022)
Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Khaosara Akapolawal
Ms. Khaosara Akapolawal is a Nigerian American who has lived all
over the world. She likes to classify herself as a global citizen.
Ms. Akapolawal is currently an associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP in
their Global Regulatory Practice Group, where her work focuses on
various regulatory issues and African affairs. Previously, she served as
a judicial law clerk at the Appellate Court of Maryland and worked as a
legal assistant within the District. She also served as a research assistant
at the Howard University Law School, where some of her research
focused on legal issues in African countries, such as Sudan, South
Sudan, and Nigeria.
A Ward 5 resident, Ms. Akapolawal earned her Bachelor of Arts in Government and African
American and African Studies from the University of Virginia and her Juris Doctor from Howard
University.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Kimberly A. Bassett, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: February 14, 2025
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of a resolution appointing Khaosara Akapolawal as a
member of the Commission on African Affairs
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced Order and found
it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate
to call Michael Porcello, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-727-
0872, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth Cavendish