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M
URIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
April 20, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania 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
First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(Ward 5)
for reappointment as a public member of the Commission on African Affairs, for a term to end October
27, 2029.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
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.
Sincerely,
Muriel B owser
Mayor
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~
at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOS ED RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To confirm the reappointment ofKhaosara 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 A ffairs Khaosara Akapolawal
Confirmation Resolution of 2026".
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
Khaosara Akapolawal
First 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), for a term to end October 27, 2029.
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 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
the University of Virginia;” Dean’s List; Harambee Award for Academic Achievement
Activities: Young Alumni Council of the UVA Alumni Association (2016-2022); UVA Orientation Leader;
Fashion for a Cause – Executive Director and Director of Philanthropy; Black Student Alliance
EXPERIENCE
CoreWeave, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Senior Counsel, Compliance – Privacy, Regulatory, and Compliance (Legal and Government Affairs) Sept. 2025 – Present
• Lead global Electrical and Electric Equipment (EEE) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance strategy for
EU and UK data centers by drafting jurisdiction-specific guidance and implementing said guidance and practical company
next steps with the Legal, ESG/Sustainability, and Supply Chain teams.
• Own and facilitate end-to-end third-party vendor onboarding processes through collaboration with internal Procurement,
Finance, and Legal teams and necessary external stakeholders.
• Build, review, and maintain enterprise-level trade compliance infrastructure regarding export controls and sanctions.
• Design and operate cross-company KYC and screening workflows for high-risk customers, new vendors, recent company
acquisitions, driving end user certification implementation, conducting necessary geo-blocking, and reviewing ongoing trade
compliance regulations to manage sanction and export control risks and overall company compliance.
• Develop company’s AI and executive order regulatory tracker to maintain AI governance and larger Tech policy compliance.
• Co-author and drive various internal compliance policies, including internal privacy policy and UK-ECCTA aligned Fraud
Prevention policy, partnering with external counsel and necessary internal company stakeholders.
Hogan Lovells US LLP, Washington, D.C. Oct. 2023 – June 2025
Associate – Global Regulatory Practice Group
• Drafted memorandum regarding international import and export requirements for medical equipment alongside local counsel.
• Advised clients on national security implications of foreign ownership in telecommunication companies/sales, providing
strategic guidance on compliance with foreign investment regulations and potential national security risks.
• Led research and analysis on state, federal, and international regulations impacting digital platforms, including privacy, AI,
and telecommunications policies, providing actionable insights to help clients navigate evolving public policy landscapes.
• Drafted and submitted formal comments to government agencies (FCC, FTC, NTIA, NIST) in response to regulatory inquiries
and Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs), shaping policy discussions on critical issues related to digital content, AI,
and technology regulation.
• Spearheaded business development efforts, through presentations and in-person meetings.
• Drafted multiple memoranda for a foreign government client, analyzing the national security and international business
implications of President Biden’s 2023 AI Executive Order, while collaborating with tech and trade group members to assess
policy impact and key considerations.
• Crafted 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.
• Advised leading tech, media, and streaming sector clients on various state, federal, and international AI and privacy
regulations, including digital replicas, CSAM, COPPA, the EU AI Act, and GDPR compliance.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop advocacy strategies aimed at influencing policy discussions on privacy,
online safety, and AI regulation, ensuring major big tech companies’ perspectives are represented in key international and
domestic forums.
• Shaped major tech company’s business strategies by advising on the evolving public policy environment, leveraging expertise
in geopolitical shifts and regulatory developments in Brazil, Canada, the EU, and the U.S., pertaining to online content,
privacy compliance, and AI regulations.
• 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, Judge Michael W. Reed
• 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.
HONORS AND APPOINTMENTS
• Commissioner, DC Commission of African Affairs, Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (Appointed May 2025)
• National Black Lawyers, Top 40 under 40 recipient (Received April 2025)
PUBLICATIONS
• Ari Fitzgerald, John Castle, Khaosara Akapolawal, and Ambia Harper, Adapting to Change: Winnik panelists discuss
regulatory changes in a shifting geopolitical landscape, Hogan Lovells Engage (Nov. 2024)
• 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)
LANGUAGE SKILLS AND INTERESTS
• Yoruba (fluent); Spanish (conversant)
• Orangetheory Fitness; Sweat DC (weightlifting); Afrobeat Dance; Global travel connected to diasporic migratory patterns
• Volunteer teaching twice a month
BAR ADMISSIONS
• District of Columbia Bar Association, Washington, D.C. (2022)
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
K
haosara Akapolawal
Ms.
Khaosara Akapolawal is a Nigerian American who has lived all over
the world. She 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, Steven Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: March 25, 2026
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of a resolution appointing members of the Commission
on African Affairs
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced Resolution and
found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Kimberly Ulan, Associate General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at
202-727-2292, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth Cavendish