San Jose, California (October 4, 2020) – The Silicon Valley African Film Festival’s board of directors, management and staff congratulate our founding director, Chike C. Nwoffiah, on his appointment as 2021 Creative Ambassador for the City of San Jose, California.
According to a joint press release issued by the City of San José’s Kerry Adams Hapner, Director of Cultural Affairs and Elisabeth Handler, Public Information Manager, Office of Economic Development, “The 2021 Creative Ambassadors represent a range of artistic disciplines and share a deep commitment to San José’s cultural community.” Nwoffiah joins four other appointees who will champion the power of creative expressions in the city and engage residents in finding their creative voices.
With more than one million residents, San José is Northern California’s largest city and the 10th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.
About Chike C. Nwoffiah:
Chike Nwoffiah is a theater director, educator, award-winning filmmaker and a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). After twelve successful years as a corporate strategist for a Silicon Valley biotech company, he transitioned into private enterprise and has since become a respected creative industry voice in California and the United States. He is the president of Rhesus Media Group and founding director of the Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF). Now in its 11th year, and aptly themed “Africa through the African lens”, the Silicon Valley African Film Festival provides a platform for Africa’s seasoned and emerging filmmakers to share their stories with a global audience.
Nwoffiah was listed as one of the “Top Ten Most Influential African Americans” in the San Francisco Bay Area by CityFlight Magazine in 2000, and has served on several regional, national and international arts policy and grant panels including the National Endowment for the Arts – Education Leaders Institute. He served 8 years as a Trustee and Grants Committee Chairman of the Arts Council Silicon Valley (now Silicon Valley Creates). In 2013, he was appointed by the California Superintendent of Education to serve on the California Blueprint for Creative Schools Task Force. Nwoffiah is a past president of Mountain View Television (KMVT Channel 15), and former Arts Advisory Commissioner for the San Diego International Airport. He presently serves on the President’s Community Advisory Council of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and is on the boards of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA), Empowering Society Through Arts (ESTA), Families Without Borders, African Diaspora Network and Nigerian Diaspora Chamber of Commerce.
Nwoffiah has received several commendations and recognitions for his work, including Freedom Fighter Award by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the NAACP, Director’s Award by the California Arts Council, Arts Leadership Award by the Arts Council Silicon Valley, several Certificates of Special Recognition from the California State House of Assembly and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by the US House of Congress. He is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum – Silicon Valley.
