Omari Faulkner, President, Board of Directors

Omari  Faulkner, co-founder of O Street International, experienced the importance of international cultural exchanges early on.  Shortly after graduating from Georgetown University, Omari traveled for over a year with the U.S. Department of State, visiting over 45 countries and 115 cities.  He saw firsthand how to best use culture as a universal language and a way to tap into and connect with audiences at an unfiltered level.  Omari’s expertise is helping others maximize opportunities through cultural diplomacy.  In addition to his work serving  on various non-profit boards, Omari works for Mantech International, is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and serves our country in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a Public Affairs Officer.

Linh Hoang, Board of Directors

Linh Hoang was born and raised in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States as a teenager to reunite with his family. As an immigrant, Linh is constantly navigating the dynamic cultural spaces, pushing boundaries and bridging cultural interactions. While studying business at Georgetown University, Linh also studied abroad in Italy and Australia, which helped broaden his global perspectives. He spent 10 years working globally in the consulting industry helping companies with managing technology and culture change, creating cultural tools and best practices, and developing leadership, communications, and cross-cultural learning solutions. Leveraging his cultural expertise, Linh works with US-Asia Links promoting people-to-people exchanges, and helping companies commercialize their products and services in growth markets.

Binta Mamadou, Board of Directors

Binta Mamadou is from Niger and can truly be considered “West African” due to her cultural ties to several other African countries. Binta immigrated to the United States a number of years ago; however, she has always made it a priority to maintain her West African identity and ties, while also adapting to and embracing life in the United States. After moving to the United States, Binta realized the misperceptions Americans have about Africa as well as those that Africans have about the United States. Therefore, she understands the importance of cultural exchange, immersion and education. Binta is now based in London where she works as an Associate in the Energy and Infrastructure/Project Finance group at Linklaters, a leading global law firm.

Marquex Faulkner, Executive Director

Marquex Faulkner, previous to co-founding O Street International, served as a Foreign Affairs Officer for the U.S. Department of State.  While working on promoting the U.S. abroad and supporting our international agenda, Marquex’s work also supported international organizations involved in improving the lives of Americans as well as the international community.  Prior to working with the State Department, she worked as an Administrative Judge, which gave her a unique perspective domestically, and  allowed her to see the similarities of people, while recognizing a need for genuine cultural exchanges and education to promote development and understanding.  Marquex Faulkner received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law and graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, one of the world’s leading international affairs educational programs.