Aissatou Barry
Chair
Aissatou Barry is an attorney dedicated to empowering traditionally marginalized communities through social justice initiatives. After two years in private practice, Aissatou is currently a Professor at Brooklyn Law School. She previously was a Staff Attorney with the Legal Aid Society’s Housing Unit representing tenants in the Bronx with defense from actions brought on by landlords. Aissatou attended the University of Michigan where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and continued on to the Public Allies New York AmeriCorp program. After serving, she earned her JD at Washington University Law School.
Darren Liddell
Treasurer
Darren Liddell is a seasoned financial coach and financial empowerment consultant with over 10 years of experience in financial capability and VITA program management. He is passionate about racial wealth equity and has led projects with organizations including Prosperity Now, Propel, the NYC Office of Financial Empowerment and Grow Brooklyn. Darren has a degree in Family Financial planning from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!) and is an Accredited Financial Counselor through AFCPE. Darren is the Founder of My Money Story, which is “a space for POC to overcome the taboos around talking about money while working together to achieve our financial goals and build wealth.”
Nnenne Okorafor
Secretary
Nnenne Okorafor is Legal Counsel for Acumen. She was previously a corporate transactional attorney working in the investment management space focusing on the representation of private fund investors and sponsors. She has also worked as a strategy and operations consultant. She is passionate about financial equity and empowerment and is excited to use her skills to help further Grow Brooklyn’s mission. Nnenne holds a B.B.A. in finance from Howard University and a law degree from New York University School of Law. She has been a member of the board since 2019.
Samira Rajan
Brooklyn Cooperative Liaison
Samira founded Grow Brooklyn in 2008. She is also the CEO of Brooklyn Coop Federal Credit Union (BCoop), which is Grow Brooklyn’s affiliate. Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union, a certified CDFI that offers affordable and transparent financial products to thousands of low to moderate-income people.
Samira has been with BCoop from its first year when she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. After the year of service was complete, she joined as full-time staff in 2002 as loan officer and has taken on increasing levels of responsibility ever since. Samira was recognized by Crain’s New York magazine as one of New York City’s top 40 business ‘rising stars’ under the age of 40.
Seth Narine
General Member
Seth Narine is a hospital administrator with extensive experience and training in health policy and management. He has more than fifteen years of experience in the healthcare industry specializing in fiscal planning and strategic analyses. He is passionate about promoting financial literacy and wealth equity to the community of Brooklyn. Seth earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in health finance from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Long Island University.