Influential Women Acknowledges Madam Ola Kukoyi: Advancing Health Equity And Empowering New American Communities

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, October 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A Public Health Professional and Community Leader Dedicated to Cultural Competency, Inclusion, and Meaningful Community Engagement

Denver, Colorado – Madam Ola Kukoyi is the Founder and Executive Director of the Good Shepherd Organization, a Denver-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering New Americans — immigrants, refugees, and their children — through culturally responsive support and community engagement. With an academic background spanning sociology and public health, extensive experience in government and public service, and a deep commitment to health equity and community empowerment, she has developed a career centered on helping individuals and communities move toward greater opportunity and inclusion.

A native of Nigeria, Ola has built a strong academic foundation that complements her professional experience. She earned a Master’s in Sociology from the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria and a Master’s in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Public Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, focusing on Community and Behavioral Health. She has also completed Project Management Professional training, adding project management knowledge to her public health and community leadership background.

Her professional experience spans governmental institutions, public service, and community leadership. Ola spent 17 years working in government, including nearly a decade with the City and County of Denver, where she served as a subject matter expert and administrator focused on the integration and advancement of New American populations. Through this work, she developed extensive knowledge of the challenges facing immigrant and refugee communities while gaining valuable experience working within public institutions and serving diverse populations.

Today, Ola continues that work through multiple leadership and community roles. She serves as a Commissioner on the Denver Immigrants and Refugee Commission and as a State Commissioner on the Health Equity Commission with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. She is also a State Delegate for the Refugee Congress and an Executive Member of Yoruba Colorado. Her professional and community affiliations include the American Public Health Association, Colorado Public Health Association, United Nations Association USA, and Nigerian Women Association.

Through the Good Shepherd Organization, Ola focuses on creating culturally responsive support for New Americans and strengthening connections within the communities she serves. Her approach is grounded in the understanding that effective service requires more than providing resources. It requires listening, recognizing cultural differences, respecting individual identities, and developing relationships that allow people to feel understood and valued.

Cultural competency is therefore central to Ola’s philosophy. She believes organizations and systems should honor the identities, traditions, and dignity of the people they serve. For diverse communities, she emphasizes that even seemingly small acts of respect can make a meaningful difference. Understanding how individuals prefer to be addressed, for example, can demonstrate recognition of cultural traditions and personal dignity.

Ola’s ability to connect across cultures is further supported by her fluency in English, Efik, and Yoruba. Her multicultural perspective informs her work with immigrant and refugee populations and allows her to engage authentically with people from different backgrounds. She also extends her community involvement beyond the United States, partnering with organizations in Nigeria to support widows through microfinancing initiatives and collaborating with African leadership groups serving immigrant and refugee communities locally and abroad.

Her work is shaped not only by professional experience but also by deeply held personal values. Respect is at the core of how Ola approaches both her work and her relationships. She values people’s dignity, cultures, and lived experiences and believes in walking alongside others as they work toward their potential. She also places great importance on time, viewing the time others invest in her as a gift that should never be taken lightly.

For Ola, the foundation of her success begins with her faith in God and Jesus Christ. She also credits her mother, who raised five daughters with an unwavering belief in education and the ability of women to accomplish great things. Her mother provided her daughters with the foundation they needed not simply to survive, but to thrive. Ola also recognizes the continued love and encouragement of her husband, son, siblings, and extended family as important sources of strength throughout her journey.

The advice that has guided Ola throughout her career is straightforward: do not give up. She was encouraged to keep pushing forward, keep trying, and pursue work that aligns with both passion and skills. That guidance has influenced the major decisions she has made throughout her professional journey and continues to shape the way she approaches challenges and opportunities.

Ola brings that same philosophy to her advice for young women entering public health, community leadership, and related fields. She encourages them to lead with passion and genuinely care about people and the challenges they face. She also emphasizes intentionality with time, recognizing that meaningful community work requires commitment and sacrifice.

Teamwork is another principle Ola considers essential. She believes that no one can accomplish this kind of work alone and that collaboration is necessary to create meaningful solutions. At the same time, she encourages young women to be outspoken and use their platforms to raise awareness about issues that matter. However, she stresses that advocacy should extend beyond conversation and include an active search for solutions.

Ola also encourages emerging professionals to commit themselves to cultural competency. Those working with immigrants, refugees, or other diverse populations must take the time to understand and respect the cultures represented within the communities they serve. For Ola, cultural competency is not simply a professional skill; it is a practical expression of respect.

The field in which she works presents significant challenges. Funding remains a pressing concern for nonprofits, and securing consistent financial support requires persistence and creativity. Ola also points to the challenge of having one’s expertise and value fully recognized regardless of skin color or accent. Drawing from her own 17 years in government, she describes having experienced situations in which opportunities she had earned were not fully extended to her and where she repeatedly had to demonstrate her capabilities.

As an African woman and African-born professional, Ola recognizes that these barriers can be compounded. Yet she also sees meaningful opportunities within the challenges facing the field. Health equity, immigrant integration, and community empowerment remain areas where important work needs to be done, and she believes people who have personally experienced these challenges contribute perspectives that cannot be replaced.

Her career reflects an intersection of education, public health, government service, faith, cultural understanding, and community leadership. Through the Good Shepherd Organization and her numerous public and community roles, Ola remains committed to supporting New Americans and contributing to more equitable and inclusive communities.

As she continues her Doctorate in Public Health, Ola’s work remains closely connected to her belief in service, perseverance, teamwork, and respect. Her journey demonstrates how academic preparation, professional experience, personal conviction, and community engagement can come together around a clear purpose: helping others move forward while creating spaces where people and their cultures are treated with dignity.

Learn More about Madam Ola Kukoyi:

Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/ola-kukoyi, or through Good Shepherd Organization, https://www.good-shepherd-organization.org/

Influential Women

Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.

Editorial Team
Influential Women