Conway Ekpo is a mystery, a walking question mark with RIOC. A successful, respected attorney, he publicly played the role of seat filler over three years on the board.
Cover photo: Conway Ekpo (R) at Sportspark ribbon-cutting with Congressman Jerry Nadler and RIOC CEO Shelton Haynes.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
A “seat filler” is a person who fills in an empty seat during an event. It’s usually somebody with nothing else to do who enjoys hanging out without any other function. What made it so strange with Conway Ekpo on RIOC‘s board is that he’s a brilliant attorney with a young and beautiful family and mountains of smarts on offer.
Conway Ekpo on the Board
After an initial board meeting, introduced by then-CEO Susan Rosenthal, Ekpo more closely resembled a stuffed animal than the accomplished lawyer he is. At meeting after meeting, he did almost nothing more than acknowledge his presence for quorum purposes, then vote “Yes” on everything.
He didn’t debate, he didn’t quarrel, he didn’t applaud. It was enough to make you wonder if he hired his own seat filler. Then, while the turmoil over CEO Shelton Haynes brewed, the governor’s office told him his three-year term was over. This had never happened to any other board member.
Although it emerged as an issue in Haynes’s lawsuit against RIOC and the state, it was quickly explained as a clerical error. He was promised a return appointment in 2024, and that happened as soon as it got Senate approval.
The question is, Why? Unless he was highly effective behind the scenes and simply reflected board unanimity in public, it makes no sense – for him or the state agency.
Who Is He?
The short version is that Ekpo is exactly the person you’d love to have in your community. He’s smart, and he smiles easily, even with strangers. If you spot him in public with his family, his affection and commitment are immediate.
This is a guy you want to have around, but at least for me, it couldn’t go any further because of the communications shutdown established under Haynes.
On LinkedIn, in his profile, he describes himself: “I am a former Wall Street lawyer who has transitioned to the fintech industry. I currently provide legal guidance regarding financial and tech products for a decacorn fintech startup, Brex. In addition, I sit on the advisory boards for several minority-owned fintech startups.”
He’s seen by others as a rising star. The Minority Corporate Counsel Association honored him in 2020;
He’s versatile and rising fast at a young age.
That’s what makes him such a mystery on RIOC’s board, a brilliant young man who has kept his light under a bushel basket in public.
Along with RIOC and its board, we welcome Conway Ekpo back in his chair. We hope to see a lot more of him in the future.
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