Mr. Appenteng is a seasoned legal and philanthropic leader with over 30 years of domestic and international experience as a corporate lawyer, investment banker and board director. Mr. Appenteng is a former Board Chair of the Ford Foundation, and until 2025, served as President and CEO of the Africa-America Institute where he continues to be a trustee of the organization.

Mr. Appenteng previously served as senior counsel at Dentons, a global law firm with more than 75 offices in 50 countries; and is a senior advisor to The Rock Creek Group, a global investment and advisory firm.

His extensive board service includes the Atlantic Institute, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Greentree Foundation (current president), and Poets and Writers, Inc. He also serves on the New York College Board of IE University and is an Honorary Council member of the International Center for Transitional Justice, where he previously served as Board Chair. Additionally, Mr. Appenteng previously served on the board of Harlem Village Academies and chaired the board of the Community Service Society of New York.

Mr. Appenteng holds a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University.