she/her/hers
Ngozi Nnaji is the proud mother of a transgender daughter and was thrown into public advocacy when her daughter’s right to participate in girls’ track was legally challenged. Ngozi and her daughter, Andraya Yearwood, appeared in the documentary “Changing the Game,” which features three young high school athletes as they publicly navigate their athletic season and personal lives as trans teens. Ngozi educates about and advocates for trans inclusion in sports. Her voice and experience have been invaluable in combatting anti-trans legislation and rhetoric that hurts trans athletes like her daughter. Ngozi’s advocacy bleeds into her professional life as the founder of Ako Insurance Consulting, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm, and Ako Brokerage Services, an independent insurance agency. With 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, it is Ngozi’s mission to diversify the future of the insurance industry by helping employers create more inclusive, sustainable cultures so that everyone can exist authentically in their various workplaces.
Ngozi is active in several community organizations and causes. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Anchor Health, Connecticut’s leading health center for the LGBTQ community. Ngozi also loves fitness and owns a personal training and group fitness company, Ako Fitness. Ngozi lives in Middletown with her daughter, who attends North Carolina Central University, her oldest son, who attends Louisiana State University, and her other two teenage sons.