Mirror Person of The Year: Ni Clarence Ndangam

Six years at the helm: The outgoing president reflects on his time in office

You were first elected National President in 2016. Prior to that you served as Secretary General for 4 years. Looking back at your journey, how did you become involved in BCA-USA? And why did you seek its presidency? I first became involved in BCAUSA in the late 90’s when I was a student in Germany, and we were working to start-up BCA Germany. Back then, I reached out to the BCA-USA President at the time, Ni Ben Fokum, who provided us with great insights and learnings.

However, shortly after relocating to the USA in the fall of 2008 there was a Leadership Summit in Boston which I was invited to attend by Ba Titamohkumi. I attended the Leadership Summit and was very impressed with the quality of the conversation and the deliberation. I wrote a one page summary, which I shared as feedback at the end of the meeting. This led the Chair of the Process Improvement Committee (PIC) at the time Ma Marie Nangah to recruit me to PIC and help improve some of the organization’s processes. I went on to serve in various committees over the following years (PIC, Membership Committee, Fundraising) until I became

Ni Clarence Ndangam

Secretary General in 2012 and in 2016 National President.

I got involved purely by the quest to serve as well as to support my older brother, Ni Julius Ndangam, who was the National President from 2008-2012. At the time I had no ambitions beyond helping make a difference in the organization by enhancing committee efficiencies based on my background in a senior leadership position in a multinational organization. Growing up - both my parents and grandparents had instilled in us the value of serving and making a difference in the lives of others. As I worked in BCA-USA committees, I became increasingly convinced that I could make a difference in our community here and community back home.

In 2012 - I was unanimously elected Secretary General and over the next four years I got to work with various Chapters and a wide range of amazing individuals, from whom I learned a lot. I also engaged several individuals who were nonmembers and attended various “Ndâkùms”, which were not “Pro BCA-USA’’ at the time. In 2014 was unanimously reelected as Secretary General. I also spent the next two years working in the Fundraising Committee, under the Chair at the time, Ma Nyem Ndangam Fokwang, during which we raised record amounts of money for the Bali Multipurpose Center (MPC) Project through the innovative use of the 5K Walk. In my four years as Secretary General, I got to build productive relationships, especially with individuals who felt dissatisfied with BCA-USA.

Whilst visiting Bali in

December 2014, we spent time visiting the MPC and the following year again in December 2015. I learnt much about the project and set a goal of completing it in 2-3years to enable us to have “Diaspora Day” at MPC. In 2016, I was convinced I could lead BCA-USA to at least double its membership and double the impact that BCA was making in our community in Bali. In 2016, I was unanimously elected National President and embarked on an improbable journey that has culminated with 6 years at the helm - leading BCA-USA; during what is inarguably the most challenging and extenuating times of our generation: the sociopolitical crisis in Bali and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking of extenuating circumstances, your term of office was supposed to end in 2020. But due to the pandemic, it got extended for a year and then another year. How did you handle that?

In early 2020 we were all preparing for the convention and none of us saw the pandemic coming. Suddenly, the pandemic hit and before we knew it, Covid19 had changed life as we knew it. Then we had all these shutdowns across states and the suspension of large gatherings for indoor events. We ended up canceling the in-person convention that year, as we had to comply with Virginia State laws and minimize the risk of Covid spreading to our members. We had one challenge: how to handle elections. 2020 was supposed to be an election year and our constitution did not have any provisions for a “force majeure”. We (National Executive Committee and Board of Directors) ended up invoking Article 8 of our constitution and referring the situation to the Constitution Interpretation Committee (CIC).

The CIC concluded that if we cannot meet in person, then the mandates of all elected officials of the organization will be extended. The CIC also tasked the BCAUSA leadership to put in place modalities to run the organization during “force majeure”. Following the decision of the CIC, my administration carried on for another year - during which we tasked the Constitution and Elections Committee (CEC) to develop a framework for virtual elections and write our bylaws.

In the end, we were able to leverage modern technologies and ran the organization “virtually” over the last two years, during which time we grew record membership. We held two virtual conventions, hosted a virtual Halloween party for kids which was fun as well as held kids virtual Christmas celebration. Also, several Chapters quickly evolved to using Zoom and were able to meet regularly and that soon presented an opportunity for me to visit and engage with Chapters virtually. So, while the pandemic was a setback in many ways, it also provided an opportunity for us to innovate.

Can you briefly highlight some of the accomplishments during your term of office that you are proud of?

Membership growth is undoubtedly the biggest one! When I was elected, I set out to double membership and we’ve more than tripled that (from 365 to over 1,000 paid members). We have also more than quadrupled Ŋkab Ŋtɔd enrollment from 200+ to over 900. I’m also super proud of the work we’ve done to write

and implement our by-laws, to accompany our constitution that was adopted in 2015.

In the US, we also launched a scholarship program for our high school youth, which we now do every year. We renewed the youth group - by creating an Instagram page, which has now grown to over 100+ followers, culminating in their First Renewal Event hosted in Dallas over Easter holidays. The event was a huge success. I’m especially proud of the work we did on renewing several chapters that were dormant and/or had a huge Bali population who were non-members. These include Northern Texas, Southern Texas, Great Lakes, New England respectively, all of which are now thriving with record members.

In Europe - we strengthened partnerships with our various BCA Europe organizations, culminating in attending both their 2016 and 2018 conventions, with a record delegation of over 50 from the US in 2018 in Berlin.

In Cameroon - we supported the Mungaka Bible Translation program, provided humanitarian relief to support people affected by the crisis in Bali, renovated a section of the hospital in Bali, provided masks and PPE during the peak of the pandemic. We raised record amounts to complete the MPC Project but halted all work on the project following the evolution of the situation in Bali. My most proud accomplishment in Bali is the borehole project. Within a year, we were able to provide a historic five wells in Nchǔsam, Mùnùŋ, Nchǐnjɔ’, Mɔ̀m and Wosɨ̀ŋ. These are making a huge difference in our community.

They say uneasy lies the head that wears the crown! What are some of the challenges you faced as a leader during the past 6 years and how did you address these?

Every leader undoubtedly faces challenges (be it internal and/or external) and that is very true for BCA-USA. So, I knew and expected there will be challenges. What I did not expect was that the external challenges would rise to the levels we had never experienced in our generation - the Pandemic and the unfortunate socio-political crisis in Bali. Internally - I was the first President to work with a newly created Board of Directors. None of my predecessors ever faced one of these challenges let alone three!

Three things played a key part in how I led the organization - given the challenges. 1. Support Structure: I’m super blessed to have a great family and close circle friends, who were there for me 24/7. From advice, to assisting with critical tasks, to having my back and lifting me up. 2. Personal belief: I believe in doing what is right, bringing people to find solutions and above all a stubbornness to not give up - especially for

a cause I believe in. 3. Experience: I work in corporate America, as a

Junior Executive (Senior

Director) with over 20+ years’ experience, spanning 6 locations, 4 countries and 3 continents. I have managed several crises before, from the UK, to Nigeria and the

USA. So, I’ve learnt to stay calm and focused even during times of crisis.

You have also used the pandemic to do outreach to chapters through virtual meetings. What has that been like?

It has indeed been a humbling experience leveraging technology to stay connected with our Chapters. Over the years, I’ve learned to look for opportunities even during adversities and the pandemic forced us to rethink creative ways to connect. We moved all our NEC meetings to Zoom calls and I also offered this opportunity to our Chapter Presidents and Committee Chairs. Some embraced it and some didn’t. Those who embraced it had a great last 2 years and connected regularly, whilst others remained dormant and barely did anything. Overall, I was able to connect virtually with several chapters and saved on flight and hotel costs. Going forward - I expect we will continue to do both: i.e., have a hybrid solution to meet in person and sometimes virtually.

What has your time as president meant to you and your family and what will you miss most?

I’ve been super blessed to have fantastic support from my family for the last 6 years as president and the previous 4 years as Secretary General. From my immediate family to my extended family, everybody has been there for me and super supportive. I simply can’t thank each of them enough.

On the other hand, I must admit that doing this role for six years has taken a toll on my family, especially time away on numerous conference calls and/or travels. One of the most painful moments was missing my daughters dance recital - whilst stuck on a lengthy BOD call (while sitting in her High School Cafeteria). It had an incredible emotional impact and just something which no amount of money can ever buy back.

I will miss working alongside some of the great Individuals I’ve come to know and respect.

These are people who serve with no secondary motives and who want to make a difference in our community - here and/or back home. I will not miss those “unproductive” calls which sometimes happened several days a week. I will not miss working with some individuals who made differences of opinions personal and/or could not separate personal differences from the work needed to move the association and our community forward.

What did you enjoy and not enjoy about your time as president?

I enjoyed making a difference in our organization. I enjoyed making a difference in our community back home and here. I enjoyed working with some of the most amazing individuals I’ve come to know in my life, especially some talented and committed individuals at various leadership teams and committees

With past presidents of BCA-USA at the BCA Europe Convention, Berlin, 2018

that I worked with. I greatly enjoyed visiting and engaging with chapters (in-person or virtually) and had some great productive conversations.

I think there is just one thing that I never enjoyed - and that is the “politics” in BCA USA. As we grow in membership - so does the diversity, especially in thoughts (which is a great) - but unfortunately, so does the “politics” and the backstabbing. I am of the view that we can disagree all day long - but a line is crossed when this becomes about the person and results in personal attacks, and intentional spreading of lies behind someone’s back to achieve personal objective and/ or the believe that some members are “more than others” and we should have two set of rules and these should be applied depending on your “last name”. Any Individuals that you like to acknowledge as you look back?

First and foremost I’d like to really thank my family, especially my wife, Na First Lady, Ma Helen Ndangam, who has been by my side through this journey through thick and thin. My kids for the enormous sacrifice that they made, by letting me spend time on calls. I’m super thankful to my siblings (especially Ni Ju and Ma Nyem), my parents, close family, and friends (can’t list all the names here) who have been there for me 24/7. I’m also very thankful to those on the Executives, NEC and BOD, who supported me. I got to know some of you very close and some of the friendships established will no doubt last a lifetime.