ABOUT NIIBOX

With over 30 years of music performance, arts education, and public speaking experience, Nii Adjetey Mensah's background provides a unique balance between the arts and business.

Son of Master Drummer Sowah Mensah and director, choreographer and dancer Rev. Naa-Abashie Ankrah; Nii immigrated to the United States from Ghana in 1985 and began performing traditional African music and dance in 1987.

As Niibox; a composer, solo instrumentalist, beatboxer, emcee and dancer; Nii has performed with or composed for such varied artists as World Voices, Marty Haugen, the Macalester African Music Ensemble, and Mos Def.

Primarily through being a member of Sankofa, a traditional Ghanaian folklore and dance group; and Manifesters, a MN based Hip-Hop duo; NiiBox has channeled his upbringing in music and dance performance to give back to the community through education. NiiBox has participated in hundreds of workshops and residencies designed to teach youth, educators and community members about the history of African and urban art forms, the core elements used to create such art, and their increasingly integral role in a dynamic global society.

Aspiring to optimize the facilitation of these programs, Nii has refined his professional and motivational speaking through participation and leadership in the Toastmasters International organization, earning its highest individual designation of Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM). Nii has led instructional and motivational speaking programs for organizations like Chevron, Wells Fargo, Yahoo,  Oracle, Bank of America, HDR Inc, Nielsen, Golden Gate University and Hanson Bridgett.

To ensure that these talents help empower others to enact meaningful change in his communities, Nii is the Executive Director of Face Forward. Face Forward is an organization where local artists of various disciplines come together to inspire positive social change through awareness and collaboration.

Nii is also a Corporate Treasury Consultant at Wells Fargo & Co. with over 10 years of experience in capital management, asset & liability management, portfolio management, corporate risk management and financial planning and analysis. Prior to Wells Fargo, Nii honed his business acumen by working in broad range of financial and marketing related disciplines for such organizations as Royal Bank of Canada, Piper Jaffray, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Augsburg College.

NiiBox wouldn't be NiiBox without the support of God, his loving wife, and his two amazing sons.