Press Release on Establishment of Oromo Community Association of North America

July 9, 2015 Oromia

Press Release

July 6, 2015

After extend consultations, the Oromo Communities in North America are pleased to announce the establishment of the Oromo Communities’ Association in North America (OCA-NA) at the Inaugural Congress held in Washington, DC, on June 20, 2015. The need for an umbrella organization for all Oromo communities has been well recognized for quite some time. To meet this need, the leaders of several communities took the challenged and conducted long and inclusive discussions, drafted the governing bylaws and distributed it to the participating community organizations. It was after such process and full endorsement of the bylaws by the founding communities that the Inaugural Congress was conducted.

In the presence of elders and representatives of various Oromo civic organizations, delegates from the founding communities elected the following officers.

Board of Directors 
1. Dr. Guluma Gemeda, Chair
2. Dr. Ahmed Bedhasso, Vice-Chair
3. Ob. Fanta Ketu, Secretary
4. Dr. Asafa Jalata, Member
5. Dr. Haile Hirpha, Member
6. Ob. Ibrahim German, Member
7. Ad. Safia S. Yousouf, Member
Executive Committee
1. Dr. Desta Yebassa, Executive Director
2. Ob. Teha Hamda, Secretary
3. Ob. Abdi Boru, Treasurer
4. Ob. Ahmed Hamid, Member
5. Ob. Said Zeman, Member

The bylaws and other relevant information will be available to the public as soon as possible. The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee invite all Oromo Communities in North America to join OCA-NA and call upon Oromos to support and rally around this Association.
Unity is Strength, and United We Will Prevail!

Guluma Gemeda, Ph.D. Desta Yebassa, Ph.D.
Board of Directors, Chair Executive Director