Welcome
From the Bayou State of Louisiana comes a story rooted in service and vision; one committed to building stronger communities here at home while creating new pathways for Louisiana to lead abroad.
I inherited the legacy of my late father, Andrew Brown — a Republican delegate, pioneering businessman, and founder of A&L International, one of Louisiana’s early companies to trade with Africa in the 1970s and 80s. Alongside him, my mother served as Port of Iberia Commissioner, was commissioned as a Colonel under Governor Dave Treen, and a member of the U.S.–Nigeria Joint Trade and Agriculture Council. Together, they modeled what it meant to serve both locally and globally.
On the African continent, I was shaped by the example of my uncles — the late Chief Harry Akande, a Yoruba businessman and presidential candidate in Nigeria, and Chief Mike Nkwoji, an Igbo industrialist, philanthropist, and founder of Mikko Electronics. They embodied what visionary leadership and bold entrepreneurship could achieve in Africa: building industries, creating jobs, and serving as symbols of possibility for their people.
The discipline and drive of American public service, combined with the innovation and enterprise of African leadership, have given me the best of both worlds. From the bayous of Iberia Parish to the ports of West Africa, I see Louisiana’s future as one that honors its roots while expanding its reach ; strengthening communities here at home and forging lasting partnerships across the Atlantic.
