Ayoka Quinones

Ayoka Quinones has 27 years background experience in organizational development, traditional African culture, and dance. She received a B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College and a Master's of Science in Nonprofit Management from The Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, New School University and is a partner in CityLife Property Development and Management.

Ayoka Quinones, Olosúnfemi is the daughter of Amma McKen, Omiyale and the late Olukose Wiles, Omi Dina Ibaye. She was crowned Obatala on July 24, 1999 by her godmother Ife Williams, Odowemi and Ajubona, Tima Baker, Osun Lari. Ayoka has been fortunate and blessed to have been raised in traditional Yoruba culture and religion and exposed to traditional African culture through the arts. Ayoka has worked with several community based organizations integrating the arts, literacy, and cultural education in programming for youth and adults. She has also received numerous certificates of study including a Nonprofit Management certificate from Columbia Business School, Institute of Nonprofit Management and completed fieldwork in Buenos Aires, Argentina studying the Management of Socially Responsible Organizations in Latin America.

Through her exposure and worship of Olofi, Orisa, and Egun she presents and writes about the universal principles that are inherent in the apatekis, music, and orikis of the Yoruba tradition. She sees herself as a vessel of Olofi and here to fulfill a divine and blessed purpose of serving Olofi and Orisa through all of the work she does.

Ayoka’s professional work includes program development, evaluation and implementation. She has served as a mentor for a girls rites of passage program providing personal, professional and college counseling to youth and families and as well as a pre-professional African dance teacher/mentor for an award winning youth ensemble that utilized the arts as a catalyst for social change. Her experiences are very diverse from mentoring, counseling, leadership development, strategic management, volunteer management, fundraising and public relations.