Mr. Solomon Gembeh Sr. receives Doctorate of Philosophy
Dallas,Texas USA, July 22, 2014. In Texas, USA, a skyrocketing number of Sierra Leoneans with PhD’s are continuing to grow as Dr. Solomon Gembeh Sr. recently bagged his Doctor of Philosophy, PhD degree in an extraordinary discipline. Friends, relatives from all across the USA and some from Europe joined Dr. Gembeh at his residence in recognizing his general accomplishment and to celebrate his outstanding academic achievement.
Dr. Gembeh, fondly called Solo G, believes that a Doctor of Philosophy degree is highly regarded and increasing necessary for him to have in business and for his political ambitions. As a very stunt supporter of the opposition political party of the SLPP in our country, Dr. Gembeh has worked hard in his career planning for the long-term and continuing his passion to provide a professional momentum in achieving his desired goals.
Many people that have attended the grand celebration believe that Solo G richly deserves the esteem and admiration of his success because, according to some people, Dr. Gembeh is a goal-directed and long term thinker having the capacity to perceive the need for action and do something about it. Amazingly, leaders of his social and political organizations he affiliated with were missing in the celebration.
In his speech which many people were longing for, he reiterated his leadership traits and values to his audience by trying to paint a vision of the future that can inspire his people in his political group, SLPP the party that he strongly believes in to do whatever it takes to get there. He ascertains that people believe in his image and his credibility, saying that he has the ability to rise above a particular situation and see it in a broader context. Here is our conversation after the graduation celebration, giving me a brief context of his profile.
Dr. Gembeh started saying that in the last few years, he was dubbed by both friends and foes as the Dallas, Texas Strongman. He believe however, that Sierra Leoneans at the Dallas Fort worth Metroplex, Texas, USA, are fortunate to have in their midst a brilliant no-nonsense personality whose track record of accolades run through four decades, stemming from his days in the Bo Government Secondary, where he did his O’Levels and then proceeded to Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone where he graduated with honors (suma cum laude) in 1981.
Solo G taught for two months at Bishop Johnson Memorial high school in Freetown before embarking on Provincial tours in the Civil Service. He began his Civil Service career in 1981 in an administrative capacity with his first assignment at the Provincial Secretary’ office in Bo, and was later transferred to Moyamba where he was an Assistant to the District Officer.
During his tours in the Provinces, Dr. Gembeh reviewed civil cases brought over on appeal to the District Office from the Local Courts. The appellant had a choice to find redress at the District Magistrate Court or the District Officer Court. Dr. Gembeh made a name for himself in resolving cases amicably. This man started managing people at a very early age, and continues up to this moment!
Dr. Gembeh requested a transfer to the Foreign Service and using his numerous connections to begin a Diplomatic career in 1985 and was on the verge of being posted overseas when he took a leave-of-absence to visit a U.S. Peace Corp volunteer fiancé which pretty much brought to a halt his work career in Sierra Leone. The majority of Dr. Gembeh’ peers hold very top positions within the Sierra Leone Government services, and hence he has an encompassing presence and name recognition.
In the USA Dr. Gembeh continued to stand tall amongst his peers, and when you talk to him he tells you about life in the context of Desiderata as a strong believer of social stratification. One should strive to belong to the few percent of those that make things happen and control the destiny of his/her surroundings. He always aspires to fall into that category of the chosen few.
Prior to Doctoral degree, Dr. Gembeh holds an Executive MBA in Management and in March 2014 successfully defended his dissertation on Suspicious Activities at the Colorado Technical University. The course centered on how to mitigate the flow of Terrorist Money in the Banking and Financial System. His concentrate area is Homeland Security and received his doctoral diploma June 21, 2014.
Dr. Gembeh’s area of specialty is unique in the sense that he is one of the newest subject matter experts/authorities in this newly introduced field which became compelling after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Homeland that virtually brought the United Stated of America on its knees. More than three thousand individuals lost their lives in those brutal attacks, and the passion to contribute in his own little way keeping this great nation safe is what motivated Dr. Gembeh to embark on this terminal journey.
When you want to stimulate a conversation on key words like suspicious activities, terrorist financing, risk mitigation & exposure, critical infrastructures, profiling, money laundering, off-shore accounts, regulated and unregulated financial markets, nuclear station (power plants) and the role Indians in the Reservations; border security, Dirty bomb and down to the role of government and the military in pursuing United States vital interest, and in the context of a globalized system with time zone differences; holistically you are addressing the new age and the new phenomenon – a paradigm shift, if you would! Don’t get Dr. Gembeh going.
In the U.S., Dr. Gembeh has positioned himself deeply in the financial scene and holds various licenses in areas connected to Mortgage banking. He worked as consultants in this field and has travelled extensively and lived in places like California, Seattle Washington, Minnesota, and Washington DC and currently based in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.
I asked Dr. Gembeh what he intended to do with his degree. His comment was, “looking for a job when you already have one is a great feeling as it takes the worry out of it!” He is definitely looking at a career change back to the public sector and away from the private, and opens to opportunities outside of the USA.
Dr. Gembeh is married to his wife, Kadie, with two children (girls), Onikeh (13), and Sonika (3). He has two other children, Brianna Gembeh (25), with his pregnant wife having a grandson shortly and naming it after him! There is a daughter in Freetown, Janette (31) years and due to join the rest of the family here soon. Mrs. Kadiatu Gembeh (Kadie) holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is working on her MBA.
Dr. Gembeh is a staunch supporter of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and has held one of the most enviable and controversial positions in the party, the Party Conference Chairman, for three years; and a current candidate for Regional Chairmanship of the Party. Election for the chairmanship position is due in October, 2014. Dr. Gembeh is favored to win in a landslide he said.
To his adversaries and foes, there is one thing you can’t take away from Dr. Solomon Gembeh, and that is the love for his fellow man albeit brazenness. A better way to describe him is a philanthropist; he has a good heart. The guy has all the elements of a politician and is clearly a peoples’ man. He has helped a lot of Africans fulfill their dreams of home ownership and wealth creation. His favorite phrase is that a “prophet is not honored in his hometown.” This community owes it to Dr. Gembeh for being there whenever a demand is made of him and hence the huge turnout at his home this past week-end. Who is next? Stay tuned.
By Sanpha Sesay, The Texas Chief
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