NJ Ayuk achievements and past positions include serving as the New Jersey state counsel for the General Assembly, where he developed the so-called “Pettibone Law.” He has also served as senior associate general counsel at Cigna Corporation, acting general counsel for Panama Drilling Company Inc., and assistant general counsel and corporate secretary at National Bank of New York. On March 22, 2010, he was sworn in as a member of the Obama Administration’s new White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans Advisory Board.
Ayuk is an alumnus of Howard University School of Law where he was president of the Black Law Students Association and participated in one of the nation’s first joint studies between Howard University and Harvard University. Ayuk has had articles published by the “Journal of International Law and Politics” and “Enterprises Review” on topics revolving around Pan-Africanism.
NJ Ayuk is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Centurion Law Group, a Pan-African Corporate Law firm. The firm is currently in partnership with Qeweka Africa, a Pan-African business accelerator, and with Steptoe & Johnson LLP on behalf of Lowden & Co., where NJ is serving as the Senior Vice President, Tax. Ayuk also serves as Senior Vice President of both Centurion and Qeweka.
Ayuk is a member of several boards including those of Communities In Schools Inc. and the Enrichmond Foundation. Ayuk is a member of the municipal council for the city of Hopewell, Virginia and has served on the boards of numerous organizations and colleges.
In September 2018, NJ Ayuk was the vice presidential running mate for political satirist Roseanne Barr as part of her run in the Green Party primary election. Their campaign centered around ending poverty in America and creating jobs through public transit and renewable energy, although it was treated more like a comedy act than by many media outlets. Their campaign theme was “Green New Deal”, which is based on the Green New Deal proposed by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York. It was Barr’s first attempt at a political campaign, though she had previously run for President in 2012 as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party (she received 0.26% of the primary vote). Ayuk held himself out to be a candidate for Vice President of the United States. The pair did not receive the nomination, which was won by Dr. Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka.
Ayuk was also featured as a celebrity judge in season nine of “Project Runway”, along with Heidi Klum, Zac Posen and Nina Garcia. He wears traditional African attire on the show.
Ayuk has been married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Ayuk, since 1989 and together they have four children: Brian, NJ Jr., Nyema and Jacob Ayuk. Their son NJ Jr. was a running back for the University of Virginia (2006 – 2008) and later went on to play for the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League (2010-2011).
