​Andrena Sawyer is an author, consultant, strategist and ministry founder whose background includes surviving the civil war in Sierra Leone. Her authenticity and battle-tested principles inspire audiences to embrace their past, own their present and maximize their future.

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She is the President of P.E.R.K. Consulting, an advisory firm for small to mid-sized nonprofits and businesses, and the Founder of MCWEN—a faith-based network for women of color entrepreneurs.

Originally from Freetown, Sierra Leone, she and her family moved to the United States when she was nine years old due to a civil war that left thousands dead and untold numbers maimed and displaced. She now credits her family's move during the war for her interest in human triumph and perseverance. She has since actively worked to mobilize and empower others.

 

For her work with nonprofits and small businesses, she has received numerous awards including the 2019 StartupAfrica Entrepreneur of the Year Award, The Black Business Review’s 40 Under 40, The International Alliance for Women World of Difference 100 Award, the Women Owned Small Business Award by the Associated Black Charities, and the Hope for Africa Leadership in Community Development Award.

 

In addition to her work with entrepreneurs and nonprofits, she is the author of The Misadventures of a New Entrepreneur: 5 Things They Won’t Teach You in Business School, The Other Side of Assertiveness, Ponder It In Her Heart, and The Long Way Home.