Meet The Author

Dr. Ogbiji Victor Okom is an educator with more than three decades of experience working in public and private schools across Minnesota and Central America. Born in Nigeria, he came to the United States as an international student and began his career in 1992 as a Child Development Technician before becoming a classroom teacher in Minneapolis Public Schools. Over the years, he has served as a classroom teacher, special education teacher, special education coordinator, and literacy coach. He also served as a principal and superintendent at a bilingual school in Honduras, Central America.

Drawing from the rich storytelling traditions of his Bekwarra tribe in Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Okom developed African Village Safari™, a culturally responsive teaching framework that uses music, storytelling, artifacts, and games to build students’ cultural knowledge and deepen interdisciplinary learning. One of the stories featured in this framework—All of You: How the Tortoise Got It’s Shell—continues to inspire his work with children and educators.