Karima Mariama-Arthur

As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WordSmithRapport™, Karima brings more than two decades of comprehensive, blue chip experience in law, business, and academia to the field of professional development. As a leading authority in cutting-edge adult education and professional development, Karima is distinguished by her commitment to excellence and extraordinary talent for elevating executive brands across industries. As an expert facilitator, executive communications consultant, and strategic leadership advisor, she consults individuals and organizations on the dynamics of complex communication and high performance leadership competence.

Karima is a TEDx Speaker, Corporate Speaker, certified by the International Association of Corporate Speakers, a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association, an esteemed graduate of the Bill Gove Executive Speech Workshop, and a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), United States Senate.
Prior to founding WordSmithRapport™, Karima spent more than a decade working exclusively with corporate litigation based firms where she focused on corporate compliance, commercial transactions, and complex foreign litigation. Introduced to the world of complex litigation while clerking for the late Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., she learned to manage voluminous caseloads and developed an affinity for resolving high-stakes disputes. For the past eight years she has served diligently as a trusted advisor to the Lawyer Assistance Committee for the Lawyer Assistance Program of the District of Columbia Bar, a confidential program that provides assistance to lawyers, judges, and law students who experience problems that interfere with their personal lives or their ability to serve as counsel or officers of the court.

Karima is the author of Poised for Excellence and is featured in Flat World Navigation: Collaboration and Networking in the Global Digital Economy (KoganPage). She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only community for top tier business, career and professional coaches whose industry success has been publicly recognized. Additionally, Karima is the President of the Global Advisory Board for the Women's Global Leadership Initiative and sits on the Editorial Board for the Silent Warrior, a publication produced by the Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation. A regular contributor to the Human Capital Institute, Entrepreneur, Success, Black Enterprise, and Speaker magazines, she provides expert insight on leadership and communication topics across industries.

As an Associate Professor of Political Science and Pre-law Studies at the Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia, she developed core curriculum and lectured on constitutional and criminal law, legal research and writing, global issues, and American government. Outside of the SSU academic community, she developed executive seminars for a variety of high-profile organizations, including the Army Corps of Engineers, The United States Coast Guard, Office of Equity & Diversity, and the Law Offices of Willie T. Yancey, Sr.

Karima is Cornell Fellow and graduate of the University of California, Davis, and Roger Williams University School of Law. When not coaching executives, she enjoys helping young adults to increase self-confidence through communication and leadership excellence.

Follow Karima @WSRapport