A Blow

Tabe was terminated today.

His supervisor said that he was giving too many people overtime. I'm not sure what the alternative was. Tabe works - excuse me, worked - for an agency for children with autism. It is a twenty-four hour a day program, and each child has at least one staff person dedicated to his or her care, as mandated by state law. In an agency that is chronically understaffed, he could either have awarded overtime to anyone willing to fill in or left the children unattended. Not a tough choice.

But as usual when someone is fired, his termination is most likely a smoke screen to distract the board from his supervisor's activities. Tribal loyalties are deeply ingrained, and his supervisor has been awarding overtime only to his "countrymen," his fellow Ghanaians. When this man was questioned, he pointed to Tabe and started accusing him of awarding too much overtime to everyone, regardless of tribal or national affiliation.

The director told him today that he "wished this had happened to anyone but Tabe," but termination was necessary. Tabe is a powerhouse in the agency. He works with a passion and loyalty that leaves others dumbfounded. He is capable of coaxing success from the most stubbornly uncooperative, most recalcitrant of employees. Pardon me for saying so but I hope they all writhe in agony as they struggle to absorb the countless responsibilities that had previously been shouldered by Tabe.

So, if anyone knows of any positions available in the metropolitan DC area for an African lawyer and human rights activist, exiled from his own country for his efforts to bring democracy to Cameroon, with experience in refugee and asylee resettlement, special needs learners, human resource management, legal support, and/or community organizing, please let me know. My little family would be most grateful.

TABE OBI
3616 Pear Tree Ct.
Apt 41
Silver Spring, MD 20906
301-919-4238
tabeobi@hotmail.com

Professional Experience


Residential Business Manager January 2005-Present
Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children Gaithersburg, MD

♣ Negotiate collective bargaining agreements with employee union
♣ Adjudicate employee claims with union attorneys and field representatives
♣ Directed successful mediation between union officials and agency management and averted
potential work stoppage
♣ Oversee audits of residential homes and enforce staff’s strict adherence to Developmental
Disabilities Act regulations affecting clients’ health, education, and well-being
♣ Hire employees and recommend appropriate actions relating to employee job performance
♣ Conduct exit interviews and suggest strategies for employee retention
♣ Counsel workers on laws and expectations regarding fair workplace practices, non-
discrimination, and grievance procedure
♣ Schedule employees to cover all shifts and emergencies and reconcile employee time sheets
♣ Extensive budget development, including preparing weekly budgets and disbursement records
for residential services
♣ Proposed program to reduce phone service costs by selling internet phone service to community partners and supporters. The agency receives a reimbursement for phone services purchased through its account and donors support CSAAC by purchasing personal phone service through the agency.
♣ Recommended enrollment in egroceries.com to reduce grocery costs for residential homes


Teaching Assistant January 2003-2004
Community Service for Autistic Adults and Children Gaithersburg, MD
♣ Designed and implemented educational programs for children and young adults with autism
♣ Instructed students in self-care tasks such as dressing, tooth-brushing, and toileting
♣ Trained students in vocational skills such as gardening, folding clothing, and assembling boxes
♣ Consulted with behavior specialists, psychologists and occupational and speech therapists to
coordinate the most appropriate curricula for students


Secretary of Elections 2002
Tiko Electoral District Southwest Province, Cameroon
♣ Monitored and supervised 42 polling stations for the June 2002 national elections in Cameroon
♣ Trained and supervised over 100 polling officers
♣ Enforced free voting space standards to ensure all polling stations operated free of intimidation
♣ Ensured ballot boxes and electoral materials conformed to government standards
♣ Documented and reported all elections irregularities to the national elections board
♣ Oversaw material provisioning for all polling stations
♣ Delivered lectures on electoral procedures, laws and ethics
♣ Organized the electoral register for upcoming legislative and municipal elections



Associate Attorney 1999-2002
Tabong Law Firm Tiko, Cameroon
♣ Designed defense for felony and misdemeanor defendants under senior attorney’s supervision
♣ Drafted briefs, interlocutory applications, memoranda, petitions, civil complaints and claims,
correspondence, motions and other legal documentation
♣ Prepared clients for trials, including conducting mock interviews
♣ Counseled clients in immigration proceedings
♣ Carried out legal research on procedural and substantive law

Education and Professional Certifications

Maryland Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Exam 2003
Maryland Real Estate Commission

LL.B. Law, University of Buea (Cameroon) June 1997
Minor: Management

Honors and Activities

Finalist, Moot Court Competition 1996
Class Delegate, Student Representative Assembly 1994-1996
Vice President, Student Representative Assembly 1996-1997
♣ Coordinated student activities in the Department of Law
♣ Represented students at disciplinary hearings
♣ Mediated student conflicts to satisfactory resolution


Bachelor of Arts, University of Yaounde (Cameroon) June 1992
Major: Business Management



Internships and Seminars

National Elections Officer Training Program February 2002
♣ Trained on elections organization and supervision
Cameroon Bar Association Training Seminar June 2000
♣ Admitted to the Cameroon Bar
Cameroon Judicial Week 1997, 1998, 1999
♣ Attended three annual law dinners. Topics included: Ethics of the Legal Profession, Diminished Capacity Under the Common Law and The Rights of Minorities Under the Law
Tabong Law Firm 1996-1997
♣ Followed court proceedings in civil and criminal cases