Bakary is a Human Nutrition Scientist by profession. Prior to joining the Center for Immigrants and Immigration Services in 2016, he was a Research Scientist in The Gambia where he worked for the British Medical Research Council of UK. Bakary was then recruited by the University of Colorado School of Health Sciences (now, Colorado School of Medicine) to undertake human obesity research at their newly opened Nutrition Core Unit where he worked for ten years, culminating in his promotion to an Assistant Professor position. After leaving the University, Bakary joined the United States’ Food and Drug Administration, (US FDA) as Commissioner’s Fellow. Bakary, along with other African community leaders, co-founded the “Colorado African Organization” (CAO), an ethnic community-based organization that was created to help tackle some of the many problems African refugees, asylees and immigrants faced at the time. The mission of CAO was to unite African community organizations in Colorado to better support and meet the resettlement needs of African refugees and immigrants residing in Colorado. Bakary served as both the first Executive Director of CAO and its Program Director. Bakary supervises and oversees programs implementation and funding applications at the Center for Immigrants. He has decades of experience serving and assisting in the resettlement and integration of refugees, immigrants, and other newcomers seeking refuge and protection in Colorado, USA.
