From “Under the Rock” to
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
By Meghan Orsino
Danlade Agyeman-Osman ‘05 is a man of infectious positivity
and infinite ambition.
Before he owned his own consulting business and frequently
traveled around the globe, Danlade had humble beginnings in
a small country on the west coast of Africa known for its gold:
Ghana.
Born in a gold mining town called Obuasi, which translates to
English as “under the rock,” Danlade was raised by his mother
and grandmother, who spent much of their time, quite literally,
keeping him alive. When he was born, Ghana was going through
its harshest drought season in history and there was a scarce
supply of food to feed families, let alone access to baby formula.
At the time, Danlade had not yet started eating solid food,
so one day his grandmother disappeared. Hours passed and
it wasn’t until late that night that his grandmother returned
with a tin of baby formula that was watered down and used to
sustain Danlade until he could consume solid food.
Not only did he survive, he thrived. Danlade completed his
schooling in Ghana at Achimota Secondary School, followed by
a detour in England for a period before arriving in the United
States at age 18 to pursue higher education at the then-named
Gwynedd Mercy College.
GMercyU was his first introduction to America and as one can
imagine, it was an overwhelming experience moving to a brand
new country. Luckily for Danlade, there were many friendly
faces and welcoming arms at GMercyU to help him acclimate
to his new surroundings.
“Sister Helen Cahill was a rock for those of us who did not
know how to navigate a new country,” said Danlade. “I found
myself at a strange school that quickly became my new family.”
While Danlade found a home in GMercyU, he also found his
life calling. Along with his busy schedule of being a Resident
Assistant, founding the Business Club, and setting records for
the Track and Field team, Danlade picked up a job in admissions
and a job as the first student security officer. He was impacted
by his relationship with his various supervisors, Dennis Murphy,
Russell Jones, Dennis Logan, and Jim Jones, which ultimately
sparked his interest in the field of law enforcement and
protection.
“The stories these guys shared with me built a storm in my
head, coupled with Russell Jones’ stubborn insistence on
customer service in security made me realize that I wanted to
be like Bagheera from The Jungle Book - a warrior protector,”
14
TODAY
There is a
“
satisfaction and
good feeling
that comes with
being able to
support people
who go to
dangerous parts
of the world to
do good.
”
Danlade said. “The closest field I could find was the protection
of human assets and executive protection.”
After he graduated from GMercyU with his degree in Business
Administration, Danlade went on to pursue his master’s degree
in Criminology from Widener University while concurrently
enlisting in the U.S. Army, to which he gave nine years of
service. He began his protective career on the protection
detail of a corporate billionaire after working for a few private
security contractors.
Today, Danlade keeps busy running his own Close Protection
Company called OT Agyeman Consultants (OTAC). As a
consultant, he provides support to security agencies specifically
in training executive protection teams, leading special details,
and training non-profit and charitable organizations with
their security posture. He also assists new “high net-worth”
individuals to assimilate into new lives that require protection.
As for his next steps, Danlade is working on completing his first
two books and focusing his support on even more charitable
organizations doing humanitarian work in hazardous zones
around the globe.
“There is a satisfaction and good feeling that comes with being
able to support people who go to dangerous parts of the world
to do good. My greatest desire is to be able to be a part of
something much deeper by training those that need it,” said
Danlade. “Maybe one of these days, I will have the honor of
working with the Sisters of Mercy.”