Dr. Paul Twum Nkansah

Dr. Paul (affectionately called Kofi) Twum Nkansah, 74, of Tallahassee, Florida and tenured Professor with Florida A & M University School of Business and Industry passed away Saturday, March 4th, 2023 from complications associated with a brief illness. On May 30th, 1948, he was born in a village called Asempaneye No.2 (Kofi Twum Krom) via Pra-River Jamasi. His parents were Pastor Daniel Yaw Nkansah (alias Yaw Kumah) and Comfort Akua Nkansah (alias Akua Donkor).

Dr. Nkansah valued and often reflected on his time spent tending to the family farm with his father, a local pastor. They often engaged in conversations around God, which served as his spiritual foundation, and academics, which ignited a fervor and zeal for learning at a very early age. Relentless in his drive for academic excellence, Dr. Nkansah studied tirelessly and his efforts were rewarded. He was always deeply reflective of his upbringing and appreciative of the many acts of divine intervention which allowed him to progress throughout life. He completed his Basic Education at Kwahu Jamasi Anglican Primary School and Middle school at Presby with his late sister Janet Dansoah, at Akim Oda. He next completed his ordinary-level certificate at Okuapeman Secondary School in 1968 in the Eastern Region of Ghana, earning high enough scores to receive government funding without requiring the Advanced level certificate and personal financing from a United States Peace Corp volunteer to pursue his planned career of Engineering. With limited family financial resources, he instead chose to pursue professor training, which allowed his father to reallocate funds to his brothers and sisters. He was among the first students to matriculate at University of Cape Coast, Ghana and completed a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics/Physics. He then completed his first Masters degree in Applied Statistics from University of Ghana in 1975, second Masters degree in Statistics from Iowa State University in 1979 and ultimately completed his PhD in Statistics and Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University in 1983. Dr.

Nkansah mainly studied under Government awarded scholarships due to his brilliant performance.

In 1976, he married Ms. Stella Aniapam and had two children, Dr. Nancy Nkansah-Mahaney and Mr. Jeffrey Nkansah. In 1997, he married his wife of 25 years, Mrs. Victoria Nkansah; they had Mr. Jivan Nkansah and blended their families with Mrs. Claudia Appiah, Dr. Nancy Nkansah-Mahaney, and Mr. Jeffrey Nkansah.

A naturally gifted teacher and well respected professor, Dr. Nkansah was well known among faculty and students for his excellent sense of humor, ability to simplify complex subjects, academic rigor, and integrity. Early in his career, he taught at multiple institutions, including Iowa State University, Iowa; University of Morris, Minnesota; Atlanta University, Georgia; University of North Carolina at Wilmington, North Carolina. In 1989, he was recruited to Florida A & M University School of Business and Industry where he remained on faculty for over 30 years and served as a Department Chair and Senior Tenured Professor.

Dr. Nkansah in the classroom and simply Paul, Kofi, or Dad/Uncle to family, friends, and church members, he believed wholeheartedly in the importance of espousing unconditional love to all and appreciating every day of life. He never knew an enemy and loved spending time with family, friends, and colleagues. Paul enjoyed a good game of tennis with friends, showing off his signature dance moves, and regularly

hiking in his community. A meticulous person by nature, he seemed to have a thoughtful and logical answer to almost every question and often infused it with witty humor.

Like his father, Dr. Nkansah was spiritually inclined and deeply studied multiple religions on his journey to God. He had the unique ability to find connections between different religions and could easily quote passages from varied religious texts. His love for and devotion to God earned him the opportunity of becoming a member of Eckankar, which means co-worker with God and is another word for the Holy Spirit. He strove to practice the five virtues of Eck in his everyday life, including exercising good judgment, tolerance and forgiveness, contentment, detachment, and humility. Dr. Nkansah ascended to the level of Higher Initiate and was a member of the Eckankar clergy, serving as an active part of the Eckankar community in Tallahassee, Florida, the State of Florida, and the Ghanaian division.

He was predeceased by his parents, the late Pastor Daniel Yaw Nkansah and Mrs. Comfort Akua Nkansah; brothers and sisters, Mr. Samuel Kumah, Ms. Margaret Nkansah, Mr. Charles Nkansah, and Mrs. Janet Dansoah. Dr. Nkansah is survived by his wife Mrs. Victoria Nkansah; children, Dr. Nancy (Joseph) Nkansah-Mahaney and their children Mya and Gavin of Maryland, Mr. Jeffrey (Rashana) Nkansah and their children Elijah and Ezra of California, Mrs. Claudia (Raymond) Appiah and their daughter Aubrie of Georgia, Mr. Jivan Kwaku Nkansah of Georgia. His surviving brothers and sisters include, Mr. David Nkansah Ampadu, Mr. John Nkansah Opon-Mensah, Ms. Christiana Akua Foriwaa, Ms. Rose Nkansah, Mr. Baffour Nkansah, and Mr. Dan Sasu Nkansah. He has many loving nieces and nephews, including the following who are present in the United States, Dr. Ransford Kwaku Brenya, Mr. Ofosu Oppong, and Mr. Samuel Oppong.

May the blessings be.