Ellen Corkrum is a Liberian politician and presidential candidate, who previously served as an officer in the United States military and as a commercial pilot.
She served as the managing director of the Liberia Airports Authority, and was forced to flee the country after exposing alleged corruption in the government. She has announced her candidacy for President of Liberia in the 2017 election.
Born in Liberia, she moved to Minnesota at age 13. Corkrum served as a U.S. military Black Hawk assault helicopter pilot, a major in the United States Armed Forces reserves, and a commercial airline pilot. She is a graduate of Harvard University, with a Master Degree in Public Administration. Corkrum also holds a MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Corkrum returned Liberia to work as the managing director of the Liberia Airports Authority. After reporting the corruption she witnessed, her life was threatened and a campaign of public intimidation was launched. She escaped from Liberia, by road, through Sierra Leone, then Europe before making it back to the U.S. The current Liberian National Police Director, Chris Massaquoi, defied the President’s orders and helped Corkrum escape, stating that he was part of a top-level meeting where her capture was revealed. Liberia’s Minister of Defense, Brownie Samukai is also heard on tape, revealing to Corkrum that top government officials had set her up to cover their fraudulent practices. Corkrum secretly recorded these and other officials, including the executive office. Corkrum presented this evidence, including a 300-page binder of documentation to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Justice Department.
If elected, Corkrum will be the second elected female head of state on the continent of Africa.