Yaya is a former intelligence analyst who brings an entrepreneurial and creative spirit to his work. For several years, Yaya provided high-level written analysis and oral briefings to the most senior US Government officials, including in the White House. His academic training is in International Affairs and Economics.

Yaya is the Director of Policy for AML & Cyber Risk at the Crypto Council for Innovation, a global alliance for the digital asset industry.

He also is an adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a nonpartisan national security think tank in Washington, DC. His current research focuses on the national security implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

As a "creative," he spends much of what free time he has left doing audio storytelling and podcast production through his own artistic company, Sign Curve Studios.