In 1970 the family, due to escalating political unrest in their native country, fled into exile and settled in Salem, Oregon.
Growing up in Salem, Envela gained notoriety at an early age as a standout sprinter, setting several national age-group records.
[2] After graduating from Stanford in 1990, instead of pursuing professional sports, he set his eyes on running for president of his native Equatorial Guinea with hopes of establishing freedom of speech, raising the standard of living and education.
[3] Envela scheduled his Washington agenda with the help of lobbyist and onetime deputy Senate legal counsel, Robert Kelley.
Envela has recently been a consultant for Africa Global, a Washington, D.C.–based organization whose past clients include the current Dictator-President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.