discover
Born in The Bronx. Raised between two worlds. Anchored by faith that's never let go.
About Me
The Personal
My story is woven from many threads: family, community, innovation, and leadership. This space invites you to explore the journey that has shaped me into the person I am today, with all the intersections of identity, experience, and vision that make me whole.
I was born in The Bronx to immigrant parents from Jamaica, and my life has always been anchored in the love of a big, extended family. My two sisters and a global tribe of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends remind me daily that I am never alone. They hold me down in ways that keep me grounded and lifted at the same time. Growing up between The Bronx and Cleveland, OH meant learning how to stretch across very different worlds. Those environments taught me range: how to adapt, how to listen, and how to carry both grit and grace wherever I go.
Sports, travel, music, exercise, and spa days are not just hobbies for me, they are ways I stay connected to joy, rhythm, and balance. Each one reflects a piece of how I move through life: competitive yet playful, curious yet rooted, disciplined yet indulgent. And underneath it all, my faith as a follower of Jesus is the compass. It shapes how I love, how I lead, and how I imagine what’s possible. My story is not just about where I come from, but about the intersections that make me whole: family, culture, movement, and belief woven together into the person I am becoming every day.
The Professional
I am the Founder & CEO of The Daraja Collective, where I architect systems that empower tech founders to scale, lead, and thrive in deploying new technologies. Through Daraja, I’ve built infrastructure for generational impact. From launching the first accelerator for Black tech founders within Canada’s Trade Commissioner Services to shaping the LIFT program curriculum in Atlanta with the Center for Black Entrepreneurship. Alongside Daraja, I serve as the first woman Director of one of the National Science Foundation’s I‑Corps Hubs, the West Region, which has trained more than 1,400 teams and fueled the creation of over 170 startups that have gone on to raise more than $170 million in funding.
My journey began as an engineer, earning degrees from The Ohio State University, George Washington University, and the University of Southern California. I’ve led global consulting projects at Ernst & Young, contributed to the first‑ever decommissioning of a nuclear aircraft carrier, and driven innovation strategy across multiple industries. Through every chapter, the throughline has been clear: I don’t just build programs or systems. I design blueprints for how culture, innovation, and community move forward together.
The Reality
No matter what I am up to at the moment, I aim to live a life that demonstrates a foundation of love and freedom. This means allowing room for me to become and my life to look like something I couldn’t imagine or sometimes choose for myself. I find a simple way to do that is to pray, invite different perspectives, and to embrace disrupting myself first. And oh what a ride it’s been!
