I’m a thinker, designer, & leader interested in building strong, sustainable, anti-racist systems & organizations. I’m into exploring how we can leverage new technologies to combat racial and economic injustice.
about me
I’ve got nearly 20 years experience in policy, marketing, business development, and strategic planning in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. It’s my mission to take the skills and lessons I’ve learned and share them with Black and Indigenous led organizations for radical social change.
I’m also the co-founder of CRUX, an Albuquerque-based immersive storytelling cooperative that collaborates with Black artists as they create content in virtual reality and augmented reality (XR).
I’m currently the Director and Lead Strategist for Programming at Michigan Central, a 32-acre innovation campus in Detroit, where I focus on creating programs that demonstrate the impact that technology has on our lives. I am also Professsor of Practice teaching Worldbuilding and Visualizing Futures at Arizona State University (ASU), where I teach at the Media and Immersive eXperience Center. My work centers on researching how we might build digital spaces, platforms, and infrastructures with technologies that spring from the ancestral knowledge of Black, Indigenous, Queer, and Femme people. Before joining ASU, I served as interim Chief of Marketing for Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), where I focused on amplifying the stories and activism of the YBCA community. Prior to joining YBCA, I was co-CEO of Fractured Atlas, the largest association of independent artists in the United States. In my role on our shared-leadership team, I worked to bolster awareness of our awesome products and services. In 2017, I started Artist Campaign School, an educational program that has trained 74 artists to run for political office to date.
I have taught Arts and Entrepreneurship classes at NYU and Bennington College, and as well as a Collaborative Worldbuilding class at Bennington College.
Prior to joining the team at Fractured Atlas, I served as Director of Development for Washington, DC-based organizations Martha’s Table and the National Center for Children and Families. I’ve also been lucky to work in various roles at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Children’s Defense Fund, New Leaders, and AAUW. Early in my career, I worked on Capitol Hill as the Assistant Director of Government Affairs for a boutique firm. I got a ton of experience working with clients like Comcast, SiriusXM, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the City of Philadelphia.
In my spare time, I’m usually hiking or biking, building bad furniture, or gesturing wildly at the teevee in support of whichever underdog basketball team is playing at that moment. I serve on the governing board of Black Innovation Alliance and have previously served on the boards of Main Street Phoenix Project and Black Girls Code.
I graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Political Science and obtained a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.
Specialties
strategic planning
program development
XR design advisor
social impact financing
business culture design
ethical immersive design