Special Skills, Qualifications & Previous Board Experience
A social sector strategist by day at the Bridgespan Group, I am particularly skilled at board development and communications. I regularly coach executives from non-profits to impact investing managers, and often recognize patterns in performance which enable me to effectively translate insights from one domain to the other. As a manager at a consulting firm, I also lead our community engagement initiative, linking our professionals to local service opportunities. I find this to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job. In another professional capacity, I serve as an advisor to 30N Ventures, an emerging market venture capital firm. This role enables me to deepen my expertise in commercial and impact due diligence, which I may also bring to bear in my role as a board member.
Outside of work, you'll often find me trail running, museum going, and brunch hopping. I hope to connect with many alums through these hobbies. Beyond that, I enjoy public speaking (former Follies cast member and emcee at many Wharton events).
Please see my profiles for more information:
Bridgespan Profile
LinkedIn Profile
Diversity
Geography: Native Washingtonian --> committed to the development of the regional alumni community, and possess deep knowledge of our regional history and culture
Race/Gender: Black Female --> will apply an intersectional lens around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging matters
Age: 30 --> poised to attract greater engagement of more recent WG alumni
Industry: Social Impact (Harvard Kennedy School Dual Degree) --> will share insights from the social sector, which is historically less visible than public or private, but arguably as important
Vision
I envision a community which is more connected internally and externally, and adapts to meet the moment. My platform is the following:
Sponsor informal cohort reunions: There are many alums in the area who are not actively involved in our regional chapter. My hypothesis is that they are less likely to get involved if their peers are not. If elected to the board, I would prioritize semi-annual reunions to bring together "cohorts" of alums who have graduated within 5 years of each other. These would be lower stakes, intimate gatherings where WCNCR would pick up the first drink/app or venue entry cost to encourage alums to get to know each other and board members, ultimately resulting in greater interest in / higher yield at other events year-round.
Foster relationship with our local community: Our Nation's Capital boasts one of the highest concentrations of professional degree holders / white collar professionals in the country, but we have a great divide with respect to wealth generation and educational outcomes right here in our backyard. If elected to the board, I would prioritize community engagement programs such as mentoring (e.g., Wharton application prep), volunteering (e.g., tax prep assistance), and more. This is not just a way to "pay it forward", but also informs greater diversity in programming.
Host "fireside" chats on the frontier of business and society: I believe that we could stand to benefit from more intentionally leveraging the power of our Wharton network to inform us on the most pressing matters of the day. If elected to the board, I would prioritize regular discussions around hot topics (board would solicit feedback through surveys), from the impact of generative AI, macroeconomic insights and implications re: debt ceiling and commercial real estate, to the emergence of DEI curriculum at Wharton. These forums would bring together the best academics (e.g., Wharton professors) and practitioners (e.g., Wharton alums) to provide their thoughts on the current state and outlook, and lead to a greater community dialogue.