I research economic development outcomes for underserved communities in West Alabama—from Florence to Fairhope.

Under the world-renowned Education Policy Center, I led research to improve educational and economic development outcomes for Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox counties—Alabama’s Black Belt. Out output was the creation of the Jolley Institute for the Black Belt, which is being incubated by the Alabama Network or Family Resource Centers.

We are launching a resource center for low and moderate income residents in our county.

With a group of 15 student, faculty, and staff veterans, we founded an American Legion post on the University of Alabama campus. The Legion is the nation’s largest veterans services organization and has led the charge for the Veterans Administration and the GI Bills. Our post serves as the research/policy arm of the Alabama Department of the American Legion.

I lead military outreach and education programs for an amazing HBCU. We are making a difference in the Black Belt's education landscape through partnerships with the Veterans Administration.

Troops to Teachers is a Department of Defense program that assists transitioning Service members and veterans in beginning new careers as K-12 school teachers in public schools. It's great to be back home at Stillman, my Upward Bound alma mater, who manages the program for the State of Alabama. In honor of my Upward Bound heroes, I also serve as a counselor to first-generation college students.

I was a proud member of the 69th Aerial Port Squadron at Andrews AFB, MD and the 25th Aerial Port Squadron at Maxwell AFB, AL. Responsible for securely managing cargo and passengers, we Port Dawgs ensure that everything and everyone on Air Mobility Command aircraft is transported safely and quickly. From food and medical supplies to helicopters and ground vehicles, we are responsible for coordinating the valuable people and supplies the US Air Force ships around the world.

After 15 years away, I decided to come home to Alabama and home to my alma mater as their lobbyist. I was able to work with the Republican supermajority to push a $7.1 million budget for ASMS. Thanks to my legislative ace--a staunch Trump supporter with a 92% NRA grade--we got a $670K funding jump and $260K in private support. That put us just shy of $1 million in increased revenue. Don't think the Republicans converted me, though! We made a rare bipartisan alliance. We knew that investing in Alabama's future economy means investing in its gifted and talented young people as job creators. Graduating from ASMS changed my life trajectory, so this was like Welcome Back Kotter--nerd style.

With a tribe of social justice and data rock stars, we built a social movement that tried to empower U.S. communities of color to build self-determination using big data. We hired five residents of Washington, DC's Ivy City neighborhood to organize their neighbors, collect and analyze quantitative data, then use that data to advocate for community change at the DC city council.

It's hard to put this transformative, humbling experience into LinkedIn-style words, so I'm just going to list three of the cool things I got to do at HKS.1.) I helped design and teach the school's first full course on diversity and inclusion: MLD-320M. b. I took 30 graduate students to see how San Antonio and Laredo, Texas, have managed the transition to the New Majority. We partnered with Univision, Former Secretary Henry Cisneros, University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M International University.iii. Ian Record at the National Congress of American Indians embassy flew me out to the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington State to study workforce development. [Ian, I know I owe you some research.]

My title was "Senior Advisor," but I fixed problems for nonprofits... like Harrison on Scandal.Examples:■ A private school's founder unexpectedly dies. I counsel the family, help them raise $700,000, and hire an awesome development director to take my place. UPDATE: That school used my framework to execute a $2.6 million capital campaign!■ Jointly, two nonprofits get a $1 million grant but come to blows over how to split the cash. I broker a deal that allows both sides to get what they want.■ A historically black nonprofit faces budget cuts by the North Carolina General Assembly's new Republican majority. I push too hard for staff restructure, so they fire me. Six months later, they take each of my HR recommendations.

I got fed up with the 9-5, so I consulted nonprofits to raise more money by behaving like political campaigns. My clients included the SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals, Habitat for Humanity of Durham, Preservation Durham, Dalton for Governor, Communities in Schools, and the N.C. Methodist Home for Children.Coolest client: The National Trust for Historic Preservation. We did capacity building workshops for small, black-led nonprofits that protect Rosenwald Schools. In the 1910s, Sears magnate Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington teamed up to build schools for black children.

I was brought into this nebulous #2 role. I started with a team of myself then ended up with 15 folks in family services, fundraising, repairs, and land acquisition. I also led the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative in my neighborhood, East Durham.

When Bev Perdue dropped out of the governor's race at the 12th hour, I helped Caroline Valand put together a gubernatorial campaign for our boss, Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton. Dalton is as moderate conservative as they come, but I helped him build a legit statewide progressive coalition: African Americans, labor, educators, and environmentalists. We surged 35 points in the polls to win the Democratic primary against Bob Etheridge, but we got our butts handed to us by Pat McCrory in the general.What made my mom proud: Because I had a morning meeting, I slept--in my suit--under a Crowne Plaza conference table at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Working with two state agencies, I built progressive policy coalitions for Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton and State Treasurer Janet Cowell. I got to participate in and sometimes lead really cool stuff at a young age, like:■ Adding financial literacy to the curriculum for 1.4 million schoolchildren■ Trying (and failing miserably) to launch the Bank On program for unbanked households■ Staffing a study commission on the future of public pensions in the US

I needed a break from politics, so I helped a friend fundraise for Ronald McDonald House. As an intrapreneur, I launched the Ronald House’s first annual giving campaign and helped fix a stalled capital campaign. We avoided recession-driven layoffs by raising $1.5M from individuals, corporations, and foundations. We increased annual giving by 69% over 2006 and increased donors by 25%, and I got to hang out with some amazing people at Duke Children's Hospital.Coolest thing: I did executive education at Hamburger University, McDonald's Corporate training center that offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctorates in hamburger-ology. [This is 100% true without any exaggeration.]

During the Jerry Meek Revolution, I managed the Party's seven auxiliary organizations like Young Democrats and the African American Caucus. Our work increased voter turnout by 154% for State Rep. Ty Harrell and State Sen. Tony Foriest, making then the first black legislators to represent majority white districts in the General Assembly. I managed recount efforts for Larry Kissell's Congressional loss in 2006 (only 360 votes and we'd have had it, but he won 2 years later).We got the Democratic Party to apologize for its role in the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot.For a quick minute, I was finance director for the House Democratic Caucus. As Jim Black resigned, I helped newly elected Speaker Joe Hackney raised $250K to expand the Democratic majority in the State House of Representatives. Hackney wouldn't remember me, but I worked closely with Majority Leader Hugh Holliman and Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield.

I worked with Virginia Carson to secure $1.2 million in state funding to renovate the Campus Y, UNC's social justice center. With Vice Chancellor Peggy Jablonski, I helped build a fundraising infrastructure for the university’s Division of Student Affairs.After a UNC Tar Heels basketball game, I literally bumped into President Erskine Bowles. I recovered from utter embarrassment to tepidly asked him for a job. He put me on a 6-month contract to help him connect with students.

I was heading to Alabama to intern for Republican Governor Bob Riley, but after seeing the movie Big Fish, I sent my resume to a Carolina alum in Joel Klein's office. They let me manage correspondence in the Chancellor's Strategic Response Group and hang out in the charter schools and communications offices.