My journey as an educational consultant, researcher, licensed psychologist, former faculty member, and Program Director for DEI has centered on driving high-impact, equity-based strategic change to help underserved populations thrive. Throughout my career, I’ve honed my analytic, problem-solving, community-building, and strategic innovation skills. I am dedicated to leveraging my unique lived and professional experiences to empower transformative systemic change through social impact AI/technology and community-building. As Founder & CEO of Liberate The Block (https://liberatetheblock.com/), I have consulted with 20+ universities and organizations to improve campus culture and student outcomes. Conducting workshops on how faculty and staff can best mentor students utilizing intersectional identities-affirming frameworks, I learned how to motivate campus culture change by advancing inclusivity, promoting empathy, and cultivating a supportive learning environment. Pioneering the Black Academic Empowerment Intervention, which significantly enhanced the academics and mental health of more than 200 Black students nationwide, also demonstrated the power of comprehensive interventions at scale. I'm also a first-generation college graduate, child of Beninese immigrants, and author of Letters to My Sisters & Brothers: Practical Advice to Successfully Navigate Academia as a Student of Color and the forthcoming, ‘Lift As You Climb’: The Book of Black Academic Empowerment. I'm a former McNair Scholar, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine-Ford Foundation Fellow, Herman B. Wells Graduate Fellow, and previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky and Research Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh. My research program focuses on examining the impact of intersectional oppression on historically excluded groups and creating culturally relevant interventions to enhance their well-being. Within this framework, I study academic persistence and mental wellness to promote holistic healing among BIPOC individuals in higher education. My work has been supported by over 50 grants, fellowships, and awards at the campus, regional, and national levels with over $250,000 in funds awarded. I earned Bachelor's degrees in Psychology & Sociology, a Master's degree in Learning Science-Educational Psychology Track, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University. In addition to work, I love reading, discovering new music/art, outdoor activities, spending time with friends and family, and living a holistically full life.