Kalimah Priforce Email and Phone Number
Just a kid from Brooklyn, Kalimah Priforce (kuh-LEE-muh, PRY-force) is the friendly neighborhood hacktivist in Emeryville’s city council as a former serial entrepreneur, local democracy advocate and Bay Area pioneer of the “Learn to Code” movement before becoming California's first Haitian American elected official and an Assembly District 18 Democrat state delegate for Oakland, Emeryville, and Alameda.By utilizing "hackathons” as breakthrough educational models, Kalimah served as the nation's foremost hacktivist educator for low opportunity youth addressing the world’s biggest problems through tech innovation. In forming Emeryville's first tenant union and homeowner alliance, he has emerged as a leading voice in reshaping public policy and philanthropy that closes equity gaps among social and digital divides.An eight year old Kalimah held a successful hunger strike against his Bedford-Stuyvesant group home to add books to its library. This drew the attention of Buddhist monastics who privately tutored him until the age of 14. By hacking his eighth grade attendance records, he was admitted to his dream school in Harlem. Upon discovery, his principal, Dr. Lorraine Monroe became his mentor as he inherited her mission to transform children's lives.Sold before his 20th birthday, he launched his first tech venture at 16. Driven by the traumatic loss of his eighteen year old brother to gun violence, he became founder and CEO of Qeyno (KEE-no) Labs, an Echoing Green funded social enterprise that introduced the first globally-televised hackathon to millions for the MSNBC mini-documentary, "Swimming in Their Genius," and is the central figure for the award-winning indie film, "Code Oakland.”As senior fellow for Van Jones's Dream.org, Kalimah presented the first hackathon, on behalf of Prince, to the Essence Festival for the 30th anniversary of "Purple Rain,” and has been featured on Forbes, Black Enterprise, PBS, KQED, NPR, TEDx, and the front pages of USA Today for his work. In helping to also form The Hidden Genius Project, an Oakland non-profit that trains young men of color in coding, his journey was recognized by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change.His upcoming memoir, "How To Raise A Hacker," reveals his formidable journey from group homes to Silicon Valley boardrooms while also serving on the National Advisory Council for Forward Promise.A member of Oakland's Black, progressive parish, St. Columba Catholic Church, Kalimah continues to bring mindfulness towards a life of public service not lived in vain.
City Of Emeryville
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Advisory Board MemberOur Neighborhood Voices Apr 2023 - Present
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CouncilmemberCity Of Emeryville Nov 2022 - PresentEmeryville, California, UsThe City of Emeryville is located in the East Bay Area on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Alameda County, bordered by the City of Berkeley to its north and the City of Oakland to the east and south.The city is centrally-located and accessible, resting at the east landing of the Bay Bridge and bounded by Interstate freeways 80, 880, and 580.Emeryville is served by a free transit system, the Emery-Go-Round, which provides a direct connection to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and also has an Amtrak Station providing commuter service within California and cross-country.
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National AdvisorForward Promise Mar 2017 - PresentHuntsville, Alabama, UsForward Promise is a national program office (NPO) funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation's largest health philanthropic organization, by funding and supporting culturally-responsive healing practices that buffer the effects of historical and systemic trauma on boys and young men of color (BYMOC) Forward Promise strengthens organizations that advance systems change approaches that prevent and intervene against dehumanization. If it takes a village to raise a child, Forward Promise aims to raise healthy villages that heal, grow, and thrive. -
Hacktivist CeoQeyno Feb 2008 - Jul 2019Oakland, Ca, UsQeyno Labs is an education think tank and of hacktivists closing the digital divide - once and for all. Our mission is to codebreak human potential to meet the ultimate challenges of the future. As a tech company, Qeyno is the home of Hackathon Academy. -
The College Board Professional FellowshipThe College Board Jul 2014 - Jul 2015New York, Ny, UsLaunching this year, the College Board’s Professional Fellowship Program is designed to recognize, support, and reward rising leaders from African American, Latino, and Native American backgrounds who are working effectively to close achievement and attainment gaps in their schools, colleges, and communities across the country. -
Echoing Green (Bma) 2013 FellowEchoing Green Jun 2013 - Jun 2015New York, Ny, UsIn 2013, the Open Society Foundations and Echoing Green awarded the Black Male Achievement (BMA) Fellowship to eleven social entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing the lives of Black men and boys in the United States.http://www.echoinggreen.org/blog/introducing-2013-echoing-green-fellows#bmafellows -
Senior FellowDream.Org Feb 2014 - Feb 2015Oakland, Ca, UsAs YesWeCode's (now Dream.org, Dream Corps Tech) first fellow, Priforce coordinated with Van Jones and the founding team to launch YesWeCode to the public. -
Educator-In-Residence & Founding MentorThe Hidden Genius Project Oct 2012 - Feb 2014Oakland, California, UsWorking alongside technology entrepreneurs and local startup leaders in providing Oakland black male youths with the computational knowledge, programming skills, mentorship and work experiences that would enable them to obtain and create technology-driven careers.I prepared THGP scholars to communicate and write effectively for both the professional and academic world by developing activities and designing curriculum that builds and evaluates their writing, communication, preparation, and persuasion competencies. -
Co-Founder & Managing PartnerCareersters Feb 2008 - Jun 2010Oakland, Ca, UsCareersters is a small, culturally diverse team of educators breaking into the tech startup scene through application development that brings career discovery into the classroom using the web.Careersters failed, so we pivoted towards game design with a career discovery focus by becoming Qeyno Labs and moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. -
DancepreneurProballroom Jan 2005 - Feb 2008Instructor of affordable ballroom dance classes from beginning basics through advanced classes for all ages and in underrepresented areas. The ProBallroom program emphasizes social dancing, aerobics, and dance etiquette.
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Curriculum Specialist & Sunday School Teacher At Chan Meditation Center (法鼓山)Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association Jan 2005 - Jan 2007Prepared weekly lessons to groups of youth ages 10 to 16 based on elementary Buddhist teachings, philosophy, and an introduction to comparative religious studies.Organized field trips to inter-religious dialogues centered on youth. Provided mentorship and counseling for students and their parents/guardians.Dharma Drum Mountain is an international Buddhist spiritual, cultural, and educational foundation founded by late Ch'an (Zen) Master Sheng-yen. Dharma Drum Mountain is one of the most influential Buddhist organizations in Chinese Buddhism. In Taiwan, it is considered one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" or four major Buddhist temples of Taiwanese Buddhism. -
Co-Founder & Executive DirectorThurgood Marshall Club Of America Jan 2002 - Nov 2004Thurgood Marshall Club of America (TMCA) prepares students attending American public black colleges and universities for professional upward mobility through strengths-based leadership development. TMCA is a division of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund (TMSF) that primarily focuses its initiatives on student development, and is principally funded by the Gallup Organization.
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Business StrategistMoet Hennessy Usa Jan 2003 - Jul 2004Paris, Île-De-France, FrMulticultural Initiatives: Identify and champion multicultural opportunities to ensure that effective strategies and programs are resourced to provide marketing, relevant, and executional insight for brand teams to appropriate targets. -
Business Strategist (Diageo Consultant)Schieffelin & Somerset Jan 2002 - Jan 2003Next Generation Growth (NGG): An innovative corporate strategy designed to create a more efficient, effective, profitable and responsible three tiered system towards delivering company products and brands to consumers. NGG led the way for DIAGEO and Schieffelin Co. to align their business along with co-partner LVMH. -
Adolescent Program Assistant/Employability TrainerBrooklyn Children'S Museum 2002 - 2002Brooklyn, New York, UsFacilitated all service-learning projects, college guidance and career-advisement activities for nine (9) high school students. Arranged field trips and engaged parental guardians concerning student’s college selection process. -
Head CounselorHarlem School Of The Arts (Hsa) 2002 - 2002New York, Ny, UsSupervised twenty (20) summer day camp counselors (ages 16-26) in servicing two-hundred (200) children (4-11 years old); designed orientation and counselor training workshops on child management; arranged student journal entries and mentoring sessions by counselors to program members. -
FellowPublic Allies 2000 - 2001Milwaukee, Wisconsin, UsSelected to be in the inaugural NYC Public Allies cohort for Women's Venture Fund. -
Program AssistantThe Women'S Venture Capital Fund 2000 - 2001Portland, Or, UsCompiled, organized, and reviewed the business plans of low-income and minority women entrepreneurs applying for micro-loan grants; provided business mentorship by setting up entrepreneurship-based workshops. Created a database entry system on Microsoft Access for mailing lists that greatly improved office efficiency amongst staff. -
FounderWhizz Kidd Computer Services Jun 1996 - Aug 2000Provided low-cost computer services and freelance technical support to individuals and New York City-area small businesses, schools, and non-profits.
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Co-Editor (Intern)The Door - A Center Of Alternatives 1999 - 2000New York, Ny, UsCo-edited and served on a review committee for the publication of prose, journals, and poems written by urban youth (ages 12-18). -
Information Technology SpecialistNew York City Human Resources Administration Oct 1998 - Oct 1999Provided technical assistance and responded to telephoned repair requests for the Management Information Systems division (MIS) of the NYC Human Resources Administration. Tracked and maintained monthly “Total Liquidation” reports on all 48-hour contractual windows via data entry. -
Peer Mentor (Captain) | Assistant Program ManagerYoung Saviors Cadet Academy Mar 1997 - Sep 1998Provided classroom instruction for a cadet-themed program for Brownsville (Brooklyn, NY) youth ages 5-18 on leadership, team-building, and community service. Supervised recreational activities.
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Guidance Counselor | Program AssistantYayb - Youth Action Youthbuild 1997 - 1998New York, Ny, UsManaged a "chronic truancy" prevention program for an East Harlem school; Responsibilities included preparing co-workers for field assignments; providing peer counseling sessions and tutoring services to GED students, and arranging employability assistance and training to program members (ages 17-25). -
It ConsultantCustom Computer Specialists Jun 1997 - Aug 1997Hauppauge, Ny, UsNetworked, installed, and provided troubleshooting assistance for "Project Smart Schools" an ambitious program by former mayor Rudolph Giuliani that sought to enhance New York City's educational curriculum through the integration of computer technology in all public school classrooms.
Kalimah Priforce Education Details
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Usc Sol Price School Of Public PolicyPublic Policy Analysis -
University Of California, Berkeley
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Berkeley City CollegePlaywriting And Screenwriting
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University Of OxfordBusiness Strategy & International Finance
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The City University Of New YorkGlobal Business Strategy (Minor In Urban Youth Studies)
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Università Per Stranieri Di PerugiaItalian Language
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Shanghai UniversityInternational Business And Chinese Mandarin
Frequently Asked Questions about Kalimah Priforce
What company does Kalimah Priforce work for?
Kalimah Priforce works for City Of Emeryville
What is Kalimah Priforce's role at the current company?
Kalimah Priforce's current role is Emeryville Councilmember | Hacktivist Pioneer | 3X Founder | Educator | California's 1st Haitian Elected | Writer & Author @ "How To Raise A Hacker" (2025).
What schools did Kalimah Priforce attend?
Kalimah Priforce attended Usc Sol Price School Of Public Policy, University Of California, Berkeley, Berkeley City College, University Of Oxford, The City University Of New York, Università Per Stranieri Di Perugia, Shanghai University.
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