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In the summer of 2020, I felt a despair all too familiar to many Black people in America. Once again I, along with so many others, was reminded that I live in a country where there are two systems and the color of your skin determines which one you experience. Fifth Star Funds is my and a group of fellow entrepreneurs' effort to tackle this plague of two systems faced by Black tech entrepreneurs. Fueled by unique experiences as a Black female founder who has and continues to struggle to raise capital, I am proud to build this innovative fund aimed at tackling the bias of the traditional venture capital system for the earliest stage Black founder.Fifth Star Funds is a venture philanthropy fund fighting to close the racial funding gap where only 1% of venture capital is awarded to Black tech founders today. We accomplish this by investing in Black tech founders in Chicago at the early stage “Friends & Family” round. We believe the funding gap at this stage is the most critical to address, as centuries of inequity have prevented these potential entrepreneurs from having the initial capital to start their businesses. Anyone can contribute to the fund as a tax-deductible donation, and 100% of all returns from successful investments are reinvested into the fund to support future generations of Black founders. We employ rigorous, objective processes to evaluate founders to remove the racial biases that exist in the venture landscape. In our first year, we have invested in 10 wonderful Black-led startups and have raised over $1M in community donations for the fund.

BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRSParticipant of a U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs as a Professional Fellow and host through WorldChicago. I worked with local professionals to lead education on tech startups and diversity for emerging tech communities and served as keynote speaker for multiple conferences.

Stella served as a senior leader in Gallup's Chicago Office where she focused on solving companies' most challenging issues to increase enterprise performance by optimizing marketing, operations and workforce strategies. In her practice she lead teams in broadening constituency and uncovering new opportunities for partnerships with engagements she architected and led. Through client impact, revenue growth, and effective team and P&L management, Stella consistently led in performance metrics. She effectively defined scope, determined optimal team structure, formulated approaches, and proposed solutions. Accomplishments include:• Designed and executed a custom, Talent-Based sales force optimization strategy, predictive analytics, and selection program for a leading lens manufacturer. Identified opportunity to increase ratio of top talent sales representatives and sales managers by 5 times to yield increased performance and value for acquiring company.• Architected and sold a $1.5M full employee lifecycle Talent, Engagement, and Development strategy for a large multi-regional utility. Subsequently created additional scope build out of 25%.• Led team of over 15 subject matter experts, operations team members, and implementation consultants in executing large scale workforce optimization and employee engagement data collection for large global spin-off.• Partnered with C-Suite executives in creating and executing brand strategies for various Fortune 500 companies.• Exceeded P&L goals by effectively managing project scope and teams yielding portfolio performance above region goal.

Management consulting specializing in employee and customer engagementIn her role as a Client Development Consultant, Stella initiated and completed two client projects for a leading insurance company and an internal practice development project. Her responsibilities included: •Analyzing complex employee performance and feedback data to select appropriate managers for further study of all business units of national insurance and finance conglomerate earning over $20B in revenue. •Managing internal and external client stakeholder objectives and created research and data plan for employee engagement analysis project for company executives.•Designing quantitative and qualitative instruments to support multivariate analysis of variance in job families’ performance. •Conducting competitor analysis and research of business and consulting environment to develop strategic recommendations for company consulting practice.

Managed all operations of Business and Entertainment Litigation Firm. Initiated and led large scale team projects to increase firm revenue and improve output and efficiency. Contributed significantly to legal strategy and case analysis.•Created and implemented a business plan including financial statements and projections, resulting in over 20% reduction of overhead costs. Achieved further cost reduction through restructuring vendor contracts/service orders.•Hired, trained and managed all legal staff, administrative interns, and marketing interns.•Drafted complex demand letters, memos, and form pleading/discovery documents for high profile cases and clients.•Analyzed historical accounts receivable data to develop new metrics and procedures to increase A/R collections.•Generated new (and managed existing) trademark, copyright, and business entity formations.•Assisted principal attorney with client screening, case portfolio management, and strategic business decisions.

Successfully established tutoring company to address the need for affordable quality mentoring and academic assistance within Los Angeles. Managed operations and sales to develop start-up into thriving company. •Developed unique “WST method” of customized student evaluation and plan creation/implementation. •Managed all financial accounting and reporting; effectively executed financial planning and forecasting to determine spending areas for business improvement. •Hired, trained, and managed diverse team of over 40 tutors, interns, and staff members. •Researched market players and conditions to devise advertising campaigns leading to a 300% growth over 2 years. •Managed sales and operations, as well as cultivated client, vendor, and community partner relations. •Created and implemented College Here I Come! (C.H.I.C.!) Program to assist underrepresented high school students in the greater Los Angeles area with the holistic process of university acceptance and preparation.

Boutique law firm specializing in employment, business and entertainment litigation