Zitty is experienced in facilitating communication, public speaking, & leadership development sessions in nonprofit, corporate, & diverse higher education environments. In 2016, she was recognized as one of the Triad Business Journal’s 40 Leaders Under 40 & received a full scholarship to attend Google's Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) in New York, NY. In 2019, she became certified as an executive leadership coach with the Center for Creative Leadership®. And in 2020, she launched the Ukuvusa Podcast (Ukuvusa = "to awaken") which features conversations with guests and experts willing to share their experiences of awakening -- to new knowledge, new lessons, and new ways of being and working in the world. Check it out!!: https://ukuvusa.buzzsprout.com/After founding her communication & leadership development consulting company, Deftable®, LLC, Zitty made a strategic career shift, accepting a role as a Financial Representative (FR) with Northwestern Mutual (NM) in July 2017. During her time at NM, she became the first woman in the Greensboro office & the first African American woman in the district office to earn the Pacesetter 40 award, a productivity & leadership milestone for new FRs.Zitty spent nearly a year working in comprehensive financial planning, after which she returned her focus to higher education leadership and Deftable®, LLC. She has taught in the School of Health & Human Sciences at UNCG as a Student Success Navigator & Life Design Catalyst Coach. She has also taught in UNCG and Wake Forest's Department of Communication as a Visiting Assistant Professor. She has a particular knack for (and interest in) the areas of leadership development, entrepreneurship, authentic leadership, college student development, interpersonal communication, program development/evaluation, & strategic planning. As a freelance writer, Zitty's work has been featured in several publications including O.Henry Magazine, Triad City Beat, Black Business Ink Magazine, Huffington Post, and Forbes. She has also authored speeches, op-eds, & research-based web content on a variety of topics including leadership, spirituality, addiction recovery, & culture.Zitty earned her B.S. in Business Management from Guilford College & her M.A. in Communication Studies from UNC-Greensboro. She earned her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the Department of Leadership Studies & Adult Education (LSAD) at NCA&TSU through which she researched authentic leadership among the leaders of entrepreneurial startups.