I am an urbanist, executive leader, and author, working at the intersection of economic development and emerging technology. My career has earned national recognition for building solutions to inclusive growth, innovation, and workforce challenges.

I founded Tulsa Innovation Labs, an organization deploying more than $200 million in capital to grow northeast Oklahoma’s tech economy. Tulsa Innovation Labs won both the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and Tech Hubs grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Previously, I launched Cyber NYC at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which The New York Times called “among the nation’s most ambitious cybersecurity initiatives.” And, earlier in my career at the Urban Land Institute, I built a national resilience program for cities combatting the effects of climate change.

Born and raised in a working-class New Orleans family, I completed my undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and, as a Sage Fellow, earned a master’s degree in African American studies from Cornell University. Drawing upon urban planning and critical race studies, my graduate research investigated post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans revitalization efforts. More recently, I completed executive leadership training at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

My writing has appeared in Newsweek, Fast Company, Urban Land Magazine, Next City, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. I have been invited to speak at conferences around the world, including South by Southwest EDU, Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, Stanford University’s Nonprofit Management Institute, the Aspen Institute’s Festival of the Diaspora, Cyber Tech-Tel Aviv, Smart Cities-New York, Working Nation, and MIT’s Solve.

In March 2025, HarperCollins will publish my book Reinventing the Heartland—a bold and pragmatic plan that shows cities how to reorient their civic ecosystems toward inclusive tech-led growth.

You can access my CV here.