{"id":761,"date":"2023-02-08T16:36:54","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T16:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/darajacollective.com\/index.php\/about\/"},"modified":"2024-01-26T21:01:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T21:01:58","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"761\" class=\"elementor elementor-761\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e9e01f6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e9e01f6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0566fed\" data-id=\"0566fed\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f81d25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0f81d25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">About Daraja\u2122\n<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f127a8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6f127a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Daraja Collective was born from Stacyann Russell\u2019s realization that engineering and entrepreneurship did not have to exist as two disparate worlds. The culmination of over a decade\u2019s worth of experiences in engineering and entrepreneurship, Daraja Collective bridges the gap between the two fields in a way that elevates the education and economic levels of underserved communities. Pulling its name from a Swahili term meaning \u201cbridge\u201d, Daraja provides a holistic package of services for entrepreneurs, startups, and organizations whose work will employ and bolster underserved communities by providing skill sets, human capital, coaching, and an expansive network.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-86d5d0b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"86d5d0b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-054ecae\" data-id=\"054ecae\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48146c5 elementor-vertical-align-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-box\" data-id=\"48146c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-box-wrapper\">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-box-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-icon-box-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span  >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMission\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-icon-box-description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTo be the source of innovation that drives technology solutions created by people of color and elevates the educational and economic levels of\nunderserved communities\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3953085 elementor-vertical-align-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-box\" data-id=\"3953085\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-box-wrapper\">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-box-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-icon-box-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span  >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVision\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-icon-box-description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTo establish an ecosystem that empowers individuals to launch and scale tech entreprises that answer world challenges, accelerate communal\nwealth, and advance societal well-being\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-53eea7e\" data-id=\"53eea7e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30fb37f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"30fb37f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" src=\"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/thisisengineering-raeng-ftd-Qk0om20-unsplash-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-827\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/thisisengineering-raeng-ftd-Qk0om20-unsplash-1.jpg 640w, http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/thisisengineering-raeng-ftd-Qk0om20-unsplash-1-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2fa5210 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2fa5210\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1fa8224\" data-id=\"1fa8224\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a310dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2a310dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"800\" src=\"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/kolinmendezphoto-stacyann-russell-headshot-session-20220722-2117_HighResEdit.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-1033\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/kolinmendezphoto-stacyann-russell-headshot-session-20220722-2117_HighResEdit.jpg 1199w, http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/kolinmendezphoto-stacyann-russell-headshot-session-20220722-2117_HighResEdit-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/kolinmendezphoto-stacyann-russell-headshot-session-20220722-2117_HighResEdit-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/kolinmendezphoto-stacyann-russell-headshot-session-20220722-2117_HighResEdit-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-83455ed elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"83455ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Our Founder\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f73654b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f73654b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Stacyann Russell is a results-driven business professional with a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. She is well known for her authenticity, profound insights, and emotional agility. Global companies and Startup Founders enthusiastically lean on her leadership and counsel as they navigate uncharted paths to build and scale their companies. Leaders are drawn to Stacyann\u2019s thought-provoking curiosity, penchant for storytelling, and intuition about optimizing a company\u2019s business context, paving the way for her successful track record of partnering with leaders to ignite and accelerate their product development, innovation, and technology commercialization processes while keeping their supply chain sustainability at the forefront. Throughout the course of her 10-year career, starting as a nuclear engineer, Stacyann consistently delivered results in modeling and simulation, 3D immersive environments, continuous improvement, and operational optimization for manufacturing processes in the automotive, aerospace and defense, communications, and energy industries. Her elite expertise in these fields frequently affords her meaningful opportunities to instruct industry leaders. Stacyann regularly develops and delivers instruction on leadership, professional development, entrepreneurship, and innovation. She is both skilled and deeply experienced at scaling programming and instituting growth initiatives for small businesses, incubators, nonprofits, and universities.<br \/>Community engagement has been, is, and will always be a priority for Stacyann. During her collegiate years, Stacyann held local, regional, and national-level leadership roles in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), eventually rising to the Chair of board position in 2009. Most recently she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Youth Business Alliance (YBA) in Los Angeles and began serving as the Equity for Minorities in Tech Chair for the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineering\u2019s (IEEE) Technology and Engineering Management Society. In these roles, she has built platforms to increase community engagement, broaden access to opportunity, and support research for truly inclusive technology advancement globally.<br \/>At her core, Stacyann is a servant leader and advocate for engineering and entrepreneurship, especially when it comes to ensuring that youth has access to opportunities in both STEM and entrepreneurship. She strongly believes in community empowerment and actively engages citizens to shape the future of their communities.<br \/>Stacyann holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University, an MS in Engineering Management from The George Washington University, and an MBA from the University of Southern California. Stacyann is of Jamaican descent. She was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, spent several years in Cleveland, Ohio, and currently resides both in Los Angeles, California, and Atlanta, GA.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2a6252c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2a6252c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ae18df2\" data-id=\"ae18df2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About Daraja\u2122 The Daraja Collective was born from Stacyann Russell\u2019s realization that engineering and entrepreneurship did not have to exist as two disparate worlds. The culmination of over a decade\u2019s worth of experiences in engineering and entrepreneurship, Daraja Collective bridges the gap between the two fields in a way that elevates the education and economic &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/about\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">About<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-761","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1090,"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/761\/revisions\/1090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/3.235.53.89\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}