Black By The Numbers DATA Program

Jared is a skilled technologist who leads cross-functional teams to research, design, build, and manage digital experiences. He has over a decade of experience in public sector and civil government organizations, seeking to embark on digital transformation efforts through modernization and innovation initiatives. Jared’s work has been centered on developing highly intuitive user interfaces that champion motivations, preferences, and interaction patterns to create a more compelling experience.

Jared created Black By The Numbers so that he could continue his work in tech and innovation while helping others do the same through mentorship and leadership, with an emphasis on those in the black community who may not see how this could be a pathway to their future. 

Affording others a voice when they don't know that they have one or where to release it is the story that Jared is committed to as he uses his skillset to bridge the gap. 

The Data Analysis Training Academy delivers skill training and practical experience for high potential minority collegiate students interested in pursuing a career in the Tech field. This helps humanity at large in that it will make room for minorities to have a seat at the tech table.

DATA is a two-part program that shifts the narrative and aims to solve the problem of not having a place for minorities to be heard, seen an find careers in tech fields.

The first part is a rigorous and immersive training providing students with exposure to user experience design, data science, data journalism, or web development. Students will be provided with performance based feedback so that they are well equipped for the second part of the program.

Part two is a technical apprenticeship with advisement from industry professionals. This part includes hands-on job experience that applies the concepts learned in part one. 

The field of Technology is notoriously lacking in diversity, exposure and opportunity which continues to be a barrier of entry for Black Americans.  Hence the diversity deficit in this space. The DATA program is committed to providing participants with hands-on training to equip them for the technology workforce. 

Here's how our program impacts this problem, by the numbers. The DATA program primarily focuses on the following: 

(1) Offer skilled based training for workers in a highly technical field - Over 80% of decision-makers in technology and engineering see a mismatch between the skills workers have, and the skills companies need to capitalize on emerging opportunities in tech.

(2) Address underrepresentation in the field of Technology - Blacks and Hispanics still remain underrepresented in tech jobs by nearly 50 percent. 

(3) Promote cultural awareness, strengthen commitment to advocacy, and address, with data, common misconceptions regarding the African American community often portrayed in the media - Communication and media research suggest that the mass media is an important source of information about African Americans and their image. This public image influences public perception, and is capable of reinforcing opinions about African Americans. 

As a part of a commitment to promote and foster the development of highly skilled minority talent, DATA (Data Analysis Training Academy) offers education and experience to equip undergraduates with the tools to successfully launch careers in user experience design, data journalism, data science, and web development. The field of Technology is notoriously lacking in diversity and the lack of exposure and opportunity continues to be a barrier of entry for African Americans and other minority groups. The DATA program is committed to providing African American participants with hands-on training to equip them for the technology workforce. To achieve its vision and goals, the program has three key objectives: 

(1) Provide academic training based on industry best practices for design, product management, data analysis, data science, and technology implementation standards. 

(2) Establish a pipeline through a network of diversity focused organizations and institutions of higher education that produce minority collegiate candidates, with special consideration to students attending a Historically Black Colleges or Universities.

(3) Facilitate an on-the-job experience that provides practical application of the skills learned during the academic portion of the program.

The communities that our program is laser focused on helping reach is the minority community, with an emphasis on the Black population. I am a product of this community and am wanting to grow the next generation in the space where my expertise lies, in technology. In addition to my life as a reference for research, I have also been collecting stories and information from data and those in minority communities that would benefit from an opportunity like DATA. The need is great. 

Today, a large focus of programs promoting minority (African American) talent in STEM is exposure, and as a result more narrowly addresses the pipeline that proceeds the workforce e.g. training middle school / high school students how to code or uncovering broad engineering concepts encouraging higher STEM enrollment in college atmospheres. However, there is also a workplace pipeline problem, especially in the Technology field.

The DATA program aims to combine the tactics proven successful in increasing minority talent in the STEM pipeline with the effectiveness of modern technology workforce training programs to address the lack of Black talent in technology. This will provide more opportunities for career and financial gains within the communities that greatly need it. 

This project relates to all three of The Elevate Prize dimensions but speaks loudest to "elevating opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind." DATA does this by providing those in minority communities with the tools and training to be fully equipped to find opportunities and a seat at the table in the tech industry. 

The projected impact is and will be a game changer. DATA will also "elevate understanding of and between people through this change in people's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors" when the stories of young minorities hit the airwaves. 

As an African American who regularly engages in conversations about what it means to be Black in America with friends, family, peers, coworkers, or strangers, I found that supplementing personal anecdotes with data increased the likelihood of comprehension of my Black experiences. Telling Black narratives at the intersection of quantifiable data insights and cultural relevancy became a passion of mine and equipping others to do the same became an opportunity to not only amplify the discussion but also to provide the next generation of technologists with high demand skills to jumpstart their careers in the tech industry.

Exposure and opportunity have been key ingredients to my success. 

When I was in the tenth grade, I attended a program at CMU that provides opportunities for students from underrepresented communities to explore STEM-related fields. A year later, I spent the summer in the NASA SHARP program, an educational apprenticeship program that allowed me to explore research. That exposure solidified my desire to pursue an engineering degree. However, a degree doesn’t make a career. When I entered the professional world I was uncertain about how to apply my degree, so I went into consulting because I thought I could try different industries out. After four years in consulting, I enrolled in an experiential education program in User Experience Design at General Assembly which helped me marry a passion for implementing new technology with a greater understanding of inclusive design.

I recognize without that exposure and those opportunities, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The DATA program is an opportunity for me to pay those experiences forward into the next generation. The DATA program will supply students with high demand technical skills while promoting the best in humanity, advocacy, and cultural awareness and brings things full circle for me personally.

Through my own experiences with training, mentorship, and leadership development on a personal and professional level, my experiences in creating data-driven content, and a decade of delivering easily digestible, highly intuitive technology systems, I have a distinct advantage at understanding how to successfully produce a compelling digital experience through Black By The Numbers and comprehensive training through the DATA program. The project is the culmination of experiences that have molded me.

This application itself and the progress towards building the Black By The Numbers DATA program is a testament to my ability to overcome adversity. Within the first four months of leaving corporate America to create Black By The Numbers, my father passed away unexpectedly. The day before his funeral my mother was hospitalized with kidney issues. On the way home from my father’s funeral my aunt was hospitalized with the flu and within a month had a mini-stroke for which I served as a primary caretaker until she recovered and the family could set up a more long term solution for care. Not to mention, while building a business during a global pandemic. Despite all of that, I am just as committed as the day that I started to championing this purpose-driven work and building a pathway of opportunity for the next generation of technologists.

At Deloitte, I served as a career coach for several junior staff members to guide them in their professional development and their career at the firm. When I decided to leave Black By The Numbers, one of my coachees decided to leave with me to help me build out the company. He had interned on one of my projects, I had written him a letter of recommendation for Harvard Business School, and I served as a career mentor for him for several years. Making a positive impact on the people you lead is important to me. Having someone return that appreciation, helps me understand that my leadership style is one that folks respect and want to follow.

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What makes our project innovative is that we are a continuum of what is most commonly seen, which is funding for younger learners in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We are the answer to the future of that by providing collegiate level minorities the opportunities to continue to learn and grow in STEM and in journalism so that they can acquire the jobs that are lacking color (figuratively and literally). This project makes room at a very needed table as technology continues to be the forerunner for society and all facets of communication. 

In order for us to implement this program in the years to come, we will need funding to sustain the following expenses: 

Estimated 5 Year Budget ($5,000,000)

Planning Phase ($250,000) - 6 - 8 months

Pilot ($500,000) - 6 months 

Full Rollout ($940,000/year) - 2 years 

Expansion & Partnerships ($1,185,000/year) - 2 years

We plan on overcoming the financial barrier by continuing to apply for grants and funding. We will engage in fundraising until we have the support that is needed to sustain our program. 

The estimated expenses for 2020-2021 are as follows: 

Program Director ($105,000)

Program Operation Manager ($67,000)

Communications Fellow ($47,500)

Technology Administrator ($90,000)

Curriculum & Instruction Director ($75,000)

Instructor / Curriculum Writer - Data Science & Analysis ($80,000)

Instructor / Curriculum Writer - Web Development ($105,000) 

Instructor / Curriculum Writer - Data Journalism ($80,000)

Administrative Assistant ($42,500)

Head of Partnerships / Partnership Coordinator ($85,000)

Other Expenses 

                  Program Portal/Website Management ($20,000)

                  Promotional Materials ($6,500)

                  Equipment + Software - staff & students ($65,500)

                  Supplies ($7,500)

                  Office Space ($42,000) - $3,500 a month

                  Training for Staff - ($21,500)

We applying for the Elevate Prize because we see that our goals and mission of reaching underprivileged, minority communities in a way that aligns with the Elevate vision is the perfect way to partner. We are seeking the Elevate Prize for funding so that our DATA initiative can be successful and shift the paradigm in the tech and business world that is currently lacking minorities in high level positions within the industry. 

Our partnership goals are to acquire monetary support and sponsorship, seek out mentors and resources that will meet the program needs and build up those that we are serving. We know that the more positive role models that are made available to those that are in the program, the higher the rate of success because when right partnerships are forged that impact the program and the people in it, then hope is heightened, purpose and dreams are realized, and success rates rise. These and other partnerships will bring about the change and growth that is needed to inspire and underwright our initiative. 

This is a list of potential partners and how they could help advance our project: 

For Mentorship: dev/color, Black Girls Code, Blacks in Technology

For Programmatic: InternX, SMASH, NSBE, MLT, Google Newsroom Initiative, Emerson Collective, NSBC

For Instruction: General Assembly

For Supplies, Software, Field Trips, etc: AWS, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Tableau, WeWork

Institutions that could help with mentorship and instruction: Howard University, University of Pittsburgh 

Other miscellaneous support: Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences, Black Data Processing Associates, Data 4 Black Lives