Jerica believes progress comes after many unsuccessful attempts. It is in the resilience of embers that strength can be found, and thus all triumphs become filled with a deep meaningful value and peace. Faith plays the guiding role in Jerica's life, and she believes that all challenges may be confronted when people come together and choose love over hate.
Jerica has shown her resilience throughout several major trials in her young life. From fleeing New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to grappling with the toils of long term unemployment and financial hardships, and finally working in the community to navigate a historic challenge to democracy here in the State of Georgia.
We expect elected officials to be leaders, but we many times have different perspectives of what defines a leader. Jerica's definition is simple- a leader is one who makes decisions. She believes that everyone is a leader, and there comes a great responsibility with that. It is not whether or not you are a leader, but rather, what kind of leader you are.
For Jerica, she defines her leadership by the people who are empowered around her, and to whether or not goals have been achieved. She describes her time on the commission as a time by which a foundation for systemic change was laid and a new generation now empowered, could partake in helping see it through. Her governing method is to ensure that power is given back to communities through relationships. She credits this as the reason for her effectiveness in her Commission seat.
Today's world is filled with people who want to be heard, but there is a real need for people to listen. This is especially true for elected officials. Jerica believes each person is uniquely created with a perspective that should be at the table.
For Jerica, this includes making sure that there are pathways for all voices to be heard because people have different experiences. Sometimes people just need encouragement and a chance to be successful. She will leave no stone unturned searching for possibilities and work with the community to make sure they stay in the loop! She has changed the standard for communication with an annual priorities tour, a calendar open to the public, creation of a community cabinet to wield her Commissioner powers, community huddles, and community chats alongside quarterly reports, town halls.
After several challenges have been mounted throughout my time as a Commissioner, it was evident that voter education was needed in what to do after the vote. The organization has since partnered with several others to empower residents in matters that affect the balance of power between local control and state control, and trains on methods to enhance community advocacy. This organization continues to be managed by Mindy Seger.
Elected to the Commissioner role for Cobb County, we've been able to implement nearly 300 initiatives into the community. Local impact includes County code updates for rental units, distribution of grant dollars, creation of a multitude of programs, new economic development investments, broadband investments and pilots to improve access to healthcare. Systemic impact including: easing access to discharge papers for veterans and defining a new regional transportation and infrastructure vision for investment.
I created and lead a pilot at Equifax that focuses on empowering ideas generated from employees around the company. The pilot takes new ideas and grows them into innovative, customer-focused initiatives that benefit Equifax and its stakeholders globally. We then work with multiple teams internally to align resources for rapid prototyping and deployment. The process was inspired by working with other employees and bringing together multiple groups- technology, marketing, product management, security, legal, etc.
I was appointed to the Cobb County School Board's F&T Citizens Oversight Committee, and was later elected as the Secretary of the committee. It is the primary duty of this committee to hold public meetings and ensure that the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (e-SPLOST) Notebook is balanced and aligned with the Board's voted issues. We also serve as an extension to the community, quickly escalating concerns for increased attention. It is our goal as a committee to maintain influence on the School Board's decisions as a result of direct contact with community members.
Throughout my time as a campaign manager, technologist, author, small business owner, and politically active youth, I developed policy ideas with the help of experts and members in the community. I am constantly searching for community partners who like to test these policies. Such efforts have yielded the Valuable Lessons (Education), ALL In (Libraries & Economic Development), and Subscription Healthcare (Healthcare Insurance) pilots. Other examples include being involved in multiple organizations (see interesting facts) and sourcing opportunities that can be brought to the Cobb County community such as the Junior Achievement Campus.
While working full time and operating HackOut Ninja, I wanted to continue giving back to my community. When Kwanza Hall decided to run for mayor, he wanted me on his campaign, and sent me to a training camp. Here is where I met our now District 40 House Representative Erick Allen and School Board Representative Dr. Jaha Howard. Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to serve as campaign manager for several races and work on behalf of some of our other elected officials. Relationships matter, and I look forward to working alongside their efforts in getting real stuff done. Through HackOut NInja, we also helped with bringing new investors to the city to tour the developing entrepreneurial ecosytem. Featured stops included what was becoming Ponce City Market and Buckhead's Atlanta Tech Village
A few years ago, my business partner and I set out on an ambitious goal to open a business focused on democratizing mentorships and project development. It was during these years that we stumbled upon the rapidly growing hackathon market which has serves to spark innovation and connection among people and ideas. Hackathons go beyond the technical realm. Many attempt to solve major social issues with programs and businesses, education, or skill development. It was in establishing this business that we taught ourselves to code, and began slowly deploying HackOut Ninja, a software, which helps hackathon organizers and attendees in their quests for frictionless innovation. Pursuing this market has led us to support hackathons looking to curb the impacts of institutionalized racism, bridging gaps in education, retooling populations, empowering residents in gentrifying neighborhoods, and launching small businesses. Others in the works include immigration, the refugee crisis overseas, and Flint's water problem. As a young company, we are able to take advantage of many opportunities to help us grow and ensure that our company will bring a net positive to the community.
I graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a Pre-Med focus, and a certificate in Pre-Law alongside several years of research in Neorplasticity. I entered into the private sector working for a mid-size company that developed software for law-firms named Aderant.
While at Georgia Tech, it was evident that new wave of leadership would come from the Technology sector. This has shown to be true as questions about genomics, privacy, and personal data ownership have become more common. In order to help position Georgia Tech as a producer of leaders who were responsible and ethically minded around the new technologies, I worked as an undergraduate intern with the newly branded Leadership Initiative. GT Startup was a pilot program from Freshmen and Sophomores to develop a keen sense of awareness in their innovative activities. The pilot included a robust leadership curriculum, Harvard Business Case studies for practical application, and a series of speakers. This curriculum became my first publication- Influence.
AIPAC is a lobbying group focused on strengthening the US and Israel relationship. While in college, I attended AIPAC training sessions focused on the role of foreign aid with regards to the interests of the United States. I travelled overseas to visit facilities first-hand and gained a heightened appreciation of the interconnectedness of our world. I also came to a newfound appreciation for the work that is done on behalf of immigrant communities and the very important role immigrants play in our communities. Advocating for peace and strong bonds between countries and encouraging exchange of ideas means a higher chance for impactful growth in our local communities.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina disrupted my high school years. My parents, after learning about North Springs' magnet program in Math, Science, Arts, and Music, thought it to be the best place for me to continue my education. While at North Springs, I continued my academic courses and extra-curriculars, but my grades from Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans were inaccessible. To remedy this, the school assigned grades to me which lowered my GPA, impacting my college options.
Leading up to Hurricane Katrina, I had been a junior in high school and fascinated by the weather. I had developed a theory indicating that the potency of severe thunderstorms and hurricanes could be decreased by utilizing a naturally occurring process. In pursuing further research, I was given a segment on the local news discussing the research both in New Orleans and later Atlanta. I was also contacted by a local congressional representative to extend research facilities and faculty at Tulane to continue my work. Four days after that conversation, I was a displaced "refugee" in Atlanta by way of Hurricane Katrina.
I am a proud product of the Public School System in the Southeast. Benjamin Franklin is a school located in New Orleans, LA. Prior to Franklin, I attended Meisler Middle School, Harold Keller Elementary, and Kincaid Elementary (GA). During these years, I participated in life changing programs like Academic Games, authored my first book, and founded numerous efforts for my peers such as the Junior Meteorologist Club.
