Tia Pope

With nearly 15 years in technology and computing, my professional life is wonderfully varied. A typical day could involve making investment decisions for C to Series B ventures on large, multi-million dollar funds, teaching students in a classroom, creating new business service offerings in the tech space, or building partnerships between my business and others, whether in the private or public sector, to create new synergies that benefit the public good while also generating revenue streams. I might spend time on my computer building a platform or tool, conducting deep research (which is one of the things I love to do), reading articles to stay current in the field, jotting down my questions, and attempting to forecast what's coming tomorrow, next week, a year from now, or 10 years from now. I completed my PhD this year, which was a significant milestone. Beyond my work in technology, I'm also a licensed cosmetologist since 2020. I've always had a talent for styling hair, starting with doing hair for my whole dorm in my freshman year, working with different textures and lengths, and even getting into barbering. I've worked in high-end salons like Carmen Carbon, doing cut, color, and pretty much every type of styling. For me, it's like knitting is for others - something I enjoy doing and a way to give back. As a community health worker, I help people with their finances, finding work, getting healthcare (whether bodily health, financial health, or mental health), and connecting them with community resources like community colleges to build career paths. In 5 years, I'll be leading the top protein engineering firm in the world.