Howard@AfroTech 2024

Etoulia Salas-Burnett, M.S.Ed, is the founding Executive Director of the Howard University Center for Digital Business. She has a passion for designing educational programs that bridge the gap between academia and industry. Etoulia is a champion for diversity and inclusion in tech, working to create pathways for underrepresented students to succeed. She holds a Master’s in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in Marketing from Howard University. 

Erin Horne McKinney serves as the inaugural National Executive Director of the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship (HUxPNC Center). Prior to her current position, she served as the Executive Vice President of Innovation and Strategy for the Association of Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), CEO of WomenVenture, Managing Partner of Inclusion for JumpStart Inc., Senior Advisor on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Executive Office of the Mayor of Washington D.C., and as the Founder of the globally recognized membership community, Black Female Founders.  

Dr. Amy Quarkume is an Associate Professor at Howard University, where she leads the Data Science program. Her work intersects race, AI, edtech, and environmental justice, focusing on data bias in Black, Brown, and Native American communities. She is the founder of CORE Futures Innovations, developing solutions like Worlds of Hello, HBCU SolarEdge, and HBCU Horizon. Dr. A is committed to training data scientists for social justice and advancing Black entrepreneurship across the diaspora.

Rodney Williams is the Co-founder of SoLo Funds, the largest community finance platform in the US. Since 2018, SoLo has surpassed 1M loans funded and redefined access to capital and returns for 1.5 million users. As the U.S.’s only Black led Certified B Corp fintech, SoLo continues its leadership, but grounded in the same hope and mission: to build a community that enables financial autonomy for all. Prior to founding SoLo, Rodney founded LISNR and led the company to over $40M in funding, numerous awards and partnership across retail and financial services. Rodney’s career started at Procter & Gamble in brand management where he was a critical catalyst in the company’s digital strategy and started in eCommerce & social media. Rodney has been recognized with numerous awards, including Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 in 2012; Cannes Gold Lion award in 2015; and CNBC Disruptor 50 List in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2023 to name a few.

Kweli Zukeri, Ph.D., serves as AVP of Web Innovation & Strategy at Howard. In this role, he supports the University in leveraging its web ecosystem to deploy emergent and cutting edge web-related technologies, such as A.I.-based tools. Dr. Kweli is an inaugural member of Howard’s recently formed Presidential AI Council, which will also support the University’s responsible and equitable A.I. adoption more broadly. Dr. Kweli is also one of the hosts of Howard’s HU2U podcast. In its 2nd season, he hosted a 2-part series entitled Changing the ADHD Narrative From Deficit to Superpower, as well as most recently a 3-part mini-series entitled The GenAI Revolution: Navigating the Potential & Peril for Howard University & Our Communities. He is also the co-founder of The Liberation Lab, which builds innovative digital learning tools to instill critical consciousness in Black and Brown youth.