AI for Nonprofits

Darrell Booker

Corporate Affairs Specialist

Microsoft

Meet Darrell your “techie’s favorite techie” who leads one of Microsoft’s most important racial equity commitments, the Nonprofit Tech Acceleration of Black and African American Communities. It’s not merely his 25 years in tech that he brings to this role that’s important but instead his unconventional path that is at the heart of true community engagement. Darrell created this national program designed at leveling the tech playing field for nonprofits serving our most underserved communities. Prior to leading this program, Darrell served in a advisor role helping the world’s largest nonprofits such as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, American Cancer Society and the Salvation Army on their digital transformation to the cloud. Darrell has served in CIO and CTO roles in the past leading teams of developers in nonprofit as well as other industries such as automotive and banking. Darrell also has an entrepreneurial spirit, co-founding a tech startup for the fitness industry used in hundreds of gyms across the U.S. and Canada.

Kristina Newton

Founder and Executive Director

HYPE

Kristina Smith-Newton is a Computer Engineer and Social Impact Entrepreneur. Originating from Lake Charles, LA and receiving her B.S in Computer Engineering from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, TX; Kristina is a lover of southern culture and HBCU pride.

She moved to Atlanta in 2006 and worked as a technology consultant for 7 years where she developed business intelligence & analytical software solutions for several companies and industries worldwide. In 2014, Kristina began exploring ways to connect passion, purpose, and skill through working for various non-profit & social impact organizations – including Adventures In Missions, Girls Who Code, the Technology Association of Georgia – Education Collaborative and TechBridge.

In 2017, Kristina stepped into the world of entrepreneurship and founded Hope for Youth, Inc – more fondly referred to as HYPE. HYPE is a nonprofit organization that provides 21st century skills and tech training to underrepresented girls. With a signature International Experience program, HYPE Scholars grow in civic mindedness & global awareness while preparing for careers of the future.

Kristina is passionate about empowering BIPOC youth to live lives full of hope, driven by love, and void of fear through computer science education and leadership development. Today, she continues to serve as Founder & Executive Director of HYPE. In her spare time, Kristina loves listening to music, adventuring, traveling, and – most importantly – EATING!

Kara Branch

Founder and CEO

Black Girls Do Engineer

Kara Branch is the Founder and CEO of Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in June 2019 and located in Houston, TX . Black Girls Do Engineer is passionate about developing young women in all areas of STEM. Black Girls Do Engineer provides mentoring, personal growth regimens, STEM projects and activities, and guidance on career paths based on insight from professional women that are leaders in the STEM industry. Our organization goals is to provide access, awareness, and advocate for two million Black-American girls to pursue STEM careers by the year 2050.

Kara is an alumnus of The Prairie View A&M University and hold a Bachelor of Science Chemical Engineering. Black Girls Do Engineer was founded based on Kara personal experiences in the STEM industry and always wishing she had someone who looked like her to show her the way. Now she is here to be the one who look like you to show you the way. She has gone through a lot of trails but now she has developed a STEM program to help girls ages 9- 21-year-old prepare and thrive the STEM industry. Her STEM program challenges girls to be critical thinkers and encourages girls to choose STEM and they are. Her challenges are paying off. She took girls in her organization who had no STEM background to finalist in the NASAWear Challenge, where they beat out 70 plus teams around the nation.

Demetria Ali

Program Manager

Microsoft

Demetria Ali is a Program Manager at Microsoft. In this position, she leads client development from end to end, providing solutions to internal stakeholders for digital enterprise solutions. In addition, she develops applications to streamline process for to reduce the non-digital effort required to achieve digital outputs with Microsoft Intelligent Launch Assistant on the Power Platform.

Demetria has been passionate about servant leadership since arriving in Atlanta. As a leader in the community for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Georgia Association of Black Women’s Attorney Foundation (GABWA), National Black MBA Association (Director of Chapter Relations & Membership), American Cancer Society (Executive Leadership Council), Junior League of Atlanta (Fundamentals Committee), United Way AAP, Cabinet Member, and National Coalition of 100 Black Women, NWGA (2nd VP of Fund Development) she has volunteered countless hours in recruitment for new professional members to all organizations. Demetria was honored in the 2016 Who’s Who in Black Atlanta 16th Edition and received the Leaders of Excellence Award from E3 Magazine.