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www.HartfordBusiness.com July 17, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 23 Jamal Jimerson Q&A: What do you do in your current job? Reporting to the board of directors, I lead Minority Inclusion Project, a nonprofit that creates pathways to leadership for people of color. I have overall strategic and operation- al responsibility for staff, programs, expansion and execution of its mission. My primary focus areas are leadership and management, fundraising and commu- nications, and new business development. What are your goals in your current job? To move the conversation about race, equity, diversity and inclusion to the forefront of every nonprofit's strategic agenda. I also want to help nonprofits and communities of color imple- ment practical solutions that create pathways to leader- ship for people of color at the staff and board levels. What's your biggest passion? Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund, says that "Service is the rent we pay for being." As an under- graduate at the University of Bridgeport, I personally adopted that quote as the guiding principle of my life. My passion is service to communities of color — pri- marily youth and families in low-to-moderate income communities — where the aspirations for a better tomorrow are in perpetual conflict with the historical, social and economic realities of today. What are your future professional aspirations? I want to continue being an asset to my community. I want to help create a world where my kids, Leila and Malcolm, can thrive. I want to assist in the development of future cadres of leaders, primarily people of color from all socio-economic backgrounds, and ensure that they have the tools, resources and networks to fight for community, racial and social justice. How are you involved in the community? My career has been primarily devoted to community work. In addi- tion to my professional background, I'm also on the board of directors for Scribe's Institute, the Connecti- cut Association for Human Services and Five Frogs. What do you hope Greater Hartford will be like in 10 years? I'm proud to live in Greater Hartford — between New York City and Boston — in a place where it feels big and small at the same time. In 10 years, I hope Greater Hartford is a thriving region that attracts and retains younger, diverse professionals who can lend fresh voices and perspectives that will help this region continue to build on its strengths and overcome its challenges. I also hope that neighborhoods in need truly gets revitalized by leveraging the skills and talents in those communities and providing quality educational and employment. List four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: I'm a transformational leader who founded and leads Greater Hartford's only nonprofit dedicated to addressing the racial and ethnic disparities in nonprofit sector leadership. I'm on the board of three organizations that are addressing systemic, institu- tional, and individual problems — rooted in racism and social injustice — within the Greater Hartford region. I've got 17 years of experience developing and leading programs and services for communi- ties across Connecticut. I've voluntarily mentored, coached, and advised many young and emerging pro- fessionals who are making communities across the state better places for people to live, work and play. My other passion is art. I am a DJ, former radio show host, and Spoken Word Poetry artist. Age: 37 Company: Minority Inclusion Project Title: Founder/ Executive Director Town where I live: Manchester Town where I work: Manchester College: Capella University, Jones Int'l University, University of Bridgeport FUN FACT Kristin L. Ingram Q&A: What do you do in your current job? At the University of Hartford, I help accounting graduate students meet their professional and education goals through our mission to help our students become competent, con- fident and connected. At Ingram Digital Media Inc., I create educational resources to assist accounting students and small business owners through inspira- tion, education and empowerment. What are your goals in your current job? At UHart, my goal is to provide the best student experience through excellent customer service and quality curriculum that prepares students for today's workforce. At IDM, my goal is to provide the best educational resources to nearly 1 million accounting students and small business owners we serve each year. What's your biggest passion? I am passionate about education as I believe it is the key to unlocking a successful future. I love teaching in a way that makes information accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Through our website, AccountingInFo- cus.com, and our podcast, Small Biz Life, we have been able to reach people all over the globe. It is truly amazing what we can do when we use technology for good. What are your future professional aspirations? I want to teach 100 million accounting students and small business owners through our online platforms and make the University of Hartford MSAT program one of the top programs in the country. How are you involved in the community? I provide free educational resources to accounting students and small business owners to help them achieve the level of success they deserve, no matter their finan- cial resources. I have also served on many nonprofit and town boards, including the Windsor Board of Education. If you were governor of Connecticut for a day what is one policy you'd push to improve the state's future? I would make it easier for small businesses to do business in Connecticut by streamlining all the state services for small businesses into one online loca- tion. As small business owners, we regularly deal with the Secretary of the State, Department of Revenue Services, Department of Labor, and Department of Consumer Protection, among others. By consolidat- ing these offices online, we could save small business owners time and money, while also saving the state money over the long term. Creating a more business friendly environment is a critical piece of Connecti- cut's recovery. List four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: Founded a CPA firm at the age of 27, after beating cancer. Became one of the youngest program directors at the University of Hartford, a program I graduated from in 2006. Served as the chair of the finance committee on the Windsor Board of Educa- tion, responsible for a $66 million budget. Taught over 990,000 accounting students and small business own- ers through our online platforms in 2016. I have been married for over 16 years to my best friend and business partner, Jeffery W. Ingram. Age: 37 Company: University of Hartford and Ingram Digital Media Inc. Title: Director of Graduate Programs in Accounting (UHart) and CEO (IDM) Town where I live: Windsor Town where I work: West Hartford/Windsor College: University of Hartford FUN FACT 40 Under Forty 2017