Tiffany Shumate, 35
Executive director, Hack the Hood
- What the company does: Provides technology education and workforce opportunities to early-career students of color, ages 16 to 25
- Accomplishments: Hack the Hood has served more than 1,100 students and provided digital consulting services to more than 400 small-business owners in the Bay Area
- Education: Bachelor's, psychology, Bryn Mawr College; MBA candidate, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
- Residence: Oakland
- Where were you born? Newark, New Jersey
- What is the most surprising thing about you? I have nine siblings. We all live between Ghana and the U.S.
- What is your fantasy career? To be the U.S. Secretary of Education. As secretary, I’d work to ensure every student graduates middle school with basic computer programming and data literacy skills.
- What do you do to unwind? I recently purchased a bike I named Turq — short for turquoise. Riding Turq, whether a quick lap around the lake before class or a weekend morning ride, has been my favorite way to unwind.
- What’s your guilty pleasure? I love the mango sorbet from Trader Joe’s. When I have it at home, I usually eat it straight from the carton.
- What has kept you grounded during the pandemic? I live between the Rose Garden and Lake Merritt. Taking lunchtime and social distance walks with friends has kept me grounded. Reimagining community outdoors and safely has been a tough negotiation, but it’s really highlighted, even strengthened, the relationships in my life.