How can you show up for others? According to Derrick Fleming, Jr., you have to start by showing up for yourself. In this episode of Business Edge, Derrick explains how being your authentic self and learning how to navigate the spaces that you’re in is the first step in learning to cooperate with and liberate those around you. He also speaks to his current work with helping black and brown youth in Chicago get into college, through college, and into the workforce through the Chicago Scholars program. Plus, hear him talk about his time working under the Obama Administration, and the important lessons he learned along the way.

When you think of style and class; organization and structure; education and empowerment; equity and advocacy, Derrick Marcell Fleming, Jr., also known as “Derrick The Gent”, is the man to make it happen. As a former White House Staff Member under the Obama Administration, now currently serving as the Managing Director of Strategic Engagement for Chicago Scholars, a social entrepreneur (The JUST BE campaign.) and serving in other national and local community/education leadership capacities – Derrick leads with a heart to serve and a passion for youth, collective impact, and systems change. Derrick brings electrifying energy to any atmosphere. With over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors focusing on education, social impact, youth development, and mentorship; 8+ years of project management, coaching, and training experience; and 6+ years of program and people management experience.; Derrick brings a level of problem-solving skills that sets everyone at ease and makes solutions-focused work feel like fun.

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TGEL Enterprises

Derrick’s LinkedIn

Stories of Personal Liberation Vol 1

What exactly is the future of work, and how can people and organizations adapt to changes in work culture exacerbated by the pandemic? In this episode, Ashley Artrip, Co-Founder and President of Mission Collaborative, explores these answers. Listen to her dive into the concept of “career portfolios,” and how they differ from the traditional “career paths” that we have been socialized to accept. Furthermore, she shares insights on how young professionals can discover their values and path by understanding their own definition of success.

As the Co-Founder and President of Mission Collaborative, Ashley is on a mission to help others design successful careers that are engaging and fulfilling. Before Mission Collaborative, she worked at Gallup, where she focused on researching employee engagement and what contributes to a successful career. While at Gallup, she became a certified Gallup StrengthsFinder coach, enabling her to help others identify their strengths and harness them to design careers they love. After Gallup, she worked at SV Academy (Fast Company’s #2 most innovative Ed-Tech Start-Up 2020) where she helped first-generation college students and underrepresented minorities break into high-paying tech careers in Silicon Valley. 

Ashley’s vision for the future of work is to ensure that every professional has access to the information, resources, and community needed to navigate the many career changes throughout their lives successfully. With so many antiquated rules of the workforce being rewritten, there has never been a better time to change the way people think about how they approach their careers.

Ashley is currently writing a book that will serve as a “Hitchhikers Guide” to Career Design in the 21st Century. The expected publication is Fall 2022.

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