TGS team MEMBER SINCE OCTOBER 2021

Meet Janeen Uzzell.

Janeen Uzzell is the CEO at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) where she is responsible for leading the organizations growth strategy along with the more than 21,000 members in the U.S., several African nations, Canada, the Caribbean region and beyond. Uzzell holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and an MBA in international business from Fairleigh Dickinson University. A seasoned leader with more than 20 years of corporate, strategy, business development and start-up experience, she spent 16 years as an executive for GE before becoming the COO of Wikipedia. Throughout her career, Janeen has led large organizational shifts, built operational practices, and introduced new technologies into global markets that have transformed the world while increasing business profit margin. During the public outcry for justice in 2020, Uzzell was at the forefront of liaising for equity on Wikipedia and launched the Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund, a $4.5 million fund created to provide grants to external organizations that support knowledge equity by addressing the racial inequities preventing access and participation in free knowledge. Uzzell has received numerous awards for her professional accomplishments including being recognized by The Network Journal as one of the 25 Influential Back Women in Business and receiving the United Nations Global Leadership award. She is a member of the board of directors for Mercy Ships where she also serves on the Audit and DEI committees, and dFree, a non-profit organization charged with leading the African American community to financial freedom. Janeen is also a member of the Engineering Advisory Board for her alma mater, NCA&T, and is the Chairwoman of the Greybridge Acquisition Corp SPAC. She is committed to social justice and believes technology will play a critical next step in the pivotal changes for equity.

GET TO KNOW JANEEN.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TGS?

The community and the opportunity to gather with like minded leaders and world changers. TGS represents a space where I am a part of the norm and not an “other” or “outlier” like I am in most other spaces. It feels like home.


What MOTIVATES YOU?

I am a purpose driven individual motivated by my desire to use my leadership, exposure and life experiences to lead causal work that changes lives, communities and the world. 
Faith is my guidepost. 
Exclusion is my provocation. 
Technology is my platform. 
Social Justice is my fuel.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR MANTRA?

“I come in peace, but I mean business.”


What ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

In 2007, I hosted a 40th birthday party where we raised more than 30K in the evening. I then launched a non-profit, The H.O.P.E. Mission, and took a team of friends to Africa on a missions trip where we hosted medical clinics for displaced Kenyans after the election violence. This experience forever changed my life and the lives of the friends that joined me. My career shifted, I became a Global leader, and Africa remains a part of my narrative.


Connect with Janeen on Twitter or LinkedIn.