ABOUT THE NETWORK
Jumla Network
Jumla Network is a strategic consultancy and knowledge network focused on diversity and inclusion. Driven by the values of generosity, excellence, and loving service, Jumla creates transformation by partnering in 3 ongoing ways.
First, we partner with organizations who seek to become more mature in the area of diversity and inclusion. These are Partners We Serve.
Second, we partner with organizations and individuals who are doing the work to foster inclusivity. These are Partners In Service. Within our partners in service we will have 2 groupings.
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We have businesses and individuals who provide services as D&I Practitioners.
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We will also have the Jumla Knowledge Network (JKN) made up of professionals in various industries who, as leaders and experts, desire to see a more inclusive workplace and do the work to foster inclusivity in their workplace, industry, or field. JKN is a community that supports its members and all of our Partners.
Third, we will partner with not for profit organizations supporting diverse populations with a focus on fostering equity, inclusion, and justice. These are Partners Who Serve.
Our Chief Encouragement Officer
Russell (he/him) is a bridge builder who excels at building consensus and organizing teams that make an impact. By leading with a listen, Russell fosters an environment of inclusive collaboration and community that makes a difference in people’s lives.
Drawing on his experience as Chair of the Multicultural Affairs Council while a College student, Russell worked at The George Washington University Multicultural Student Services Center where he was Senior Program Coordinator. In that role he helped lead university wide cultural heritage celebrations for Hispanic, Black, and Asian American Pacific Islander communities. He also helped initiate celebrations for Native American heritage and a mixed race awareness as well as a mentoring and coaching program for Black Men.
After leaving GW, Russell became co-founder of Fugett Baseball Group: a private equity firm seeking to acquire assets in affiliated minor league baseball (MiLB). He was founder of a software company and a certified Maryland Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) consulting firm. In 2019, Russell traveled to South Africa sponsored by the US Embassy as part of a delegation of entrepreneurs and university technology transfer specialists. He continues to collaborate with The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme with a focus on developing a virtual incubator and angel investment network for university based startups. Recently, Russell worked as a Project Manager at Cook Ross, a global training and consulting firm focused on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (I.D.E.A.). Coming full circle as a 5th generation Black American entrepreneur, Russell is founder and chief encouragement officer at Jumla Network: a strategic consultancy and knowledge network focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A gifted communicator Russell is the author of “Patience Perseverance Prayer: A Devotional for Entrepreneurs” and host of Leadership, Legacy, and Love and Progress over Perfection podcasts. A descendant of a free African who fought in the American Revolutionary War, he is a member, Chaplain, and Past President of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) John Eager Howard Chapter (Baltimore, MD). A winner of multiple awards for leadership and service, Russell is a 2016 alumni of The Greater Baltimore Committee’s LEADERship Program. He holds a B.A. from Trinity College, Hartford, CT, and a M.S. in Project Management from The George Washington University School of Business in Washington, DC. Russell also earned a Diversity and Inclusion Professional Certificate from the University of Georgia Terry School of Business and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).