About This Episode

She’s a marketing wiz and a monitor of her children’s social networking activity. Monique Jackson stresses how important the role of mothering really is when comes to regulating your child’s activity on Facebook,  Twitter, Instagram, and any social network. Her advice to parents: You must always be aware and present of what’s going on!

About Monique Jackson

Publicist Monique Jackson is one half of TEAM Image, a public relations company she founded with partner Kita Williams. Monique got her start in marketing and promotions at Universal Pictures. She then moved on to a similar role at Island Def Jam records before branching out and forming TEAM Image in 2002. Known as “Momma Mo” for her ability to nurture and encourage clients to be their best, Mo attributes her career vector to her childhood dreams of becoming “a minister, a nurse and an entertainer.”

About Karyn Parsons

Karyn Parsons is best known as the character “Hilary Banks” on the long-running television show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Today she is a wife and mother of two. Parsons is also the Founder and President of the Sweet Blackberry foundation, which is inspired by the true tale of a determined slave and the remarkable lengths he traveled to find his freedom.  While growing up, Parsons’ mother, a librarian in the Black Resource Center of a library in South Central Los Angeles, would share stories of African-American accomplishment with her daughter.  A mother and activist, Karyn created Sweet Blackberry to use the power of stories to inspire youth. Follow her on Twitter @Karyn_Parsons.

Want More Mommy In Chief? Watch these episodes:

Season 2

• Episode 1: Are You A Good Enough Mother?
• Episode 2: New Motherhood and Balancing A Busy Work Life
• Episode 3: How to Decorate an Eco-Friendly Baby Nursery
• Episode 4: Foodie, Nicole Friday on Kids and Career
• Episode 5: From Hollywood to Stay At Home Mom
• Episode 6: Single Mom in The City
• Episode 7: Mommy Mogul and Marketing Wiz Monique Jackson at Home With Her Boys 
• Episode 8: Beauty Maven Jodie Patterson Talks Four-Day Work Week for Moms 
• Episode 9: Tonya Lewis Lee on Motherhood and the Importance of Women’s Health

Season 1

• Episode 1: Back 2 School
• Episode 2: Happy Halloween
• Episode 3: Socially Responsible Kids
• Episode 4: Money Talks
• Episode 5: Keeping Families Healthy
• Episode 6: Thanksgiving Madness
• Episode 7: Highlights and Best Moments
• Episode 8: Stylish Moms
• Episode 9: Best Apps for Moms
• Episode 10: Socialite Kids
• Episode 11: Hair Talk with AfroBella
• Episode 12: Happy New Year!

About This Episode

Music industry consultant, marketing wiz, wife and mom of 5 boys, Monique Jackson invites us into her world and LA home to talk career and being a mommy!

About Monique Jackson

Publicist Monique Jackson is one half of TEAM Image, a public relations company she founded with partner Kita Williams. Monique got her start in marketing and promotions at Universal Pictures. She then moved on to a similar role at Island Def Jam records before branching out and forming TEAM Image in 2002. Known as “Momma Mo” for her ability to nurture and encourage clients to be their best, Mo attributes her career vector to her childhood dreams of becoming “a minister, a nurse and an entertainer.”

About Karyn Parsons

Karyn Parsons is best known as the character “Hilary Banks” on the long-running television show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Today she is a wife and mother of two. Parsons is also the Founder and President of the Sweet Blackberry foundation after being inspired by the true tale of a determined slave and the remarkable lengths he travelled to find his freedom.  While growing up, Parsons’ mother, a librarian in the Black Resource Center of a library in South Central Los Angeles, would share stories of African-American accomplishment with her daughter.  A mother and activist, Karyn created Sweet Blackberry to use the power of stories to inspire youth. Follow her on Twitter @Karyn_Parsons.

Want More Mommy In Chief? Watch these episodes:

Season 2

• Episode 1: Are You A Good Enough Mother?
• Episode 2: New Motherhood and Balancing A Busy Work Life
• Episode 3: How to Decorate an Eco-Friendly Baby Nursery
• Episode 4: Foodie, Nicole Friday on Kids and Career
• Episode 5: From Hollywood to Stay At Home Mom
• Episode 6: Single Mom in The City
• Episode 7: Mommy Mogul and Marketing Wiz Monique Jackson at Home With Her Boys 
• Episode 9: Tonya Lewis Lee on Motherhood and the Importance of Women’s Health

Season 1

• Episode 1: Back 2 School
• Episode 2: Happy Halloween
• Episode 3: Socially Responsible Kids
• Episode 4: Money Talks
• Episode 5: Keeping Families Healthy
• Episode 6: Thanksgiving Madness
• Episode 7: Highlights and Best Moments
• Episode 8: Stylish Moms
• Episode 9: Best Apps for Moms
• Episode 10: Socialite Kids
• Episode 11: Hair Talk with AfroBella
• Episode 12: Happy New Year!

Sponsored By

Welcome back for another profile spotlight! This time I thought I would check in with a fellow tech pioneer and organic technology consultant Adria Richards. Not an executive, not a start-up chieftan; Adria provides a service which lights a torch for those trying to make their way in the new era of digital business by providing special insight. What type of insight you may ask, and how? Well, read on to find out!

LDC: So Adria let’s start off with where you went to school?
AR: I started with a major in psychology at the local college in Minneapolis. I knew I wanted to help people and make a difference in the world. My mother had her master’s in sociology so I thought I’d follow that path.

I took computer 101 but it was so basic at the time that I couldn’t understand how anyone would want to learn more about input devices, motherboards and memory. I had the opportunity to become a Windows 98 beta tester and my whole view on technology changed. My mother had signed me up for to be a beta tester because she loved coupons and deals and wasn’t going to pass up receiving a $200 software license. In order to participate in the program, the letter I received from Microsoft indicated I would need to increase the hard drive space and speed of the CD-rom in the old hand-me-down NCR computer I had. I immediately went to work figuring out how I would get this done and picked up my first computer book, “Upgrading and Repairing PC’s” the 8th Edition by Que. Not only did it help me make the necessary upgrades to my computer, it also helped me land my first real tech job at Geekquad! Back then, Geeksquad would give you a written test and one of the questions was, “What does ‘fdisk /mbr do?” and I was able to explain that it formatted the master boot record to wipe out viruses and other unwanted programs.

I realized the world was changing and this “Internet” thing was going to be big. I wanted to become a network administrator. As I looked around the post secondary landscape, I realized I could not get the training I needed to accomplish this goal. I dropped out of school and began working on getting IT certifications and real world job experience. By 2000, I’d passed the A+ certification test and set my next certification goals on becoming an MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator). I achieved this in 2005.

LDC: How did you get into training?

AR: When you solve technology problems, a large aspect of that is making sure the problem doesn’t happen again. When working with end users, this means explaining to them how their actions (or lack of action) contributed to the problem and educating them on what to do next time. From the very beginning in my technology career, I began to receive recognition for how I dealt with people. As time went on, the compliments, notes of appreciation and feedback continued. I enjoyed helping people have that, “Ah ha!” moment with technology and as I became more experienced in network administration, website development and IT projects, I realized how much I enjoyed that facetime with customers.

My first opportunity to do in-classroom training was 2007. A friend of mine was going on vacation and had been doing a series of classes at the local St. Paul Continuing Education program. He asked me to cover his classes which included, Intro to Windows XP, Microsoft Excel and Introduction to Online Research. I researched adult education, technical training strategies and went to work creating a curriculum. Since I’d worked for several years at a market research company, I folded in surveys as a part of the outline to ensure I gathered feedback from students. I had a blast and began looking for more technical training opportunities. It wasn’t long before I spotted a position at the Minneapolis Urban League. They were looking for an A+ certification instructor to teach a 12 week course. I applied, prepared a proposal and landed the position. Again I created the curriculum, delivered it, actively engaged the students and staff for feedback, built an intranet using WordPress to share coursework and class updates.

I then moved into making screencast tutorials for clients, again with very positive feedback. Eventually, I began uploading these videos to YouTube and again, received compliments, questions and consulting inquiries.

(Chicago Sun Times) –  Former White House social secretary and Illinois Lottery director Desiree Rogers is working as a consultant with Johnson Publishing Co., owner of Ebony and Jet magazines, to help with corporate strategy, a Johnson Publishing spokeswoman said today. The news comes just two days after Johnson Publishing Chief Executive Officer Linda Johnson Rice hired author and magazine turnaround expert Amy Dubois Barnett as the new editor-in-chief of Ebony magazine and declared that the company is not for sale.

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