Join us to talk with Jamila Taylor, LT’13, Washington State Representative and Staff Attorney at LEAD Legal Services - Racial Disparity Project. Jamila will share her thoughts on the skills needed for effective and empathetic leadership and what she’s learned on her journey to elected office. Jamila will be interviewed by Saunjah Brantley, LT’22.
Our Lunch with LT Leaders series highlights inspiring LT alumni who are working to foster the changes needed to make our region more resilient and equitable. Through Zoom, featured leaders share their leadership journeys and then open the conversation for questions. Each session takes place from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Following the program, there is an optional 30-minute facilitated discussion to debrief and connect with other alumni. So, grab your lunch and join us! You must register ahead of time to receive the Zoom link.
Note: To help our speaker(s) and participants have candid and open dialogues, we will NOT record this alumni event.
EVENT DETAILS:
When: January 27, 2022
Program: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Post-Program Debrief (Optional): 1:00-1:30 p.m.Where: Zoom (we’ll send you the link the day before the event)
Who: LT alumni, LT’22 class members, Honorary LT, and guests
Cost: $0 - $30
Jamila (“jah-mee-lah”) Taylor, LT’13, is an attorney, youth advocate and small business owner with a passion for community service and a commitment to serving the public good. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University and a law degree from the University of Oregon. The daughter of a history professor and a Girl Scout office administrator, she was raised to value education and service — values that continue to shape her work today.
After moving to King County in 2007, Jamila worked as the central area network coordinator for the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, where she oversaw community interventions and supported young people facing family, peer or gang conflict; court involvement; school suspension or expulsion; homelessness or other risk factors for youth violence.
Jamila launched a legal practice and nonprofit consulting business in 2014, before later joining Northwest Justice Project in 2017. As NJP’s statewide advocacy counsel, she managed a network of attorneys representing domestic violence survivors and other crime victims.
She lives in Federal Way and was elected to the Legislature in 2020. Jamila is vice chair of the Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee, and serves on the Community & Economic Development and Transportation Committees. She also serves as chair of the Black Members Caucus.
Saunjah S. Brantley, LT’22, is a socially conscious entrepreneur, business & community leader passionate about building teams & driving results while making a difference for the greater good of humanity. Her 20+ year career spans across strategic sourcing, technical project management, program management, inclusion & diversity strategies, internal/ employee communications, global training and social impact initiatives.
A Chicago native, Saunjah moved to Seattle in 2014 to pursue a new business opportunity in the retail industry after residing in New Jersey for 14 years working in the pharmaceutical industry. She brought her passion for making a difference with and through others along with her and is making impact in the local Seattle community. She currently serves as a Director, Community Experience & Ops within Microsoft's Marketing Consumer Business and is the founder of Spark Results, LLC a consulting firm specializing in strategic consulting, cultural transformation, leadership development and program management.
Saunjah is a graduate of the People’s Academy for Community Engagement (PACE) Program (Dept. of Seattle Neighborhoods) and currently a member of Leadership Tomorrow's 2022 Cohort . She is also an active member of the Seattle Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated where she has served President of their Dynamic Urban Opportunities Foundation (2016-2018), which raises funds for college scholarships and community engagement programs, Connection (Civic Engagement) Committee Chair, and the Civic and Community Engagement Co-chair for their ASCEND youth development program. She is Chair Emeritus of the Seattle Advisory Board for JUMA ventures, a social enterprise that enables socioeconomic development for local opportunity youth. She also currently serves as a Board Member for Children Ready to Learn, a non-profit educational organization that provides parents and caregivers in Washington with workshops, take-home materials, and tools to help their babies and young children develop strong brain connections that determine how they will think, learn, and grow.
Saunjah holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and an M.B.A. in Finance from Rutgers University. She also holds a Diversity & Inclusion for HR certification from Cornell University.