88: Redefining The Economy With Black People In Mind w/ Fanta Traore

Name: Fanta Traore

Business Name: The Sadie Collective

Current Title: Co-founder and CEO

Location: New York, NY

Educational Background: 

Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Economics from Howard University

Pending Masters in Business Administration and Public Policy from Yale University

About Fanta:

Fanta’s commitment to championing economic inclusion is ignited by her fascination with the economic complexities witnessed growing up in the dynamic, culture-rich, and also heavily unequal city of New York. A desire to serve the marginalized and disenfranchised, globally, brings Fanta to Yale, where she studies economic development, management, and public-private partnerships. Prior to attending Yale, she worked as a senior research assistant in the Federal Reserve System’s International Finance division, where she analyzed cross-border transactions data and the impact of financial market development on inequality. Fanta also spent nearly a decade in the social entrepreneurship ecosystem, working for Echoing Green and the Anzisha Prize, where she supported 100+ organizations leveraging her ability to use data for social impact and brokering partnerships across francophone Africa. In 2018, she co-founded the Sadie Collective, the only organization dedicated to addressing the pipeline and pathway access for Black women in economics and related fields. The Collective has been featured on NPR, Fortune, Forbes, and the World Economic Forum. She has been recognized as a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum and is on the Board of Directors of WAKE Academy, an all-girls school in Guinea. Fanta speaks four languages and has worked across Sub-Saharan Africa. She is a proud alumna of Howard University where she obtained dual degrees in economics and political science and graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.

Fanta Traore is currently pursuing a joint Master in Public Policy and Master of Business Administration degrees at Yale University and is slated to graduate in 2024. 

DURING THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• What an economist is and their impact on society
• Why Black economists and their lived experiences are so important when it comes to creating policies
• What it looks like to improve outcomes and build wealth for the Black community
• How centering Black women as influential people within the economy through becoming economist is the solution to social issues
• Why race matters and should be acknowledged
• The power of fostering relationships in cultivating change

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• [BOOK] The Black Agenda

Thank you so much for listening! If you liked this episode, please subscribe to “The Black to Business Podcast” and rate and review on Apple Podcasts:

—-

OTHER PLACES TO LISTEN: Apple | Spotify

STAY CONNECTED: 

Fanta Traore: Website | Twitter | Instagram  

Black to Business:  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn