How a political strategist and former NAACP advisor became Silicon Valley’s Olivia Pope

At the same time that a new President is stepping into the oval office to lead the United States roughly 4000 other government workers are leaving their jobs.

Employers tend to categorize these individuals into policy or legal categories when they think about hiring. However, what folks don’t realize is that people in government are organizers and hustlers with deep industry knowledge with skills that are applicable across the tech industry.

They’re people like Jotaka Eaddy, Head of Government affairs at Lend Up.

Eaddy is also a trained organizer and a political strategist that spearheaded the campaign that led to the landmark Supreme Court decision ending the juvenile death penalty in the US (Roper Vs. Simmons); organized the NAACP campaign to expand voting rights; worked at several tech companies providing pathways for people to improve their financial health; and finally used her skills as anĀ organizer to bridge DC and Silicon Valley.