TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Jotaka Eaddy

 

From the C-Suite in Silicon Valley to the Policy Boardrooms in Washington, D.C.—
How this Female Power Player Is Bringing It All Together to Serve the Greater Good

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If anyone were to assemble a list of the most fierce, indomitable women who are redefining conventional standards and instigating change, Jotaka Eaddy would be at the top. With a reputation as “The Olivia Pope of Silicon Valley,” she is a mover and shaker, a Washington insider, and a successful businesswoman with a contact list that reads like a Who’s Who of some of the most powerful people in America. Armed with more than 20 years of experience as an organizer, a strategist, and a changemaker, Jotaka is bringing it all together with the launch of her own firm, Full Circle Strategies, LLC, leveraging her power and skill to reshape the future of society—and industry—for the greater good of all.

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Like the inspiring influencers who came before her, such as Dr. Hazel Dukes, Donna Brazile, and Minyon Moore, Jotaka Eaddy has established herself as a formidable civil activist, Silicon Valley power player, and master strategist with a sphere of influence and the dedication to incite change and transform outdated cultural narratives. In fact, her quantifiable impact was instrumental in Oprah Winfrey’s award-winning, Own Your Vote initiative, for which Jotaka served as an architect and advisor. In this challenging but compelling endeavor, she along with partners worked to create target-specific strategies that would engage voters and design a campaign specifically to engage and elevate black women. And, this is not the only empowerment venture for women of color that Jotaka has contributed to. She supported and advised Goldman Sachs in their recent announcement of a historic $10B dollar investment in black women, helped several tech companies expand their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and founded #WinWithBlackWomen - a network of Black women leaders that have been credited with making significant impact in the 2020 election and specifically with advocating for a Black woman vice president, assisted a venture firm with its 2020 election strategy, advising on the distribution of nearly $1M in grants and resources. Put simply, Jotaka is an unrelenting force with the skills, experience, and courage to address the nation’s most intractable issues.

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It’s not surprising that Jotaka has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, and Essence, among others. Her career history is nothing short of remarkable, with key roles within the NAACP and a stellar record for advising tech companies, achieving regulatory, legislative, and social change—and as one of the few Black women who has served in the C-suite of a Silicon Valley-based company, and leading a strategy that resulted in a landmark Supreme Court victory.   Add to that, her access to members of Congress, corporate execs, Hollywood moguls, and world leaders, and you start to see the scope of her power. This level of influence might be mishandled by someone without Jotaka’s integrity and benevolence, but she remains grounded and fully focused on her agenda. The obvious question is, with so many triumphs already under her belt, what exactly is her “agenda?” 

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In her own words, Jotaka explains, “I always wanted to have my own firm and the time came when I felt like I was ready for the next challenge. Oddly enough, this happened when so much was going on in the country; we were witnessing the murders and aftermath of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, COVID was happening. I had a lot of offers to join very powerful companies, which would have been the safer bet, but I decided that the best move for me was to position myself where I could make the most impact. It was time to step into my own power and leverage everything I had done in my life for justice, political, and social reform and use that to help drive industries, communities, and society forward, but most importantly, doing it on my own terms.”

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Founded in 2018, Full Circle Strategies is a social impact consulting firm specializing in strategy development, management consulting, public affairs, and community engagement that has helped develop public affairs strategies for some of the world's largest companies. It is the culmination of everything she has learned, everything she’s done, and all the people she has worked with. Indeed, Jotaka has created a vehicle for change that better serves communities and provides global enterprises with a purpose that is far greater than profits. Using her voice and her vision, she has succeeded in her quest to bring about and drive a substantial, transformative change across industries, cultures, and politics. “My success is not measured by the number of clients I have. It’s about how I change the lives of those who are marginalized. It’s about pushing forward, breaking boundaries, and using everything I’ve been blessed with to create substantive change,” Jotaka explains. “That, for me, is the true measure of success.”

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Whether it’s providing pro bono support to George Floyd’s legal team, uniting black women, promoting the importance and power of women in the election cycle, or facilitating a connection between a major civil rights organization and a global company, Jotaka is prepared for, and skilled at, shaking things up. Under her direction, Full Circle Strategies has successfully executed numerous strategies, not the least of which was to provide a client with advice, training, ultimately enabling them to foster democracy through nonpartisan voter engagement and to reexamine/restructure their corporate and social responsibilities or advising a fortune 100 company on $10Billion dollar investment strategy. “I know what is needed to engage a client and support the fulfillment of their goals. I’ve been a business executive, so I know their limitations and the opportunities. I’m going to make sure they have concrete, viable options to become diverse, socially responsible, and impactful entities.”

Developing public affairs strategies and helping companies build stronger relationships with advocates and elected officials is both an admirable and achievable goal; one which Jotaka has prioritized and improved. “I don’t take on clients unless I feel that my work will make an impact and have a positive effect on marginalized communities,” Jotaka states. “I will work with nonprofits, small businesses, or Fortune 500 companies, as long as the common goal is for the greater good. I’m at my best when I’m working with people who wake up every day focused on impact.”

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The altruistic motivation behind her business philosophy has been well-received and business has grown exponentially in a short time. Looking at her thriving career and flourishing company, one can only wonder what drives Jotaka to continue her crusade. Obviously, she wants to make the world a better place, and it’s apparent that she wants to touch people’s lives, but what is the personal gain from all of this? Well, this is an answer best given by Jotaka herself: “It’s ultimately about lifting as I’m climbing. I want to live in a world where equity and justice and freedom of all people is not something of the imagination, but something that is real and tangible.”

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Jotaka Eaddy, Founder/CEO, Full Circle Strategies LLC
Website: https://www.thefullcirclestrategy.com