Knatokie captures the audience's attention from the moment she takes the stage. Her story of overcoming adversity encourages others to persevere in their own challenges. Knatokie's natural curiosity and love for STEM is infectious. Her passion for diversity and desire to make a difference is inspiring.
Knatokie Ford
Founder and CEO of Fly Sci Enterprise - President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
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Knatokie Ford
Biography
Knatokie Ford, PhD is Founder and CEO of Fly Sci® Enterprise, an education and media consulting organization focused on leveraging the power of storytelling to promote social change, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, Dr. Ford is an international advocate for equity and inclusion in education, media, and STEM careers. She has shared her work and powerful story throughout the United States and around the world—notably, she was selected by the U.S. State Department for a speaking tour where she traveled throughout two countries in Africa (Namibia and eSwatini) to speak to students and educators.
As a biomedical scientist and social entrepreneur, she has worked with a number of leading organizations. She served as a science consultant on Netflix’s Emmy-winning series Ada Twist, Scientist, where she also inspired the creation of a Knatokie character modeled in her childhood likeness with her signature snazzy eyeglasses. She also consulted on the development of Eureka! on Disney Junior. Dr. Ford oversaw development of YouTube’s first-ever “Creating Inclusive Content” course and Inclusion Driver. She built upon that work to create YouTube’s series of equity in learning content strategy guides that span primary to postsecondary education and have been translated in over 20 languages. In addition, she served as an Executive Advisor for the Association of National Advertisers’ SeeHer movement where she spearheaded the launch of #WriteHerRight, which provides resources to support storytellers’ efforts to integrate more authentic depictions of women into their work. In this capacity, she co-led SeeHer’s efforts to collaborate with major television networks, including the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and NBCUniversal Telemundo, to build intersectional tools to mitigate gender bias in media and highlight best practices in order to drive positive change. In partnership with PBS Digital Studios, she is working on a National Science Foundation-funded project to illuminate best practices for increasing engagement of underrepresented groups in STEM with science media through a novel research-practice content creation model.
Dr. Ford previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) during the Obama Administration. In this role, she oversaw development and implementation of the “Image of STEM” project. Listed in the top 100 S&T accomplishments of the Obama Administration, the Image of STEM project was a national initiative designed to raise visibility and improve the image of STEM fields and careers in order to help promote diversity in the STEM workforce. From 2012-2014, Dr. Ford served as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at OSTP with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). In this capacity, she managed concurrent projects on education technology and improving the nation’s healthcare system, in addition to working with OSTP’s STEM inclusion team.
Prior to working in the Obama Administration, Dr. Ford was a postdoctoral fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. She also spent time in Los Angeles where she had the opportunity to work in the entertainment industry and serve as a middle school teacher in an underserved community.
Dr. Ford has served on the Barbie Global Advisory Council, YouTube Kids Global Advisory Committee, and the Toy Association’s STEM/STEAM Strategic Leadership Committee. She was a nominee in the “Shero” category of the inaugural Women’s Choice Awards and is featured in the “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!” book by Beverly Bond. Dr. Ford received her PhD in Experimental Pathology from Harvard University and her BS/MS in Chemistry/Biological Chemistry from Clark Atlanta University. Regis College awarded Dr. Ford an honorary doctorate of science.
Knatokie Ford
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Current: TEDx: Defeating the inner imposter that keeps us from being successful
Time 14:26
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Knatokie Ford
Featured Keynote Programs
Healing with Intentionality
Cultivating Inner Peace that Produces Outer Excellence
Life can be full of distressing events. Bereavement and grief following the death of a loved one are major risk factors for mental health disorders. Individuals who suffer from traumatic injuries, such as those from accidents or violence, often experience mental health challenges following the event. The diagnosis of a serious illness such as cancer or a chronic disease can lead to significant psychological distress.
Dr. Knatokie Ford is a living testament of the human capacity to transcend trauma and pain to find wellbeing and joy again. Between September 2020 and January 2023, she navigated a series of devastating life events—the traumatic loss of her father, a breast cancer diagnosis, and a fateful accident where she was hit by a car, leaving her with a severe jaw fracture among other injuries.
With her jaw wired shut, Dr. Ford made a grueling commitment to approach healing and recovery with measured intentionality. Her powerful journey compelled her to create How Black is Your Beautiful?®-- a thought-provoking wellbeing concept that leverages the power of healing with intentionality to cultivate inner peace that produces outer excellence.
How Black is Your Beautiful?® affirms the importance of making conscious choices to allow the darkness of difficult times to introduce light into our beings. It is also an invitation to honor private battles, acknowledge unseen efforts, and celebrate every step of progress, no matter how incremental.
Dr. Ford will take audiences on an intimate journey to discover that the spirit possesses an invincible power to adapt and evolve, and amid the soul’s expansion, the body serves as the ultimate truth teller. She will share the healing tools and practices that she has used and developed, including:
* Healing with Intentionality: Become an anthropologist of your life to carefully craft and curate your healing ecosystem.
* Cultivating Inner Peace: Transmute the pain of suffering into personal growth. Proactively practice self-validation and celebrate progress.
* Expressions of Excellence: Release limiting ideals and open up to life so that personal and professional aspirations can be reinvigorated, reimagined, and realized.
Our inward journeys to wholeness enable us to connect with our higher selves, creating beautiful expressions of our greatest authenticity. This deeply personal and inspiring talk has universal application to empower and encourage a range of people at various points in their wellbeing journeys, particularly those who feel they are in seemingly relentless seasons of life.
Empowering Young Minds
“Ada Twist, Scientist” in Real Life
In this talk, Dr. Knatokie Ford will share her journey as a Black woman in science, which led to her work on the impactful Netflix Emmy-winning children's series "Ada Twist, Scientist" that encourages children to embrace STEM subjects.
Children will be delighted to meet the real-life scientist that inspired the creation of the "Little Knatokie” character that was introduced in Season 4. This character provides young viewers with a powerful connection between the fictional world and a relatable role model that can make STEM fields more accessible and appealing.
Dr. Ford will illustrate parallels between her own life and the show’s beloved central character— an intelligent, inquisitive, and passionate young Black girl who challenges stereotypes and normalizes the presence and excellence of girls and children of color in STEM fields. In addition to helping children envision futures where they feel empowered and excited about using STEM to change the world, Dr. Ford’s speech will also highlight themes of resilience, belonging, individuality, and embracing differences.
Dr. Ford will provide a unique opportunity for children to have an open forum for “Ask Me Anything” questions about pursuing STEM careers. These encounters can expand children's horizons, making the world of science more tangible and attainable. By meeting a real scientist, children can see that the characters they admire on screen have real-world counterparts, fostering a deeper sense of possibility and inspiration. Audiences will leave feeling compelled to dream big and pursue their passions with confidence.
From Imagination to Innovation: Inspiring Students to Build a Brighter Tomorrow
How can we not only equip our children with the skills they need but also inspire them to envision themselves as active participants in shaping the future? Futures-thinking can be a powerful tool in our educational arsenal. By encouraging our children to imagine and explore future possibilities, we can create more engaging and inspiring learning experiences. This approach not only makes learning more dynamic but can also expand their sense of possibility of careers they may pursue. Child development studies indicate that adolescents who engage in extensive exploration of their interests, values, and abilities tend to have a clearer sense of identity, which in turn correlates with more decisive career choices and greater career satisfaction later in life.
Dr. Ford will explore ways to harness imagination and curiosity while encouraging creativity, critical thinking, and empathy to cultivate a generation of visionary thinkers equipped to tackle tomorrow's challenges with confidence and ingenuity.
This talk can be tailored for educators and students at various stages in all walks of life. Audiences will leave feeling inspired to empower our children to dream big and change the world.
Imposter Syndrome and Stereotype Threat
Silent Killers of Confidence
On the heels of achievement, it is not uncommon for people to feel like they just got “lucky” or that they do not deserve to be where they are. This is known as the imposter syndrome, which is typically associated with high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud." The close cousin of the imposter syndrome is “stereotype threat,” which is a situational predicament where people fear conforming to stereotypes about their social group. The imposter syndrome and stereotype threat can not only reduce confidence, but also impact performance. Dr. Ford shares her firsthand experiences grappling with these “silent confidence killers” while at Harvard and even the White House and the tactics she employed to overcome them.
STEM diversity and inclusion
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are essential to America’s economic growth and global competitiveness. The United States has a growing demand for STEM workers in 21st century jobs. Among the fastest growing jobs, 80 percent require math or science skills and there are currently over 600,000 unfilled jobs in the information technology sector alone. Research indicates that diversity in teams can drive innovation, yet historically, women, minorities, and people with disabilities have been underrepresented in STEM careers. Although they comprise a majority of college students, women and minorities represent a largely untapped talent pool for STEM. Dr. Ford will share insights from her in work in the Obama Administration on parental engagement, STEM education (k-12 and postsecondary) and workforce issues, as well as the role of entertainment media as the next frontier of STEM inclusion.
Knatokie Ford
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