ABOUT
DR. KNATOKIE FORD
Dr. Knatokie Ford is Founder and CEO of Fly Sci® Enterprise, an education and media consulting practice 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. Her latest venture, Augmented Futures: Convergence™, is a bold initiative that merges futures-thinking and collective imagination with the transformative potential of advanced technologies. She has shared her work and compelling 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 Ada Twist, Scientist, where she also inspired the creation of a “Little Knatokie” character modeled in her childhood likeness with her signature snazzy eyeglasses. She consulted on development of Eureka! on Disney Junior. Dr. Ford also 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’ global SeeHer movement. She spearheaded SeeHer's 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 co-led an innovative research-practice project focused on identifying and testing novel science storytelling and audience development tactics to illuminate best practices for increasing engagement of underrepresented groups in STEM with science content online.
Recently, after navigating a series of challenging life events, including a fateful car accident that left her with a severe jaw fracture among other injuries, Dr. Ford created "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.
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.
I became a social entrepreneur because I wanted to accelerate the pace of progress to help create the world we want to live in. My work utilizes story, data and evidence-based insights to design and implement innovative solutions for some of the most pressing challenges that reside at the intersection of media, education, and inclusion. By leveraging cross-sector expertise and an extensive network, my mission is to deliver high-quality, results-driven, impactful work.
I also harness the tremendous power of storytelling by providing life-changing motivational presentations and advising creators on ways to generate creatively disruptive, pro-social content.
FLY SCI® ENTERPRISE:
A PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANY
FOUNDER & CEO
Content and Inspiration: Changing the World through the Power of Story.
Looking to take your science or tech-related content to the next level?
Consultations are provided and concepts are collaboratively developed with creators to illuminate innovative storytelling concepts and pro-social opportunities.
Design and Implementation: Bringing Ideas to Life.
Innovative resources are developed that clearly delineate courses of action. In collaboration with your organization, key stakeholders are effectively engaged in order to execute strategic plans with well-defined metrics for success.