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 biomedical scientist and social entrepreneur, 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. 

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Dr. Ford has co-led numerous key initiatives with leading organizations, including YouTube, PBS Digital Studios, and the global SeeHer movement to eliminate gender bias in media. She also consulted on development of “Eureka!” on Disney Junior and served as a science consultant on Netflix's Emmy-winning series "Ada Twist, Scientist" where she inspired the creation of a "Little Knatokie" character. 

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 A dynamic and inspiring speaker, Dr. Ford has shared her work and compelling story throughout the United States and around the world. 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.

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Dr. Ford previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Obama White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where she designed and led the “Image of STEM” project. Prior to that, she was 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. Dr. Ford was a postdoctoral fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She also spent time in Los Angeles working in the entertainment industry and 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 received her PhD in Experimental Pathology from Harvard University and her BS/MS in Chemistry from Clark Atlanta University.