The Spotlight Series amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Keona Drakeford
“I help my partners make data-driven decisions.”
KEONA DRAKEFORD
Vice President, Quant Analytics Manager, JPMorgan Chase
"A STRUGGLE I HAVE OVERCOME IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME.”
“I've learned that I am smart, capable and my voice matters. I am in my position because I have earned it.”
“I can do it and do it well.”
WHAT DOES ADVOCACY MEAN TO YOU?
"I really enjoy mentoring. I want everyone to reach their full potential."
"One of my favorite moments are when I see growth in my mentees. Recently, I have expanded that to youth as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Central Ohio. In addition, I am continually looking for ways to help employees at Chase upskill so they can join the analytics department to bring more diversity to the space."
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE WORKING ON THAT'S IN PROGRESS?
"I am working on self care and making myself a priority. With that, I have really gotten into cycling. I started focusing on this at the start of 2021 and it is going well so far!"
WHAT IS THE MOST ADVENTUROUS THING YOU’VE EVER DONE AND WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?
"The most adventurous thing I've done is gone ATVing in Mexico, which in hindsight doesn't seem very adventurous. But... I would absolutely do it again."
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
"I am most proud of obtaining my Bachelor and Master degrees. When I finally achieved these goals, it was amazing because I did it with my children by my side. It showed them they can do anything!"
WHAT'S YOUR DAY-TO-DAY MANTRA?
"My day to day mantra is work hard, play hard. For awhile, I didn't have great work/life balance and realized that was partially my fault. So I decided I would give 100% to work during work hours and then I would give 100% to home during home hours."
WHAT'S A PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL GOAL YOU'VE YET TO ACCOMPLISH?
"One personal goal I hope to achieve is to start a blog. I enjoy helping and speaking to people. My hope is that my blog will help its readers appreciate all things, no matter how big or small."
Our Spotlight Series ↗ amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.