033: How to Address Race and Bias in Business with Tekoa Pouerie

Hosts Tracy Swain and JaVonne Williams are joined by Tekoa Pouerie.  Like most Proverbs 31 women, Pastor Tekoa Pouerie wears many hats. Ordained in ministry at the age of 16, Tekoa was committed to exemplifying Christ in her career. Tekoa is a Nonprofit Executive overseeing annual philanthropic and development strategies of 10 million in revenue. Additionally, Tekoa is an Implicit/Explicit Bias Subject Matter Expert Trainer for The National Criminal Justice Institute at Fox Valley, where she travels the country training Law Enforcement, Judges and Youth Program Providers. For over a decade, Tekoa has researched Disproportionate Minority Contact and has been awarded multiple grants from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (D.J.J.) to train law enforcement.

In today's episode, Tekoa explains the difference between Implict and Explicit Bias, she provides tools and approaches which can be used by everyone and businesses, and she also recommends books which could be used as reference material. Tekoa also shares a site by which you can take a free test provided by Harvard.Edu on Implict Bias. Link: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/.

As a result of her work and community contribution, she received two (2) Congressional Recognitions and a Sheriff Citation Medal. Tekoa was appointed by former D.J.J. Secretary Wansley Walters to the Circuit 9 Advisory Board, where she currently serves as Chairwoman and in 2019, Tekoa was appointed to the Mayor of Orlando's Community Investment Panel. Feeling an even greater call to help equip people spiritually to go further faster; Tekoa and her husband, Dio Pouerie launched Acceleration Church in Orlando, FL in 2016. Each year Tekoa host Ladies Night O.U.T. that attracts women of faith from throughout the U.S. for a night of fun, fellowship and expressions of faith.

Of all these “hats”, Tekoa’s proudest roles is Motherhood. Losing her parents while in her teens, Tekoa is committed to making family her first ministry. Dio and Tekoa are rearing two beautiful future world leaders; Maximus (7) and Bella (5). To learn more about Tekoa Pouerie including her Coaching / Training services on Implicit/Explicit Bias, visit her website https://www.winningyourweek.com, or her Women's Empowerment Facebook Page(@Winningyourweek), Instagram (Winningyourweek), and Acceleration Church Facebook Page (@Acceleration Church). Tekoa Pouerie can be also reached via her email [email protected].