By Landon Taylor, CEO of Base 11
Base 11’s success and rapid growth stems from the world-class leaders of industry, academia, and philanthropy who provide an integrated perspective on how to best achieve our mission. Thanks to these visionary leaders, Base 11 is able to empower and transform high-potential, low-resource students into the engineering and computer science talent needed to fill the growing STEM pipeline crisis in America.
That’s why I’m delighted to announce the addition of nationally recognized business leader and STEM education advocate Tonie Leatherberry to Base 11’s board leadership team. Diversifying our board to better reflect the populations we aim to serve is a significant aspect of our strategic roadmap, and this addition is a huge step in that direction.
Tonie is a living example of what we want our students to see and become. I’ve had the pleasure of working in the trenches with Tonie on several innovative projects and am thrilled to have her join the Base 11 board as we continue to push the envelope on what’s possible for the students we serve and the industries we empower.
As a principal in the Risk and Financial Advisory practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP, Tonie serves Fortune 100 manufacturing, retail, and consumer business clients. Additionally, she is the Board Relations Leader for the Risk and Financial Advisory practice. Tonie’s third role is serving as the President of the Deloitte Foundation, which has launched a strategy aimed at supporting the growth of inclusive pipelines of STEM-enabled future leaders by helping students navigate career pathways while building key STEM and STEM-adjacent competencies.
She also serves on several advisory boards, including the Executive Leadership Council, Widener University Board of Trustees, Boston University College of Engineering Advisory Committee, Boston University Board of Overseers, and STEMConnector’s Innovation Task Force. She has received numerous accolades, most notably as one of the top 25 consultants by Consulting Magazine and as one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by Black Enterprise. Tonie has also been recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Top 50 Women in Business, The Network Journal’s annual list of 25 Influential Black Women in Business, Savoy Magazine as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America, and one of the Top 100 under 50 Leaders by Diversity MBA Magazine. She holds an MBA in Operations from Northeastern University and a B.S.M.E. with a concentration in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University.
As you can see, in addition to being an asset to Base 11’s leadership, Tonie is a role model for the young men and women we serve.
Follow Landon on Twitter @LandonVTaylor or connect with him on LinkedIn.