Board Member Mike Utaegbulam is from Jacksonville FL and is the CEO of Black Digital, an award winning marketing agency that helps social impact organizations extend the reach of their impact. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Marketing from the University of South Florida.
Best advice from a mentor
View the truth as your friend, always. When you’re younger, you sense that the truth is out there, but you don’t really want it. As you get older, you know the truth is out there, and you welcome it. It’s just a data point. It’s not going to destroy your world. The sooner you find the truth, the better: in relationships, in business, in creativity, in your own skills. Welcome the truth. It’s always your friend.
Advice he would give to rising professionals
Establish a personal board of directors. This dream team genuinely cares about you and your growth: a mentor who will help you connect the dots; a sponsor who will advocate for you in rooms you have yet to enter; a challenger who says what everyone else is thinking (often unfiltered); and a dreamer who pushes you past your mental limitations. Just like any board, you have the right to switch up the members when you have received the gifts they can offer.
Also read, drink water, and go for a walk daily.
On what he’s proudest of
Moving to DC in 2017. I was in the middle of Club Aja with the fellas when I made the decision. Two months later, I packed everything into my car and took the Auto Train from Orlando to Lorton. No job, no place to stay, no real plan, just a deep desire to do something greater….and it worked out better than I could have ever imagined. Will replicate the same success in NYC.
His Inspiration
My family, my fraternity and my confidants. They are my reason.
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
