“What can I say, if you don't know Cheryl, she is a powerhouse influencer in the social good space like no other. I've had the privilege to work with her for as the Marketing Director at Attentive.ly, which she co-founded, and as an industry influencer at Blackbaud. She helped bring my marketing to a new level by reinforcing the power of social media and ability to speak with authority, especially around emerging trends. It's been an honor to work with her closely over the years.”
About
Cheryl Contee is Chief Innovation Officer at BrightWorksAI.com. She's a pioneering…
Activity
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Thanks Bloom for this quote from my electric discussion on AI with Joe Fuld: "AI is like fire, it can warm your house or burn it down" -…
Thanks Bloom for this quote from my electric discussion on AI with Joe Fuld: "AI is like fire, it can warm your house or burn it down" -…
Shared by Cheryl Contee
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Y'ALL - I am *so* excited about Tectonica. Ned Howey has been kind enough to give the BrightWorks AI team a sneak peak demo a few weeks ago. It is…
Y'ALL - I am *so* excited about Tectonica. Ned Howey has been kind enough to give the BrightWorks AI team a sneak peak demo a few weeks ago. It is…
Shared by Cheryl Contee
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👏 Thanks so much to Farra Trompeter and Big Duck for featuring our book "AI for Nonprofits"! Tune in for this episode where we both think big and…
👏 Thanks so much to Farra Trompeter and Big Duck for featuring our book "AI for Nonprofits"! Tune in for this episode where we both think big and…
Shared by Cheryl Contee
Experience & Education
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BrightWorks AI
View Cheryl’s full experience
See their title, tenure and more.
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Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Strategic AI Program Advisory Board Member
University of San Francisco School of Management
- Present 11 months
Education
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Board of Directors
The Hopewell Fund
- Present 6 years 2 months
Social Services
The Hopewell Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that specializes in helping donors, social entrepreneurs, and other changemakers quickly launch new, innovative social change projects.
We provide fiscal sponsorship and project incubation services that enable donors to begin executing on their vision for social change without having to establish a new nonprofit. Hopewell also fiscally sponsors projects that exist as a legal entity and are ready to begin charitable work, but do not yet have…The Hopewell Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that specializes in helping donors, social entrepreneurs, and other changemakers quickly launch new, innovative social change projects.
We provide fiscal sponsorship and project incubation services that enable donors to begin executing on their vision for social change without having to establish a new nonprofit. Hopewell also fiscally sponsors projects that exist as a legal entity and are ready to begin charitable work, but do not yet have nonprofit status. Hopewell is managed by experienced staff who provide streamlined operations, financial, and compliance oversight to minimize administrative burdens for project donors and staff. -
Chair Emerita - Board Of Directors
Netroots Nation
- Present 16 years 2 months
Politics
For almost 2 decades, Netroots Nation has hosted the largest annual conference for progressives, drawing over 3,000 attendees from around the country and beyond.
Our attendees are online organizers, grassroots activists and independent media makers. Some are professionals who work at advocacy organizations, progressive companies or labor unions, while others do activism in their spare time. Attendees can choose from 80+ panels, 60+ training sessions, inspiring keynotes, caucuses, film…For almost 2 decades, Netroots Nation has hosted the largest annual conference for progressives, drawing over 3,000 attendees from around the country and beyond.
Our attendees are online organizers, grassroots activists and independent media makers. Some are professionals who work at advocacy organizations, progressive companies or labor unions, while others do activism in their spare time. Attendees can choose from 80+ panels, 60+ training sessions, inspiring keynotes, caucuses, film screenings and lots of networking and social events.
The Netroots Nation conference is a project of Netroots Nation and Netroots Foundation. I was the first Black Board Chair of Netroots Nation. -
Board Of Directors
New Media Ventures (NMV)
- Present 5 years 2 months
Economic Empowerment
I'm proud to be the first board member from the NMV portfolio to serve. NMV focuses on supporting the next generation of leading entrepreneurs and activists who are dedicated to economic equity, female empowerment and racial justice. We see investment as a mechanism for societal change. We believe that by changing where capital is invested, we can shift the structures of power to benefit more people.
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Voting Member
Greenpeace USA
- Present 6 years 6 months
Environment
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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Affiliate and Alumni
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
- Present 14 years 2 months
Science and Technology
The Berkman Klein Center's mission is to explore and understand cyberspace; to study its development, dynamics, norms, and standards; and to assess the need or lack thereof for laws and sanctions.
We are a research center, premised on the observation that what we seek to learn is not already recorded. Our method is to build out into cyberspace, record data as we go, self-study, and share. Our mode is entrepreneurial nonprofit.
We bring together the sharpest, most thoughtful people…The Berkman Klein Center's mission is to explore and understand cyberspace; to study its development, dynamics, norms, and standards; and to assess the need or lack thereof for laws and sanctions.
We are a research center, premised on the observation that what we seek to learn is not already recorded. Our method is to build out into cyberspace, record data as we go, self-study, and share. Our mode is entrepreneurial nonprofit.
We bring together the sharpest, most thoughtful people from around the globe to tackle the biggest challenges presented by the Internet.
https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/ccontee -
Senior Advisor
Astia
- 3 years 1 month
Economic Empowerment
Powered by our global network of over 5,000 investors, industry experts, and serial entrepreneurs we actively identify women-led startup ventures that are poised for explosive growth. Astia's model provides inclusive teams and their ventures with unparalleled access to capital and advise at all stages of growth through to exit.
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Advisor
CovidMD.org
- 2 years 10 months
Health
Provide the leader of Shared Harvest and myCovidMD, Nana Afoh-Manin MD/MPH, with technical counsel and ideation support for CovidMD.org which aims to provide telemedicine to America's uninsured during the pandemic.
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Senior Advisor
Hustle
- 3 years 6 months
Human Rights
Provided high level strategic counsel to CEO and Customer Success Leads to support Hustle's growth, traction and impact. Hustle is the trusted leader in peer to peer text messaging. With security, compliance, analytics, and support, Hustle empower sorganizations to have authentic conversations at scale.
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Advisor and Mentor
digitalundivided
- 6 years
Science and Technology
From harnessing data to creating change to building emerging tech ecosystems and supporting innovative startups, digitalundivided catalyzes genius in Black and Latinx Communities.
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Member Of The Board Of Advisors
Higher Ground Labs
- 3 years 5 months
Economic Empowerment
Mentor and advise progressive political tech startups based on my own entrepreneurial journey, including speaking appearances and individual strategic consulting. HGL invests in start-ups building products that help progressives win with $15 million invested to date.
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Chair Of The Board Of Directors
Center for Cultural Power
- 6 years
Arts and Culture
The Center for Cultural Power is an artist-of-color-led organization building the infrastructure and cultural assets to support artists and storytellers for social change. We activate new narratives and amplify stories that permanently shift culture and push for structural change. Our work resides at the intersection of urgent issues of migration, climate chaos, and gender, racial and cultural justice. However, our primary strategy is to invest directly in artists who work on a range of diverse…
The Center for Cultural Power is an artist-of-color-led organization building the infrastructure and cultural assets to support artists and storytellers for social change. We activate new narratives and amplify stories that permanently shift culture and push for structural change. Our work resides at the intersection of urgent issues of migration, climate chaos, and gender, racial and cultural justice. However, our primary strategy is to invest directly in artists who work on a range of diverse and emergent issues linked up with their passions and the current moment in culture.
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Elected Member of the Board of Directors
Greenpeace USA
- 1 year 1 month
Environment
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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Board Member
Social Venture Circle
- 1 year 6 months
Environment
Social Venture Circle (SVC) is a membership network that equips entrepreneurs, impact investors, and capacity-builders with connections, money, and expertise in order to build businesses that drive the NEXT economy: one that is regenerative, equitable and prosperous for all. Social Venture Circle connects, empowers, and finances entrepreneurs, investors, capacity- builders, and policy makers in a powerful, diverse, and inclusive network. I sadly had to cut my term short due to pregnancy…
Social Venture Circle (SVC) is a membership network that equips entrepreneurs, impact investors, and capacity-builders with connections, money, and expertise in order to build businesses that drive the NEXT economy: one that is regenerative, equitable and prosperous for all. Social Venture Circle connects, empowers, and finances entrepreneurs, investors, capacity- builders, and policy makers in a powerful, diverse, and inclusive network. I sadly had to cut my term short due to pregnancy complications yet still remain active with SVC and was invited to be a keynote speaker in 2019.
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Board Member
White House Digital Disruptors Committee
- 1 year 2 months
Politics
The Obama White House invited a select group of digital-savvy disruptors to advise and signal boost in coordination with WH staff and with allies. Our team's focus was driving online community engagement and outreach in the kickoff year of Obama's second term.
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Advisory Board Member
LabStart
- Present 9 months
Environment
LabStart is building accessible pathways for underinvested entrepreneurs to bring climate technologies from lab-to-market. A trove of valuable, scalable climate technologies continues to sit dormant - untapped and hidden behind research institution walls. To unlock these ready-innovations in a way that generates equitable market opportunities for underserved communities, we match market-ready tech with talented entrepreneurs from across the country.
We are a team of entrepreneurs…LabStart is building accessible pathways for underinvested entrepreneurs to bring climate technologies from lab-to-market. A trove of valuable, scalable climate technologies continues to sit dormant - untapped and hidden behind research institution walls. To unlock these ready-innovations in a way that generates equitable market opportunities for underserved communities, we match market-ready tech with talented entrepreneurs from across the country.
We are a team of entrepreneurs, national lab researchers, commercialization consultants, investors, and programmatic experts. We fund full-time entrepreneur-minded fellows to discover, build, and launch startups based on technologies developed in premier research laboratories.
Publications
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AI for Nonprofits: Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work for Your Cause
Wiley and Sons
Available for Hardcover Pre-Order on Amazon - Q2 2025 Release
In AI for Nonprofits: Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work for Your Cause, a team of leading nonprofit experts and social entrepreneurs delivers a startlingly insightful, strategic “how-to guide” for nonprofit and foundation leaders, board members, and volunteers, as well as higher education professionals and social entrepreneurs looking to deploy and integrate artificial intelligence tailored to their organization's…Available for Hardcover Pre-Order on Amazon - Q2 2025 Release
In AI for Nonprofits: Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work for Your Cause, a team of leading nonprofit experts and social entrepreneurs delivers a startlingly insightful, strategic “how-to guide” for nonprofit and foundation leaders, board members, and volunteers, as well as higher education professionals and social entrepreneurs looking to deploy and integrate artificial intelligence tailored to their organization's mission and needs.
Each chapter is based on interviews conducted with some of the nonprofit industry's most innovative and reputed voices. Together, they provide the latest strategies and tactics for nonprofit generative AI and predictive analytics applications, skills and competencies needed to effectively use this new technology, tips, tools, best practices, resource reviews, and the most common pitfalls to avoid.
AI for Nonprofits walks you through exactly how to strategically customize artificial intelligence to improve your fundraising and resource development efforts, marketing and community engagement, program delivery, and back-office operations. From human resources management to program strategy, social listening, and donor research, the book provides the on-the-ground techniques you need to deploy to transform your nonprofit's operations.
Inside the book:
+ Step-by-step frameworks and actionable roadmaps to help you implement AI for content creation, donor engagement, and developing personalized messages at scale
+ How to protect your donors' privacy and data with policies and practices that comply with rapidly shifting legal and regulatory landscapes
+ Cutting-edge research and practical case studies drawn from real-world situations that illustrate concrete AI applications
+ Access to 100+ tools, platforms, and providers focused on helping nonprofits optimize their use of AI
Perfect for nonprofit executives, managers, professionals, and leaders!Other authors -
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Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success 2nd edition
The Impact Seat Publishing
See publicationAmazon Bestseller on Launch in Multiple Categories - now updated for the post-pandemic period.
Available in print, kindle and audiobook versions - Silicon Valley can be a wild ride for an entrepreneur, especially if you're a woman, a minority (or both!). But not being a white dude dropout from Stanford shouldn't stand between you and startup success--there's a path forward for everyone, including you.
In Mechanical Bull, Silicon Valley veteran Cheryl Contee takes listeners through…Amazon Bestseller on Launch in Multiple Categories - now updated for the post-pandemic period.
Available in print, kindle and audiobook versions - Silicon Valley can be a wild ride for an entrepreneur, especially if you're a woman, a minority (or both!). But not being a white dude dropout from Stanford shouldn't stand between you and startup success--there's a path forward for everyone, including you.
In Mechanical Bull, Silicon Valley veteran Cheryl Contee takes listeners through her entrepreneurial journey with humor and candor, sharing practical insights from her experience of launching three startups and receiving more than $2 million in venture capital investment, despite being a nontraditional founder. Through Cheryl's open, honest account of the gender and race bias in a system set up to serve the aforementioned (i.e., the privileged few), you'll learn how to steer through that system and flourish along the way.
So saddle up for a practical guide to launching a successful startup and riding trends like a boss--without ever getting thrown off your game. -
Advice on Launching a Tech Startup When You’re Not a White Man
Harvard Business Review
See publicationWhether intentional or not, the tech startup landscape has been optimized for middle- and upper-class white males. According to one analysis, 77% of venture-backed founders are white and 90% of them are men.
If you are a nontraditional tech entrepreneur — meaning you aren’t a white man — it’s important to understand the environment you’ll be navigating and the challenges you need to overcome to succeed in this field. -
Opinion: Investors are the biggest losers when women and minority entrepreneurs don’t get startup money
MarketWatch/Dow Jones
See publicationExcerpt: "The fact of the matter is that less than 10% of venture-backed companies have a female leader. As one of those 10%, knowing how hard I fought tooth-and-nail to get here, I have one thing to say to VCs: The lack of women and minority representation affects you too.
Here’s why: Look at who ultimately loses when we don’t invest in diversity. Gender-diverse companies are 21% more likely to outperform their peers; ethnically diverse companies outperform non-diverse groups by 35%…Excerpt: "The fact of the matter is that less than 10% of venture-backed companies have a female leader. As one of those 10%, knowing how hard I fought tooth-and-nail to get here, I have one thing to say to VCs: The lack of women and minority representation affects you too.
Here’s why: Look at who ultimately loses when we don’t invest in diversity. Gender-diverse companies are 21% more likely to outperform their peers; ethnically diverse companies outperform non-diverse groups by 35%, and inclusive companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market. Moreover, through personal experience, women and people of color naturally identify markets and profit streams that would otherwise be unseen and untapped. " -
Fundraising Matters: Building a Culture of Philanthropy
npEngage (Blackbaud Institute)
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Winning the Internet
Stanford Social Innovation Review
See publicationExcerpt: "The power of online influencers has never been clearer than now, with a reality show personality and social media star in the White House. There’s been a lot of discussion about the converging forces that helped Donald Trump squeak out a narrow victory along electoral vote lines. He managed to get just enough votes in just enough of the right places to win.
Yet there’s an important force that Trump used to win that’s receiving less attention: the Internet. Twice now, Hillary…Excerpt: "The power of online influencers has never been clearer than now, with a reality show personality and social media star in the White House. There’s been a lot of discussion about the converging forces that helped Donald Trump squeak out a narrow victory along electoral vote lines. He managed to get just enough votes in just enough of the right places to win.
Yet there’s an important force that Trump used to win that’s receiving less attention: the Internet. Twice now, Hillary Clinton’s lack of understanding around the new power of the Internet and its individual influencers has led to her defeat. Trump didn’t make that mistake. Perhaps he would say he’s the best at the Internet. No one has ever done Twitter better. And maybe it’s worth asking: Is there something to that assertion?
[...]
The age of broadcast outreach is over. Consider how you can go beyond opens, clicks, conversions, and mere reach, and engage in more sophisticated, higher-impact-for-fewer-dollars techniques online."
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I Am Mommy, Hear Me Roar
Fast Company
See publication
I just got back from BlogHer, the largest gathering of female bloggers in America. It’s the 5th year of the conference and has grown from a scrappy, homegrown, volunteer effort to a nationally renowned, corporate-sponsored conference. I had to pack an additional bag because of all of the swag given away. Brands like Disney, HP, Chevy, Eucerin, Wal-Mart, Pepsi and many more all competed for the eyes, ears and keyboards of women from around the nation. It makes sense: women account for an…
I just got back from BlogHer, the largest gathering of female bloggers in America. It’s the 5th year of the conference and has grown from a scrappy, homegrown, volunteer effort to a nationally renowned, corporate-sponsored conference. I had to pack an additional bag because of all of the swag given away. Brands like Disney, HP, Chevy, Eucerin, Wal-Mart, Pepsi and many more all competed for the eyes, ears and keyboards of women from around the nation. It makes sense: women account for an estimated 70% of all U.S. retail purchases. -
The Death of the Digital Divide–Or a New One?
Fast Company
See publicationIs it premature to toll the bells for the death of the digital divide? I’ve been speaking to corporations and nonprofits for several years now, citing various statistics such as those found at eMarketer, which is a great source for demographic data and Internet usage. I always advocate to our clients that they first investigate how their target audience is actually behaving online rather than relying on assumptions that may be outdated and inaccurate. The results might surprise you.
Patents
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Systems and Methods for Automated Social Listening, Segmenting, and Delivery of Predetermined Content to System Users
US 28286-101418
This provisional patent protects cutting-edge technology in Attentive.ly that adds a real-time rules engine that can manage millions of posts an hour via big data streams and map against rules that trigger next-level email/social engagement with online influencers. Allows the ability digest big data and process in real time along with advanced natural language processing and machine learning.
Other inventors -
Honors & Awards
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"Cheryl Contee facts for kids" (Kids Encyclopedia Facts)
Kiddle.co
Representation matters. You have to see it to be it. I'm so honored to be selected as a role model for a new generation looking to dent the future in a positive way.
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2024 GEA Entrepreneurial Excellence Award - Best of Social Impact
Georgetown University
Since its founding in 2012, the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Alliance has represented the voices of entrepreneurs among Georgetown's alumni community. The GEA is proud to confer the Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards to celebrate the contributions of alumni entrepreneurs who embody a passion for innovation and the Georgetown spirit of "people for others."
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kate spade x Conscious Company’s 2020 World-Changing Women in Conscious Business
kate spade x Conscious Company magazine x SOCAP Global conference
"Perhaps our optimism is due to this shiny new decade now on the calendar, or maybe it’s because this year our inboxes were flooded with nominations for the 2020 list of Word-Changing Women in Conscious Business. We’re talking nearly five times as many nominations than last year...These women all exemplify how purpose-driven leaders can lead the shift to a more equitable and inclusive stakeholder capitalism."
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Additional Awards include:
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- Fast Company’s “Most Influential Women in Tech”
- The Root 100: Top African-American Leaders
- Huffington Post’s “Top Female Founders in Tech to Follow”
- Campaigns & Elections: “The Influencers 50”
- Webby Award Honoree for Voices of Genocide Prevention / U.S. Holocaust Museum
- Democracy Online Project's Golden Dot Award for Innovation
- Cool Site of the Day
- Pollie Awards
- SABRE Awards
- People's Choice Award
- Showalter Award
- Black Blogger Award
-…- Fast Company’s “Most Influential Women in Tech”
- The Root 100: Top African-American Leaders
- Huffington Post’s “Top Female Founders in Tech to Follow”
- Campaigns & Elections: “The Influencers 50”
- Webby Award Honoree for Voices of Genocide Prevention / U.S. Holocaust Museum
- Democracy Online Project's Golden Dot Award for Innovation
- Cool Site of the Day
- Pollie Awards
- SABRE Awards
- People's Choice Award
- Showalter Award
- Black Blogger Award
- and many others over the years.
Recommendations received
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