Head of Government Affairs, LendUp
Jotaka currently serves as Head of Government Affairs for LendUp, a venture-backed, mission-driven financial technology company. Within her capacity, Ms. Eaddy leads LendUp’s regulatory and legislative initiatives at the federal and state level. Dedicated to social impact tech, Jotaka is a board advisor to several social impact startups including Maker’s Row and The Big Picture, Inc.
Prior to her role at LendUp, Jotaka served as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for PayNearMe, Inc. She also served as Senior Advisor to the President and CEO and Senior Director for Voting Rights for the NAACP. Within that capacity, she directed external affairs and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Office of the President and CEO and led the NAACP’s strategy to defend and expand access to the ballot box. As a student at the University of South Carolina, Ms. Eaddy was elected Student Body President, becoming the first Black woman to be elected to the position in the University of South Carolina’s 213-year history. Jotaka’s work has been highlighted in Tech Crunch , Essence Magazine, CNN , MSNBC , Ebony , The Root, Inc. Magazine , Pando Daily, and Al Jazeera America, among other media outlets.
Description: This panel will examine the rise of Big Data applications driven by algorithms and grapple with the risks and rewards of fintech products that have the potential to increase access to necessary services.