Dr. Monique Ekundayo

Founder/President

Service Member's Branch - Navy

Service Member's Status - Currently Serving - 20 years

What has been your military spouse career/entrepreneur journey so far?

My active-duty spouse has been in the Navy for 20 years now. We've been together for 13 years, and married for 8 years. I began my entrepreneurship journey in 2022 after having completed my PhD in Business Management. So, we are a very new and early-stage nonprofit organization.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm a visionary leader and tireless advocate for diversity in innovation serving as the Founder and President of the National Society for African American Innovators, a nonprofit 501c3 focused on closing the gap between the represented and underrepresented in Innovation, study, and practice. The organization aims to promote and support the participation and contributions of diversity in the fields of Innovation and STEM.

Additionally, as a Military spouse, I give back to my military community by volunteering and mentoring military spouses throughout the National Capital Region and beyond, encouraging them to pursue entrepreneurship in their own rights. I'm an active member of Blue Star Families, the Military Spouse Advocacy Network, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, USO Military Spouses, and a part-time staff at the Naval Academy Primary School. I hold a personal understanding of the issues and challenges facing military families today and strive to advocate for progress and improvement within our military communities.

Tell us about a "typical" day in your professional life.

The life of an entrepreneur can vary from day to day, so answering how an “average” day goes is not a cookie-cutter type answer. However, I will say that the ability to create an impact within my community in alignment with my passion for resolving a deficit is the driving force behind my tenacity and desire to be the very best business owner I can be. Luckily, within the military family community, there are several low-cost to no-cost resources out there that assist with business planning, marketing and branding, human capital planning, etc., so the possibilities are endless. I would also say having a mentor on this entrepreneurship journey has been invaluable and a resource I have maintained simply to stay on top of market trends, community needs, and even grant opportunity awareness.

If you've been stationed overseas, how did this affect your career and or business?

N/A

What has been your biggest military spouse career struggle and how did you overcome it?

This is a very "hit-close-to-home" question for me personally within the last 2 years. I have been in the corporate world for over 20(+) years and decided to start a non-profit organization to exist in tandem with a corporate career role. Little did I know how hard it would be to attain employment after completing my doctorate degree. To this point, I would have to say that my biggest military spouse career struggle has been the inability to obtain work (in a relatively timely manner) within the field of study I completed my degree in.

Nonetheless, I realize that things happen for a reason, and with this mindset, I have poured heavily into getting my nonprofit up and running and into the community's eye.

What role did mentors and sponsors play in your journey?

I have a mentor from SBA's Score program, and this mentor has been amazing. My mentor does not have the subject matter expertise in the area in which my nonprofit operates, though my mentor does have business acumen and general business principle knowledge. They quite often think of things that I should have considered that I would have never given thought to had my mentor not broached the topic. I encourage anyone going into business for themselves to seek, identify, and then acquire a mentor immediately. This move can only benefit your business in the long run!

How does your career path differ from what you imagined for yourself?

I thought that with my professional experience and education I would immediately find a role suitable and commensurate with my background. When that didn't happen....2 years later, I had to pivot. I am not lamenting; I am being transparent. Though I will say that on the horizon of 2024, I am extremely positive about some items coming through the pipeline. Stay tuned!

How did military life (PCSing, deployments, trainings, etc) factor into your career decisions?

Oh my. Where do I begin? Well, for starters, I had to complete school online because the option of a brick-and-mortar grad school was just not in the cards for me. Additionally, within a 6-7 year time frame, from 2014 - 2020, I worked full time, planned our wedding (with 185 guests, I might add), got married, had a child, moved 4 times, and handled just the day-to-day activities, all while also attending school full time. Luckily, I was with the same employer this entire time, so aside from being sleep-deprived, my career wasn't affected too much until after 2020.

Have you ever had to geo-bach due to your career/entrepreneurship?

We are Geo-Baching right now and at the onset of the assignment, I was very anxious on how this would all play out. To our amazement, the dynamic has proven to work quite well with our family. The Geo-Bach decision was based more on the preference of our child staying at the same school. However, I will say that I do feel that I have been passed over for professional opportunities once I mention that I am the only parent solely responsible right now for our little one. This includes but is not limited to pick up and drop off for school. So, I guess in a way, yes, this geo-bach setup has impacted me professionally to a degree.

What resources have you found to be useful in your career/entrepreneur journey?

Many: SBA/Score, IVMF, Chamber of Commerce, Industry Affinity groups, and my next stop....Bunker Labs!

Final word: what are your top tips for other military spouses about navigating a career within the military lifestyle?

I would say that for me personally, networking has played a significant role in putting a face to a name. I realize we have introverts among us who will hear the word "Network" and cringe. Luckily, over the past few years, the saturation of virtual/remote/online interaction has provided the opportunity for online networking in a big crowd, even though it may not be your thing. For me, however, if I have the opportunity to be on a webinar, to go to a summit, to go to a coffee connect, etc., I seize the opportunity. I thrive in human interaction! This is the advice I would give, namely for spouses in the National Capital Region. In this area, opportunities to connect are endless!

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