Whew. 2025 been quite a year. So much chaos and strife throughout the year, culminating in a government shutdown that is threatening health and well-being of many citizens. The idea of government leaders fighting against citizens' abilities to obtain health insurance, afford medical care or get groceries for elderly, pregnant, children and others to eat is bewildering.

It is mind-boggling when those same citizens don't show up to vote.

Yesterday, I went to work out at the recreation center, a gathering place for retired, part-timers and contractors who don't mind getting up super early to exercise. On the way there, I drove past a local church that offers a food pantry service. I paid special attention to the line of cars this time because...

If you've ever lost a file, you learned the value of the autosave features in your application. Or, if there was no autosave feature, you probably started using a cloud storage option and/or external disks to save versions of your work. Maybe you've even lost EVERYTHING when your PC went to the dreaded blue screen.

I have experienced all of that and I thought I had it handled from a preventive perspective. I was content with my file storage practices until...

It's a question that keeps leaders awake at night---or at least on low to high alert on a daily basis. Whether risk-tolerant or risk-intolerant, it's also a question leaders return to ask themselves periodically. Otherwise, if they are looking at the world through rose-colored or gold-tinted sunglasses, then they are ignoring reality, and doing themselves, their project and their customers a disservice.

Since the new administration took office and President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris left, there have been many changes that have disrupted life as usual in the (dis)United States.

It is a sad state but because racism and discrimination were not eradicated when the opportunity was presented in the 19th century, here we are. DEI---diversity, equity and inclusion--initiatives and affirmative action have been used as a political lightning rod against Black and other people of color and diversity in the country. However, there is proof that diversity is better....

….It’s the other person you have to worry about! Like me, you probably heard your parents repeat this over and over again from the moment you got your auto driver’s permit, up until the last time you drove to their house, and left their house. And if you’re like me, you probably say the same to the younger people just like they did to you…

I am not one to boast but what I can tell you is that once I set my mind to do something, I will do it. The only thing that gets in my way is often the limited thinking of other people, i.e., those that decide that only one demographic belongs in certain technical roles. Well, like my mom always reminded me, smallminded people may block you but what they cannot do is take away what you know, or your education. As often was true, she was right...

(image: Woman on roof wearing safety harness, hard had, gloves, and glasses)

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One of my youngest relatives is about to start college (how time flies!). His college major is Computer Science, and since one of my six university degrees is in Computer Science, I had a lot to say (as usual). The most critical thing that I had to tell him was to make sure that he pursues his passion for a career. The advice is deeply personal because I did not...

(Image: group of African an African-American university students walking and laughing)

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit a historical home built in 1929. The home was owned by a single family that inhabited it for several generations, and it is now preserved by the historical society that maintains it, all made possible by donations from individuals passionate about preserving the historical record. In the business world, much like in the realm of historical preservation, record-keeping is paramount.

Every transaction, every interaction, every decision leaves its mark on the story of an organization. From accounting and human resources to sales and logistics, keeping accurate and comprehensive records is essential for understanding where we've been and where the organization is headed...

(Image: white farm house with two outbuildings, next to a green field)

It's gardening seasoning and I really struggle to think of anything else and I am having difficulty falling asleep at night. But this is a good kind of anxiety and restlessness.

Planning and managing a home garden has been the highlight of every summer since as far back as I can remember. First at my parents' home, and later, at my own.

The work in designing, procuring supplies and labor (my own!), tracking a budget and production for a spring/summer/fall vegetable garden is real-world project management with the best outcome: home-grown, organic food...

(Image: gardening schedule showing various vegetables)

Depending on your generation (and your contact with other generations) you may recognize that catch phrase from the Toy Story movie franchise. Buzz Lightyear was hyper concerned with exploring space, combatting enemy aliens with various weapons, and preserving the future for humankind.

Like Buzz, environmentalists and activists are also concerned with the future. We are all fighting for the same collective cause---survival of humans and the natural world---although we use different "weapons" (strategies and tools). One weapon that has the power to protect both humans and animals gets its power from plants...

(Image: water spraying over garden)

It is December 30, 2023, almost the last day of the year. Normally, in NE Ohio, there would be snow on the ground, frigid temperatures and even the squirrels would only come out for a few minutes to dig up some hidden acorns.

This year, there were fewer acorns, fewer squirrels and there is no snow. But there are birds outside chirping today, and it sounds like spring...

(Image: three geese flying past in autumn past orange, red and green leafed trees)

For those of you who are not gardeners/farmers, consumers of vegetables, or concerned about the effects of climate change, keep scrolling or just look away. For the rest, please read on. The past two growing seasons have been a bit off weather-wise.

I have made adjustments but the veggie yields are just not the same as in past years. I picked blackberries daily just three seasons ago. In the past two years---nada.

(image: Black lady picking blackberries)

My first scientific experiment that I can remember was conducted in my backyard when I was about 4 years old. I wasn't yet enrolled in school so unless I was sent to daycare, to my aunt's or grandfather's houses, that usually meant that I was at home with my mom during the day.

This particular cold morning, I was fixated with a bucket of water with an ice layer. The first thought that came to me was to attach the bucket to a swing to see how far it could go up before the water would break the ice and pour out. Well, it didn't have to go up very far before that happened and my "lab manager" walked out the back door right as the experiment concluded. 🤣

(Image: young Black lady working on laptop computer in a classroom, seated in front of a chalkboard)

A few years ago I was frustrated with increases in my homeowner's insurance policy rate, so I went shopping online. After hours of mind-numbing typing, copying and pasting to compare various companies, I settled on a regional company with a good rating, good service and decent annual premium.

I made the follow-up call with an agent, and I was surprised when he asked whether I wanted earthquake coverage included in the policy. My first thought: Is this a scam?

At our house, we had a river and a lake front property at least three times per summer. That was because the ravine that runs through our property overflowed and flooded occasionally.

During heavy rains, water from the neighborhood would flow through that drainageway at rates of more than 10 CFM. It rushed through pipes under the street just north of us and accelerated as it winded through our property. Along the way, it would wash away soil, relocating the landscaping. In fact, over time, it created a scenic “cliff,” a difference in elevation of 6 feet in one section. In addition, there is a steep slope that, if not careful, could swallow a lawnmower and the handler...

Faizon Love's character's failed attempt to sell the "interconnect" (internet service) to partygoers in the 2005 movie, The Luau, is forever burned into my memory. Since watching it, whenever we talk about internet service, we refer to it as the "interconnect." It was the first thing to come to mind when recently, I was the victim of an unmanaged internet...

I was listening to Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for the second time in over 20 years. Covey's principles are drawn from beliefs about self-awareness, self-control and taking responsibility for one's actions. One chapter covered the concepts of winners and losers concerning client and business owners. Covey wrote that the best answer is always the "win-win," and that nothing else is acceptable. Yet, in every aspect of American society, there are clear winners who work diligently to ensure that some...

In 1993 John Boyd sued the U.S. government over discriminatory practices that systematically reduced the presence of Blacks in the U.S. farming industry. From denying and delaying loans, to price fixing and legislation, Black farmers have dwindled due to systemic racism at the local, state and...

Those of us young enough remember the 2000 presidential election might be triggered by the phrase "hanging chads." That presidential election loss was almost as disturbing as the 2020 election loss except that once the tallies were made, Gore did not try to “find votes” in Florida. Although the U.S. lost its best next president, the environmental movement gained a strong voice for change, one outcome of which was the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." Climate change hasn't changed (that is, it hasn't gotten any better) since 2006 when the movie was made.

My timing to avoid the holiday traffic and crowds was much better in 2022 than in 2021, or perhaps more people were avoiding traffic just like me. The day after Christmas, I ventured out to restock on the few fruits we cannot do without. As I drove through my neighborhood I was disappointed to see so...

If you've been paying attention for the past 15 or so years, the Christmas shopping season begins right after October 31. Retail stores pack away their Halloween decorations, maybe leaving some decor visible for one more day celebrate el Dia de los Muertos. A long time ago, the gift shopping season started after Thanksgiving, but now the pressure to BUY! BUY! BUY! starts at the beginning of November...

Across the country, parents and special interest groups are on a battle ground, fighting against schools and libraries. Book banning is not a new concept. However, this latest war being waged against knowledge is about more than preventing children from reading about adult themes. It appears to be a war fought to control the narratives about America's truths.

In my family, the admonition, "You'll never get rich if you work for someone else!" was often repeated by my parents and their parents and grandparents before them. I heard it so much that I started repeating it myself.

Many of them were entrepreneurs, selling goods and services: building, performing mechanical and construction repairs, cleaning, teaching, sewing, picking and growing. My relatives may not have ever become "rich" by the standards of greater society however, the autonomy and freedom to do the work they enjoyed did indeed make them wealthy, at least in terms of...

When I was in undergraduate school, I applied to participate in a summer leadership program. I was torn between spending my summer in a health-related service project or working in an engineering internship.

During the leadership program interview, the panelists asked a question about my stance on pregnancy, family planning and abortion. I think my answer surprised them...

Working as a data analyst, I have encountered client data in all conditions. Stacks of hardcopy *paper* files that need to be entered manually into a data system. Excel spreadsheets that must be cleaned, compiled, exported and reimported electronic data from multiple systems that require definition and alignment on common variables. Aggregating and disaggregating.

Fortunately, most organizations have adopted enterprise data systems and are no longer using disparate systems that cannot "speak to each other." Similarly, given the level of data knowledge and expertise in the United States, it's not surprising that state elections officials collaborated on a common, multi-state system to prevent fraud, and lies about voter fraud...

Back in high school I played point guard and small forward on my basketball team. I was a little too short to be the center and my ball handling skills were too efficient for my coach to overlook. Boasting aside, my coach was able to work with all of the team players to understand our capabilities and put us where we needed to be to perform, without considering our gender or race...

A few nights ago, we binge-watched a season Sanford and Son, a 70's era sitcom favorite in my family. In one episode, Lamont was engaged to be married and Fred wanted to help him by giving the couple money to start their life. Fred did not have any financial wealth to pass on to his son, so he decided to go to his bank for a home equity loan. At the meeting with the banker, Fred was surprised to see the banker simply look at a city map and decide the value of the property without ever requesting a formal appraisal. Fred's property was being redlined, a practice that lowered the value of the property, reduced the amount of the loan and further diminished his family's...

Continuous education is a core value in our organization. All Levvitate consultants have advanced education representing liberal arts, education, medical and STEM education. Recently, we held an internal discussion on the importance of K-12 education in laying the foundation for advanced vocational, technical and higher educational studies. During that discussion, we questioned how the U.S. compares with other countries...

As a data and project management consultant, I spend at least 15% of my time performing analyses. During peak periods, that time can increase to 50% or more. The hardest part of the job sometimes is finding good client data, internal or external.

Having access to public data to integrate into projects often enables my team to work smarter, rather than harder. In fulfilling their missions, U.S. government agencies collect, clean and share massive amounts of data. Data accuracy is difficult to ensure at any level, but especially for organizations managing population data, such as the Census Bureau...

2021 is coming to a close and it's time to think about resolutions for the new year. For 2022, like every year, our team commits to exercising and staying agile---both in and out of the fitness center...

There is a lot to be said about being multilingual. I speak English (native), Spanish (fluent), Portuguese and French (both at conversational levels). My spoken language skills allow me to navigate conversations with diverse individuals. As a consultant in IT, I am also relatively fluent in other languages, which are "spoken" by programmers...

This week I attended two webinars on the topic of data and analytics. One event was a business summit that showcased data analysis, information and related projects completed by regional companies. The presentations focused on data projects aimed at growing market presence, streamlining processes, and increasing profitability. As I watched, I was anticipating (or hoping for) at least one presentation to address data projects from the healthcare field. Perhaps something about the data-driven decisions made...

At an online service I attended this week, the minister shared a joke about an argument that took place between three preachers. The three in question debated the best position to be in for prayer---standing, sitting, kneeling or lying prostrate, clearly missing the point of prayer...

Having a data disconnect can constitute an emergency. How well do you know your data? If someone wanted to know the definition of a metric, the source and the reports fed by that data, could you respond? If not, then you may need to create an organizational data knowledge base. More than a data dictionary...

If you have ever spent hours (or days) working on a data analysis project, stepped away for a while, come back to the PC and then really struggled to restart, you might just have a documentation issue.

Facial recognition and identification are no longer reserved for sci-fi movie screens they have found a home in the real world. Technology created to easily ID may seem helpful until---just like in the movies---it falls into the wrong hands.

Data Privacy Day is commemorated every January 28. It is a good day for company data managers, and members of the public to verify that they are complying with laws and regulations, as well as check their system protections. Levvitate takes steps to ensure data protection...

Women's History Month celebrates achievements made by women around the world in all fields. In the field of business, women--and especially, women of color--are still lagging behind their male counterparts.The WBE business certification was created to help drive change...

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the contributions of Black people to the American story. Before becoming a national month of remembrance, the achievements of Black Americans were relatively ignored by others. Even today...

Time is precious. We've all heard that before. Working virtually with cross-functional teams located in various time zones and speaking different languages can be an arduous time-consuming task. Experienced Project Managers with years of practice can still struggle when the option to be onsite with a team is limited. There's no magic to doing it well but it does take...

When I was in high school, I found out from a friend that retail stores hired students to help their employees take inventory of items in their stores. I wasn't totally clear on all the reasons why they did it, but I understood that they needed to assess everything of value to their organization for accounting and tax purposes. After such a difficult, exhausting and disappointing year, we are taking inventory of all that we value in our company, but beyond accounting and tax reasons...

Like couples that finish each other's sentences, and can nearly read each other's thoughts people who work well together usually have high-performing teams. Of course, it takes time and trust to get there.

The title, Business Analyst, means different things depending on the organization, business function or company division. Common to all BAs is the need to understand the business, and in IT, how to map business data between systems and the real world where the data lives and breathes...

I use AI all day, every day. Every time I type an email message in MS Outlook 365 or in Gmail, or text messages on my mobile phone, AI is improving my experience. The email applications use AI to anticipate my statements and most of the time, it predicts correctly. It saves time and reduces the possibilities of misspelled words by suggesting similar words based on letters or keystrokes. I also encounter AI in the form of bots...

"Let's go get a coffee." Without fail, that was the battle cry from the cubicles every morning at about 8:15, fifteen minutes before the daily team meeting. This was followed by a walk to the Keurig machine and 10 minutes of chatter about the project on the return to the conference room.

It's a fact: it is hard for me to let go. I do not get rid of clothing or shoes that I like until they develop vents that cannot be repaired---past the point that they could be donated. I keep books until the pages are worn and torn---past the point that they should be recycled.

When it comes to projects that I might have worked on for months or even years, it is always a difficult separation...

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It's rare that an entire country has a single experience, let alone the entire world.Covid-19 has impacted the early 21st century in the same way the Spanish Flu changed the world in the early 20th century. So what do we do when we face a crisis that we are powerless to stop? We adapt...