Dr. Nashlie Sephus sees alternative the place others might even see city blight. She has all the time had a special approach of issues. Figuring out wants and discovering options is her superpower.

Dr. Nashlie Sephus sees alternative the place others might even see city blight. She has all the time had a special approach of issues. Figuring out wants and discovering options is her superpower. Nashlie is making a optimistic distinction and Jackson is benefitting from her imaginative and prescient.

Because the Utilized Science supervisor for Amazon Synthetic Intelligence (AI), Nashlie focuses on equity and figuring out biases in these applied sciences. Primarily based in Atlanta, Nashlie travels again to her hometown of Jackson often, the place she is trying to create a tech hub that rivals these in main cities within the Northwest. Impressed by Amazon, which owns eight blocks in Seattle devoted to expertise, Nashlie says she envisioned one thing comparable in Jackson.

On September 11, 2020, Nashlie bought 21 acres subsequent to Jackson State College to create the Jackson Tech District. “That’s simply the title we placed on it,” says Nashlie, who desires to see Jackson progress the best way different cities have. “I noticed the necessity for technical expertise and technical literacy in Jackson.”

Nashlie was uncovered to expertise by way of the maths and science camps she attended at Jackson State College when she was younger. “I additionally attended an engineering camp at Mississippi State College the summer time after the eighth grade. I discovered one thing completely different from what I had discovered at school, and I beloved it.”

Nashlie graduated from Mississippi State with a B.S. in pc engineering. She acquired her Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Expertise’s Faculty of Electrical and Laptop Engineering in 2014.

In 2018, Nashlie based a 501(c)(3) nonprofit known as The Bean Path, a company that gives technical recommendation and steerage to people and small companies. “Our objective is to sow technical experience, develop networks, and fertilize communities,” she says. “We try this by way of technical courses, tech talks, coding and engineering applications for youth, and scholarships and grants for college kids who’re within the engineering subject.”

“We began assembly in a library constructing, then outgrew that and I bought a 17,000 sq. foot barn we known as ‘The Bean Barn.’ A bean is a element in expertise, in addition to a seed that sprouts and grows.” Nashlie says that the identical man who bought her the barn bought her the property subsequent to it. “We now educate senior day courses, tech courses, in addition to after-school trend expertise courses and coding courses. We even have a maker house for arts and crafts the place folks can use our laser cutter and 3-D printer.”

Nashlie envisions occasions within the space that has been deserted for thus lengthy. “We’ve got a lot untapped potential. I wish to assist get rid of the ‘mind drain’ for stem folks like me. We are able to try this by coaching up the people who find themselves right here. And which means discovering methods to make it simpler to remain right here, like housing initiatives providing market charge to reasonably priced housing.”

The Jackson Tech District has been over 5 years within the making. “I had the imaginative and prescient in December2018, and invested my very own capital to get it began,” Nashlie states. “Now we’re getting traders and personal fairness to convey this imaginative and prescient to life.” Plans embody an occasion middle and workplace areas.

“We’re it from all angles. It is a group improvement challenge with a mission behind the mission – to unite the state and present what we will do once we work collectively. We’re at present evaluating the feasibility of Airbnbs and inns within the space. There are fourteen faculties and universities within the Metro Jackson space –that’s plenty of mother and father coming to go to their youngsters. We’ve got a robust soccer tradition, plus a robust culinary scene, music, and visible and performing arts.”

Nashlie desires to capitalize on exercise on the Amtrak station, the Two Museums, and other people coming again to Jackson to go to household. “The Two Museums has an enormous draw from Europe. There’s a lot we will do by leveraging actual property.”

Nashlie says she has discovered Metropolis leaders in Jackson to be supportive and welcoming. “On the rezoning listening to there was a unanimous vote providing us funds. We acquired $250,000 in the direction of our first constructing. We’ve got additionally acquired sturdy help from the Legislature, Mississippi Growth Authority, and even Federal engagement.”

The roll-out plan for the second part of the challenge is to construct out the barns, together with The Bean Barn and what is called The Child Barn. “We wish to create a meals corridor, occasion middle, and an indoor-outdoor house for actions like film nights, train courses, and concert events. I’d even prefer to see actions equivalent to drone races and robotics courses. It is going to be an surroundings that’s family-friendly, and even an after-hours spot. It’s our hope that each one this will come on-line this 12 months.”

At present there are 4 full-time workers at The Bean Path, and eight part-time workers. “We even have twenty further contractors and tons of of volunteers,” says Nashlie. Her efforts have been observed on a nationwide stage. Articles about Nashlie, The Bean Path, and the Jackson Tech District have been printed in inc. journal, Black Enterprise, and Medium.com, amongst others.

Final 12 months she was awarded Mississippian of the 12 months by the Jackson Chapter of the Computing Expertise Business Affiliation. The excessive profile and prestigious award is introduced to a Mississippian who has had a “vital and vital influence on the state by way of the enterprise, innovation, or software of knowledge expertise.”