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Dr. Jamyce Curtis Banks Does Whatever It Takes and It’s Never One Size Fits All

Aug 20, 2024 | Member Spotlight

Dr. Jamyce Curtis Banks

Photo credit: Carlos E. Banks, Banks Exquisite Travel

Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it’s inspiring change, and Dr. Jamyce Curtis Banks has successfully done both on her journey from educator and administrator to woman business owner and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant.

When it comes to DEI, which continues to evolve in today’s organizations, the terminology may change, but the need never does.

She shares, “When I first started in education, it was called multiculturalism. It’s about how to create a productive and profitable organization through satisfied employees and customers. If that’s the conversation you are having, DEI is in there.”

“Labels are for cans, not people,” she emphasizes. “People get lost in the terminology, but the things that still need to happen—talking about productivity and profitability—will always exist.”

Watch this video: Labels Are For Cans, Not For PeopleThis now-president and CEO of Whatever It Takes Consulting, Inc. and current president of NAWBO Indianapolis has a rich background in K-12 public education. Jamyce spent 15 years in urban middle and high school classrooms, teaching math and working as an instructional coach and team leader before moving into leadership.

Jamyce earned her master’s in School Administration and served as an assistant principal and then principal. Her time in school leadership had its highs and lows. She led one of the lowest-performing schools to improved test scores, but also got injured while breaking up a fight at school.

“In my recovery from surgery on a torn meniscus, I began to contemplate my skills and how I could use them,” she recalls. “I wanted to train, develop and support people.”

After recovering, she worked to develop pre-service teachers as well as to develop charter school proposals, train boards and build schools from the ground up. Through it all, her focus remained on equity, making sure all students, regardless of zip code, had the opportunity to have a quality educational experience.

She shares, “In education, we know what we should be doing, but we aren’t always doing it.”  She returned to school to earn a doctorate in Organizational Leadership. The focus of her dissertation is the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) of leaders and how that impacts the culture of an organization. “I wanted to shift the thinking in education. I believe every school principal is a CEO, and we don’t train them for that.”

To accomplish this, her consulting practice evolved.  The name, Whatever It Takes Consulting (WIT), came from a book that demonstrates how schools can and should do whatever it takes to support student learning by being mission driven and results oriented and never one size fits all.

WIT helps organizations address DEI challenges with solutions that are customized, support professional growth and are immediately applicable and research based. The purpose is always to improve culture and performance.

Jamyce uses a unique business model. She is the sole company employee; however, everything she does involves a team. Today, she has a pool of 20 talented people who she calls her “1099s.” For every project, she provides the skills required, number of team members needed and timeline and hand-selects the team from those who are interested.

Just a year into starting her business, Jamyce was introduced to NAWBO. She had secured her first six-figure contract and wanted to enhance her development as a business owner. A dear friend and sorority sister—Thresette Briggs, who is now the NAWBO National Board treasurer—helped her to enhance her business mindset.

“Thresette gave me some things to do to explore where I fit in and of course, NAWBO was one of the things,” Jamyce says. “The first event I went to sold me right away, and I wanted to further the experience to see how I could grow. I explored other organizations, but NAWBO is where I felt most comfortable. The NAWBO difference is in the relationships.”

She points to the motto for NAWBO Indianapolis, #ThinkNAWBOFirst. If she needs anything—business or personal—she turns to the NAWBO Indianapolis directory because, “That’s how NAWBO Indianapolis women think.”

In fact, she was on the receiving end of this motto years ago when then chapter president Jessica Nickloy of Etica Group approached her about a large organizational development RFP for the Indianapolis International Airport. “She wouldn’t let me say no and had a staff member send me the RFP,” she remembers. “I had never done an RFP, and her staff talked me through it. Jessica saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”

When WIT was selected as a top three finalist, Jessica jumped in again. She had someone from her firm coach Jamyce through the presentation and interview processes. While WIT was not awarded the project, to be in the running gave her a sense of confidence she didn’t have before and she has never looked back.

“That’s the story I tell women who are new in business about how NAWBO can support them,” she says. “It’s really helped me to grow.”

While she has benefited tremendously from NAWBO, she’s also given back. She’s served as her chapter’s parliamentarian, vice president, president elect and is now in her second year as president. She has worked to engage in NAWBO at the national level and share the benefits locally. This includes attending national events and serving on a national committee as well as pursuing programs like certification (her business recently became NAWBO certified).

“It’s easy to get comfortable with your chapter,” says Jamyce. “I would come back from national events and talk about the relationships I was able to build and the business I was able to secure. We miss out on the learning and growth experiences that are there when we don’t make the connection that exists beyond our local chapter.”

Today, she is in an exciting place in her life and business. She chooses to only engage in projects that align with her mission and philosophy, and every quarter, does something in kind or in exchange with an organization that otherwise couldn’t afford the services of her company. She also has a 2-year-old grandson, who lives in Dallas, so she makes it a priority to visit often.

“With it just being me, I can take breaks to spend time with my family because that’s important,” she shares. “I made a commitment to start looking at the next steps for my company after my grandson was born. I can’t imagine not working or going back to work for someone else but I am working on what my next phase will look like”.

Whatever the answer, she will no doubt still be imparting knowledge and inspiring change.

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