WHO IS BEHIND THE DEVICE

During 2020 being grounded at home with little to no travel with COVID restrictions, I got the privilege to see my autistic son cross a milestone where he can successfully walk his dog down the street independent of my,  or his father's assistance. You can imagine the pride I felt to see him move towards independence!

However, in the same breath, I couldn't help but think what if he encounters a police officer for any reason on his walk? What will be his response?  He certainly would not be able to immediately yield to a command from a stranger. What would the police do, in frustration of him not being receptive to their commands?  

 After much research, I found this is a very widespread problem that many communities are working on, especially after the George Floyd killing. Addressing the shootings of people with mental assisted abilities needs more focus which is the purpose of this project.

So with my skills as an electrical engineer, I began to develop a solution to this problem, and have found an innovative approach through AARON Wearable Tech.

My education includes a BS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and a MBA in International Business from the University of Cincinnati.  I am a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and also a Taekwondo 4th Degree Black Belt.

My experience includes 14 years at the Procter & Gamble Company in Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and Program Management improving systems and creating new product supply chains.  I have been a management consultant for over 21 years, focusing on Strategic Performance Improvement. 

For AARON Wearable Tech my role is President and Product Development Director.

I am a recently retired clinical psychologist and was awarded Professor Emerita at Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH) in August 2021, following eighteen years as a full-time tenured faculty member in the School of Psychology, teaching thousands of students. I taught undergraduate students in core courses (Experimental Psychology, Psychological Science, Statistical Techniques) and graduate students in major professional training courses: Ethics, Professional Development, Diversity, and the Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Research lab that studies culturally proficient mechanisms to reduce racism and racial trauma.

I am the author of the Laboratory & Research Manual for Psychological Science which is now in its third edition and a Psychological Science Perspectives digital science course.  Moreover, I co-authored various articles and book chapters and have given countless presentations in the areas of psychological interventions,  culturally-relevant parenting, treatment and prevention for substance abuse and trauma, and social justice scholarship that focuses on racial trauma, support for protesters, and antiracist allyship (Cash-Ghee, A.).

I have been very active in the Greater Cincinnati community, offering expertise as a psychologist by serving on executive boards (e.g., Crossroads Center, Responsible African American Men United in Spirit) and consulting (e.g.,  Hamilton County Juvenile Youth Court Center). Over the years, I have developed numerous programs, workshops, and training to build cultural proficiency, social justice, substance use prevention, and to strengthen families (e.g., the Summer Enrichment Parents Program that thrived for over thirty years).   

For AARON Wearable Tech my role is Education and Training Advisor.

Sally spent 36 years with The Dow Chemical Company and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. After working in R&D, Finance, Sales and Marketing her career was focused on various areas of innovation and new product development. Since retiring Sally has started her own consulting business, Strategic Product Development, which focuses on the front end of the innovation process. She also mentors start-ups and entrepreneurs through various programs in the Cincinnati area and at Purdue University. 

Sally has been active in The Product Development & Management Association (PDMA) since 1988, both nationally and at the chapter level. She serves on the Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award Committee and is the past Chair of The Committee. She was an Associate Editor of the 3 rd Edition of the PDMA Handbook of New Product Development and was the author of ‘Lessons Learned from Outstanding Corporate Innovators’, a chapter in the handbook. She was also a presenter in The University of Cincinnati’s MOOC on Innovation and Design Thinking.

Sally has a BS in Biology/Chemistry from The University of Pittsburgh and is an honorary Purdue Boilermaker.

For AARON Wearable Tech my role is Product Development External Advisor.

My singular professional passion is enabling new technology ventures to thrive and scale. I enjoy mentoring CEOs and advising new technology ventures on business strategy, go-to-market plans and funding strategy, for companies in Cloud Computing, SaaS, Big Data, and particularly AI, Machine Learning, and NLP.

Specialties: Business Strategy, Monetization Strategy and Go-to-Market Strategy. Translation of Nascent Technology into Product Strategy. Development of Funding Strategy and Narrative.

In my spare time, I love to explore, play and learn with the likes of Python, Java, Swift, Xcode, AWS, and anything that involves data and data analysis. Don't want that excellent Stanford CS degree to go to waste. 

For AARON Wearable Tech my role is  Startup Advisor.

My first encounter with this demographic started back in 2002.

 I took on a summer job that gave me the chance to manage a bookstore, that employed high-functioning individuals with diagnosed mental inabilities. 

Working with this group also introduced me to the caregivers that love and dedicate much of themselves to their loved ones. 

Since then I've always been burdened with the thought of what happens when these caregivers pass on before their dependents do.  How can society help alleviate some worry from these caregivers? 

When Valda explained to me the idea, it took me back to that moment and gave me purpose in helping to find a solution to an issue that no one should have to worry about.  I immediately came on board putting to work my industry knowledge from banking and health management to set up and establish the framework needed to build AARON Wearable Tech.

I acquired a BS from Johnson & Wales University in Marketing Communications with a concentration in Project Management. Upon Completing my 1st degree I went into finance and sales and gained 15 years of experience. I  have since held roles in management, operations, and as part owner of a manufacturing company. 

For AARON Wearable Tech my role is Co-founder and Marketing Operations Director.