MAP: Alumni of Color Network

Jaebadiah Gardner, J.D. ’05

Jaebadiah Gardner is a real estate developer focused on market rate, workforce and affordable housing. He is the founder & CEO of GardnerGlobal. Jaebadiah earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and later earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Western Michigan Law School. Prior to real estate development, Jaebadiah worked for Turner Construction building commercial high-rises in downtown Seattle. He is the current President of UWAA’s Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP), a past Short Talks speaker and a board of trustee at the Seattle Chamber of commerce. Jaebadiah is a public speaker and author. He recently published his first book, “Believe In Yourself: Business Essentials for the Millennial Entrepreneur.”

Sumona Das Gupta, ’05, J.D.’09

Sumona Das Gupta is a lawyer by trade but rooted in healthcare advocacy and leadership. Sumona earned a bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Washington. She currently serves as the inaugural Assistant Director of the Pharmacy Audit and Compliance program, at UW Medicine and oversees the federal program that provides financial resources to safety net hospitals to meet the healthcare needs of the most vulnerable individuals in our community. She provides legal advocacy with API Chaya to support survivors of gender-based violence with legal representation in court proceedings. She is a legal advocate at Washington Immigrant Defense Network (WIDEN) to represent low-income detained immigrants in removal and asylum proceedings. She currently serves as the Vice-President and Education Committee Chair for the UWAA’s Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP).

Kristin McCowan, Ph.D. ’21

Kristin is a critical youth development practitioner and scholar, Kristin’s research centers the experiences of young people as they contend with the ongoing consequences of oppression and social injustices that constrain agency and well-being. Kristin’s scholarship focuses on adolescent sociopolitical development. As a community-engaged researcher, Kristin engages collaboratively with schools, organizations and communities to develop innovative programming strategies that empower young people to be critical thinkers and change agents who are committed to addressing structural and material inequities within their communities.

Mariama Suwaneh, ’17

Mariama Suwaneh is a Seattle Afro-Latina committed to racial reconciliation. Her work centers on building strong multi-ethnic communities that practice, empathy, forgiveness, accountability, and shared ownership. She is the inaugural Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Hopelink, East King County’s largest Human Services nonprofit. She is also the Co-Founder of The Edenhood Collective, a platform for melanated women to embrace their Eden and flourish by Faith. In 2019, Mariama was also named one of the 100 Youth Changemakers with the Bill and Melinda Gates Discovery Center, in partnership with Storytellers for Change and Amplifier for her work as a community leader.

You can help support MAP: Alumni of Color Network. Donate online to the MAP Endowed Scholarship Fund, which provides access and opportunity for economically disadvantaged UW students.