Jacoria Borders

Care taker, Change Agent, Christian, Connector, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Philanthropist

Jacoria Borders, MPH, is a civic leader working at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce. Across philanthropy, government, politics, sports, and entertainment, her work is grounded in a simple belief: access creates opportunity, and proximity to power should drive progress for people. She founded The Community Group, a social impact consultancy that helps organizations build authentic, measurable, and values-aligned strategies, and TCG Impact, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, empowering, and equipping the next generation of learners and leaders. Since its founding, TCG Impact has reached more than 15,000 young people through civic education (Democracy Fest), leadership development, college and career exposure, and scholarships. Previously, Jacoria directed more than $24 million in philanthropic and personal investments at the Arthur M. Blank Family of Businesses and helped transform Mercedes-Benz Stadium into one of Georgia’s largest early-voting sites. Her career has also included leadership roles on Stacey Abrams’ first gubernatorial campaign and in the White House, where she most recently served as Deputy Director of Presidential Advance in the Executive Office of the President. A proud two-time HBCU graduate, Jacoria is committed to building a future where young people are equipped, trusted, and empowered to change their world. Her work shows what happens when we stop treating young people as the leaders of tomorrow and start inspiring, empowering, and equipping them with access and opportunity to exercise their power today.

Building bridges between people and possibility, especially creating opportunities for young people to discover their voice, exercise their agency, and see themselves as leaders right now.

Access creates opportunity. When we intentionally bring people closer to information, relationships, resources, and rooms they have historically been excluded from, we don’t just change individual lives, we expand who gets to imagine, influence, and build the future.

My TED story began with a belief I’ve carried throughout my career: young people don’t need us to hand them power; they need access, trust, exposure, and meaningful opportunities to exercise the power they already have. Sharing the TED stage alongside one of my Atlanta Youth Advisory Council alums was especially meaningful and full circle because it allowed me to live the very idea I was there to talk about, overlooking the very place where it all started in Atlanta: intergenerational leadership isn’t something we should discuss; it’s something we should practice.

Producing experiences. Give me a big idea, a complicated room, a hundred moving pieces, and a little bit of pressure, and I can build something beautiful that people will remember.