Meet Dr. Key

Her retail presence spans high-traffic, high-visibility destinations including Ponce City Market (3.6 million annual visitors), Google’s Visitor Experience in Mountain View, California (80,000 annual visitors), and an upcoming location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (108 million passengers annually). Combined, these sites offer access to more than 111 million consumers annually—a groundbreaking business model that gives emerging Black-owned brands unprecedented exposure and revenue potential. Dr. Key’s approach disrupts traditional retail barriers, positioning Black businesses in the heart of commerce, culture, and global foot traffic, making her work both innovative and impactful.

Dr. Key’s mantra “Support is a Verb” is more than a slogan. It is a powerful call to action that champions conscious spending and intentional community investment. She has operationalized this ethos through transformative retail models, incubator programs, capital access strategies, and policy engagement. Her work doesn’t just elevate businesses; it shifts the systems in which they operate, building a more equitable and sustainable economic landscape.

Dr. Key brings this same spirit of innovation and advocacy to her civic leadership. A proud advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, she serves on the Board of Trustees at Tougaloo College, her alma mater. She also sits on the board of Invest Atlanta, the city’s official economic development authority, which manages over $1 billion in active investments to foster inclusive economic growth. Appointed by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, she served on the Women’s Advisory Council and previously served on the ethics and procurement committee during the City’s 61st mayoral transition.

A Mississippi native, Dr. Key is the author of No One Is Self-Made: Build Your Village to Flourish in Business and Life, a powerful manifesto that rejects individualism in favor of collective economics and community power. She co-led the Black Business Engagement Tour for the Harris-Walz campaign and continues to advise philanthropic and corporate institutions on economic inclusion strategies nationwide. She has also led small business listening sessions for the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Dr. Key has appeared on national platforms including Good Morning America, The Tamron Hall Show, CNN, The Today Show, iHeartRadio’s The Breakfast Club and Good Day Atlanta. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Essence, Black Enterprise, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and the Atlanta Journal of Constitution. A sought-after speaker, she has graced stages for Bloomberg, the Aspen Global Inclusive Growth Summit, Hope Global Forum, National Urban League, and AD Color, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School among others. Dr. Key’s leadership and impact have earned prestigious recognition: she was named a Forbes 50 Champion, recognized on The Root’s list of the 100 Most Influential African Americans, and honored with the coveted Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40 distinction. She also received the Atlanta Business League Trailblazer Award and was named one of Georgia Trend’s Top 500 Most Influential Leaders.