Jamila Payne is the Director of Stylish Life Communications. She recently served as the inaugural, Director of African Leadership Academy’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. As Director, she was responsible for further developing and sharing curriculum in entrepreneurial leadership, and promoting entrepreneurial leadership across Africa with initiatives like the Anzisha Prize, Africa’s premier award for young entrepreneurial leaders.

Before joining African Leadership Academy, Jamila ran a consulting business where she worked with organizations developing programs that trained entrepreneurs. In New York, she was training 3,000 entreprenuers a year mostly in creative fields. She also started of Milla by Mail, one of the first internet-based women’s apparel retail businesses that sold independent designers. In 2008, Jamila Founded of National Association of Sustainable Fashion Designers, an organization based in New York that creates positive social & environmental change in the fashion industry. Jamila’s work has been featured in InStyle, Entrepreneur Magazine, Black Enterprise, the Wall Street Journal.

Jamila is also an accomplished author and speaker. She has published two books, First Things First, A getting started guide to being in business in 5 simple steps (2008), and From Payne to Power, Lessons to Achieve Happiness and Success from the Life of an Entrepreneur (2010).

Jamila Payne

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