founding Members
Kat Carter
A WNY native, I have lived and worked with all kinds of folks around the US - from Manhattan to Alaska. After George Floyd was murdered in May 2020, I realized that things in America and around the globe were not quite as I thought and so embarked a new iteration of my journey - now a proactively antiracist journey. Upon starting to re-learn history of American and Western Civilizations, and dig for stories and perspective that don’t just present themselves to us in our schools and media, was overwhelming and I had SO MANY QUESTIONS. Going it alone was not going to work, I needed help, and support, and plenty of it. So….
Being that I love real conversation, no matter how uncomfortable - I reached out to the WNY Start-Up community and found a bunch of other folks who wanted to have fr conversations too and BetterTogether was born. At this point, Better Together and our Monday night colloquiums has become a safe and welcoming space for deep and meaningful discussions. Keeping it real, and antiracist, and safe is not easy and we know that only together can we be better. ♡
najja bouldin
Najja A. Bouldin is the Founder & Principal at Phoenix Innovation Group, LLC, Buffalo, New York, where he serves customers and community with Innovation Training, Leadership & Entrepreneurial Development, as well as Community Engagement. Najja is said to have those affection skills you just can’t teach. Folks will notice right away that Najja is a people person who listens intently and enjoys engaging with them. He is a consultant driven by curiosity and the belief in the capacity of every person to achieve their fullest potential. Workshop participants appreciate how he tunes into their experience, while his colleagues and collaborators admire that his mind and his heart are always open in equal measure.
Najja has earned a B.A. in Psychology from University at Buffalo and a Master of Science in Creativity and Change Leadership from the State University of New York, Buffalo State, where he is now an Adjunct Lecturer. He is also a decorated disabled veteran of the United States Air Force, where he honorably served in Operation
Enduring Freedom.
In addition to working with scientists around the world, Najja works with Buffalo’s local youth. He has an uncanny ability to get moody teenagers to care about creativity and entrepreneurship. Najja is a fan of science, a cheerleader for ideas and an empowering trainer. His talents are equalled only by his stylish hair and amazing collection of fashionable sweaters. Najja greets us from the lower East Side of Buffalo, New York. His greatest inspiration for integrity, service and enterprising excellence is being a father to his marvelous son, and stewarding culture.
richard kim
Richard Kim is an international adoptee from South Korea. Growing up as one of the only Asian people in his county in northern Wisconsin forced Richard to think about identity from an early age. Richard’s early experience wrestling with identity, coupled with a natural passion for history, led to him double-majoring in East Asian Studies and History at New York University. During his time at NYU, Richard was able to both learn Korean and study both US and East Asian history in an interdisciplinary and intersectional way.
After spending over a decade in Korea (long story), Richard moved to Buffalo in the summer of 2019. Richard initially joined Better Together discussions to hear local perspectives on the protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd.
As the group has evolved over time, Richard has stayed involved and active. He brings a unique view of history to the discussion. This includes the history of discrimination against Asians in the United States, international adoption, and US foreign policy.
G cherry
Father, husband, software engineer, community organizer and educator….just the beginning of what there is to know about our G.
Q ANX
Humanitarian, fighter and advocate.