I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  I know…you didn’t expect me to say I was Canadian, eh?  Well I am, and before you ask: yes I love poutine, maple syrup, hockey, and I’m a liberal.  I can’t believe I’m 43 years old but that’s what the books say.  I don’t feel a day over 42.  I’m the big sister to a younger brother and sister.  They are truly blessed to have me.    

“You didn’t expect me to say I was Canadian, eh…yes I love poutine, maple syrup, hockey, and I’m a liberal. “

Growing up, I was very clear that I wanted out of Edmonton.  I made the decision that the only way to do that is by going to college in the US.  I come from 2 generations of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) alum and knew I wanted to have a similar experience like my parents and grandparents.  I decided to attend Hampton University, which is located in Hampton, VA…that’s 2,500 miles away, y’all.  I was TERRIFIED.  Luckily for me, my experience at Hampton molded me into the woman leader I am today.  I was a bit of a math geek so I studied accounting and graduated in 1998.  What was next?  Back home to Edmonton?  Nope!  I took my first job at Motorola Inc in Illinois.  Another big move to the next phase in life.  I had an opportunity to move with Motorola to Northern NJ to join their regional finance team.  I worked at Motorola for a total of 8 years honing my sharp finance and business partnering skills. From there I began my career at Johnson and Johnson in 2006, while going to school to pursue my MBA part time.   I graduated with my MBA in 2009 and that’s when I decided to bring my authentic self to everything I did, included work.  Once I decided to do that I started to rise in my positions at Johnson and Johnson, landing in a job as a Director in 2017. 

Over the years, I’ve had some great outside of the job adventures.  In 2008 I took a stab at stand-up comedy in honor of my hilarious father’s birthday.  I performed for over 5 years around NYC and was on a few BET Specials.  Even while I was doing comedy, I never shied away from sharing that I was a corporate employee by day and a comic by night.  It was something I always wanted to do since I was a kid and when my Dad passed away at a young age, I thought “If not now when?”  I don’t do stand up too much anymore but if there is an opportunity for me to funny then I’m there!  Being in front of an audience is where I belong. 

Being in front of an audience is where I belong. 

Throughout the years though, I have always struggled to find cute plus size fashion to wear.  You know clothes that didn’t age me and was actually flattering.  One of my favorite brands was and still is Eloquii.  I spent all of my money there…it’s ridiculous.  One day they reached out to me to be a part of a focus group for some of their top customers (aka people who spent mad money lol).  At the focus group, I did what I always do…I was authentically myself, sharing my opinions with a comedic spin but still getting my point across.  The folks at Eloquii enjoyed my candor and later called to see if I would be interested in being in their first TV commercial. Of course, I accepted…I’m a ham y’all.  While at the tv shoot, I shared with Eloquii that their top selling pant didn’t work to well for me and shared that pants were always a problem for my body type.  Being the type of company Eloquii is they listened!  A few months later they asked me to help them on a prototype for a pant for my body type (which is called “apple” see my blog post about this). And from there the Gena Fit of the Kady pant was born.  I HAVE A PANT NAMED AFTER ME!!!  Next thing you know Eloquii asked me to be in a few campaigns to showcase the pants and other clothing.  Another childhood goal of being a model was realized.  I never thought I’d be able to be a model, because at 5’7” I was too short and well I am plus sized.  But at the ripe old age of 40, I was able to add the title of plus size model to my resume.  I have taken that opportunity to grow my voice of being an influencer and body positive advocate, especially for my fellow apple shaped folks. 

During all the above, I have also taken time to give back to my community in various ways.  I am very passionate about giving back to students at my alma mater.  I have served in various leadership position at the local and regional level of the National Hampton Alumni Association.  Most recently, I was elected to be the President of the National Hampton Alumni Association in 2018.  I am currently serving in that role with a key focus on working with alumni to raise money for more students to be able to attend Hampton and stay there through graduation.  I also served on the board of the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Somerset, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties in New Jersey from 2015 – 208.  Why?  Because Gena loves the kids!  If there is a chance to give back to the community, I am all in from Habitat to Humanity to food banks to gardens to speaking at schools.

This site is set up to house all the things I’m involved in in one place.  I recognize that I am team too much, so I thought it would be easier to have iamgenap.com be the hub to track all of the pots I’ve got in the kitchen.  I still have childhood dreams to conquer!!!  Follow along for the adventures!