Karinda L. Washington is an advocate for positive social change, a charismatic and inspirational voice for the voiceless, and a faith-filled ambassador for underserved and underrepresented communities. A daughter, sister, public servant, and businesswoman, Karinda is dedicated to living a purpose-driven life and inspiring others to do the same. From a very young age she began challenging community leaders on the social ills and inequalities she witnessed growing up in the city of Detroit, which was likely a precursor to leading social justice and community engagement initiatives at her undergraduate alma mater, having a successful 10-year career at a Detroit legal services nonprofit organization, two runs for Detroit City Council, rising to the Senior Executive Service in the federal government in Washington, D.C., and starting Dash Worthy®, LLC. During her tenure in the nation’s capital, Karinda challenged the status quo—often being the only black person or woman in the room, she saw each instance as an opportunity to speak truth to power, provide access and opportunities for underserved communities, and create meaningful public-private partnerships to ensure equitable access for communities systemically alienated from the policy and decision-making process.
“As she stood in her kitchen, drawn to the dash between the dates 1978 and 2020, the years Kobe was born and died respectively, she began to reflect on how the dash represented everything Kobe accomplished in 41 years.”
Karinda, like many around the world, was impacted by the tragic news of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s death, along with seven others. As she stood in her kitchen, drawn to the dash between the dates 1978 and 2020, the years Kobe was born and died respectively, she began to reflect on how the dash represented everything Kobe accomplished in 41 years. Karinda is on a mission to ensure individuals and corporations commit to making their dash worthy by choosing their one—their community, cause, or initiative, to ensure lasting social change. It is through that lens that Karinda created Dash Worthy®, LLC, where she serves as principal consultant.
As a highly sought-after speaker, Karinda uses her platform to inspire, empower, uplift and restore through her authentic and transparent reflections on successes and failures. Her audiences depart with a greater sense of purpose and motivated to curate their dash.
Karinda is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in English: Written Communication and Wayne State University where she received a master’s degree in Communication: Public Relations and Organizational Communication. She is an alumna of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows program. In her spare time she is a volunteer enthusiast, currently serving as a communications strategist for RESTORE Northeast Detroit—a grassroots organization dedicated to rebuilding Detroit’s north east side where she was raised, Executive Board Member of Emmanuel Community House, Inc., a community development corporation, and Founding Advisory Board Member of The Hustlers Guild, a nonprofit organization providing science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math education to underrepresented youth and young adults.