Meet the Founder and President
Dr. Evingerlean D. Blakney, affectionately known as Dr. Eve®, was raised in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina by a single mother in a low-socioeconomic household. She went on to become a first-generation college graduate who earned a Ph.D. at the age of 28. Now, she is the founder and president of Evingerlean Worldwide®—an entity created to empower first-generation scholars and professionals across the globe.
Dr. Eve is committed to being a champion for historically underserved communities, creating safe spaces for growth, making pathways for social mobility, disrupting generational poverty, and building wealth through entrepreneurship.
Of many first-of-its-kind initiatives she’s created, Dr. Eve is most excited about her global brands: The First-Gen Lounge, an award-winning and #1 show in the world for first-generation history makers; The First-Gen Shop®, a store created to celebrate first-generation barrier breakers; and First-Generation University®, a learning and development platform offering programs and trainings in personal growth and professional development.
Dr. Eve has served some of the world’s top organizations including include Cornell University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Ohio State University, 1vyG, Social Knowbility, Women Empower X, and The United Negro College Fund. She’s noted as a BlkWomenHustle Inaugural 20 Women to Watch Honoree and highlighted as a Future Millennial Millionaire by Creating Your Seat at The Table International Magazine. Additionally, Dr. Eve been been featured across several media outlets such as Rolling Out, EMOIR, and The Pedestal Project to name a few.
Dr. Eve holds degrees from Shaw University (the oldest HBCU in the South) and The University of Southern Mississippi. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., co-chair and founding steering committee member for The Black-Gen Collective, and member of the Board of Directors for FLIP National and The Kim Q. B. Leathers Foundation. In her spare time, she enjoys mentoring, reading, research, traveling, food tasting, and cuddling with her chocolate lab (Maxwell Alexander).
