Journey Through e-Commerce: Dr. Tonjia Coverdale

Posted by Merle Kiture-Morgan 
on Apr 12, 2011
 

                                                                                                                                          

A career academic, technology professional, and entrepreneur, Dr. Tonjia S. Coverdale is currently an Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems in the School of Business at the University of the Virgin Islands.  Dr. Coverdale attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she received her B. S. in Information Science and Systems summa cum laude.  She began her  professional career in Information Systems and e-commerce  with IBM in Gaithersburg where she worked with emerging e-Commerce technologies in the development of domestic and international product ordering software.

Dr. Coverdale is the first African-American and woman to complete a doctoral degree in Information Systems at a Historically Black College/University.

As an e-Commerce entrepreneur, through her experiences with a fashion-forward lifestyle, being an active mom of 2 young children, and being a professional and academic technologist, Dr. Coverdale combined her three loves – the extrinsic and aesthetic value of fashion, the intrinsic feeling of goodness from family, and information sharing and community bonding provided through information technology – to create Divas N Babes (www.divasnbabes.com), an online apparel boutique for mommies and their children aged newborn – preschool with the mission to help build positive self-esteem and body image in postpartum women through technology and fashion.  Since its inception in 2006, Divas N Babes has gained an international retail and media presence and Dr. Coverdale has been a featured family resource in various media outlets including NBC, PBS, Telemundo, Pregnancy Magazine, Mothering Magazine, and Essence Magazine discussing topics on balancing life in motherhood including time management, fashion tips, goal setting, and personal achievement.

 

Dr. Coverdale's presentation focused on strengthening our territory through technology.  Per Dr. Coverdale, the facts are:

  1. there are more than one billion internet users all over the world, and in order to maximiz youmaximize,  you have to engage in some sort of e-Commerce. 
  2. Websites need to be developed so that we can reach the internet users and thus expand your businesses and give your society that boost into cyber space andinto the next century.  

There are three types of e-Commerce:

  • business to consumer (direct sales or direct service with consumer) 
  • business to business (suppliers and vendors)
  • consumer to consumer (usually happens inconjunction witin conjunctioner types of e-Commerce)  

Her goal for the Virgin Islands is that  of working with community leaders, small businesses, etc.  to put together a technology plan  and have the VI go all over the world, just like she did with 'DivasNBabes.  Her challenge to us is to step "outside of the box" and determine how we can use e-Commerce to expand our reach to Europe, Asia, etc. and reach the one billion people that we are not reaching now, to create economic opportunities for technological employees, and provide economic recovery for our territory.

Dr. Coverdale is in love wih technology and the opportunities that it has afforded her and says that she is here to help.  She has immersed herself in the USVI and is currently a contestant in the  2011 Mrs. USVI pageant which showcases a married woman's ability to integrate intellect, beauty and family.  A portion of the  proceeds from  the pageant are donated to  Kidscope, Inc.   

 

Dr. Coverdale is seeking sponsorships and she can be reached at  (302) 559-5133 or via e-mail: tcoverdale@comcast..net.