Professional Bio
Meet Mr. Donnell Layne, the newest addition to Moreno Valley, California and quite possibly the coolest educator-technology executive around. Hailing from the streets of Harlem, NY, Mr. Layne is a die-hard New York Knicks fan and has a background in Information Technology and Africana Studies from Cornell University. After a few years in the biz, he decided to go back to school and graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University. He's been slaying the computer and telecommunications game for over 20 years and has worn many hats, including teacher, trainer, senior technical project manager, CEO and consultant.
Mr. Layne is Co-founder and Co-CEO of TwinFlame Ventures, where he started the Nature, Technology and Tomorrow initiative, dedicated to providing educational opportunities and experiences in technology for underrepresented populations worldwide. Right now, he's the Director for the HSI Title III STEM grant at Moreno Valley College, and let me tell you, the students are in for a real treat. In 2021, he was awarded a whopping $5,000,000 from the Department of Education to leverage virtual and augmented reality to close the skills gap. With his first grant of $6,109,000 he built a mobile Makerspace and a 4,150 sq ft Makerspace & Innovation center and can't wait to expand on this work.
When he's not revolutionizing the education world, Mr. Layne is also a board member of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on increasing resources for small businesses located on the south side of Chicago, IL.
His favorite quote is "The Universe is not outside of you. Look inside of yourself; everything that you want, you already are." ~Rumi
Mr. Layne is Co-founder and Co-CEO of TwinFlame Ventures, where he started the Nature, Technology and Tomorrow initiative, dedicated to providing educational opportunities and experiences in technology for underrepresented populations worldwide. Right now, he's the Director for the HSI Title III STEM grant at Moreno Valley College, and let me tell you, the students are in for a real treat. In 2021, he was awarded a whopping $5,000,000 from the Department of Education to leverage virtual and augmented reality to close the skills gap. With his first grant of $6,109,000 he built a mobile Makerspace and a 4,150 sq ft Makerspace & Innovation center and can't wait to expand on this work.
When he's not revolutionizing the education world, Mr. Layne is also a board member of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on increasing resources for small businesses located on the south side of Chicago, IL.
His favorite quote is "The Universe is not outside of you. Look inside of yourself; everything that you want, you already are." ~Rumi
Organization
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, CA 92551
United States 951.571.6291
Organization
Education:
Cornell University 2001
BA - Africana
Northwestern University 2012
MS - Information Technology
Areas of Expertise
Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship Centers, Entrepreneurship Curriculum, FabLabs, Global Entrepreneurship, Makerspaces