Uncommen

Welcome to Have You Supported?! Each and every Friday we’ll be highlighting one awesome Charlotte non-profit but not the non-profit itself exactly. We’re going to introduce one awesome person making things happen behind the scenes.

Hi! Meet Dee of Uncommen. We met at the Daily Press in NODA. His passion for connecting the dots and educating everyone around him is amazing. He’s awesome. His app UNCOMMEN is designed to connect men in the key relationships of their life through short, disruptive, and fun video driven challenges. We asked him 5 questions. Andrew of Heart Meter asked him one.

What is your passion?

What is my passion? My passion is seeing my multiple passions converge and serving others through that convergence of those passions. Through Uncommen my passion is fatherhood and “attacking the dad crisis in America”. I’m also a technologist and an educator. I also have a ministry and sociology background so I look at the world through this lens of ethical responsibility in helping to improve society but also equipping others to do those things as well.

What frustrates you?

That’s a big question. What would frustrates me is if I walked into @809(co-working space) and you told me all of this was private offices and everyone had their individual space where they work in isolation. That they are productive working in isolation and independently. I see those as mutually exclusive. Independence and isolation combined does not produce success when it pertains to serving others. It takes collaboration.

What is your greatest indulgence?

Conversation and coffee. The Daily Press!

If I gave you $10,000 right now what would you do with it?

I would create a think tank. Because so many professional’s expertise costs and costs beyond what many could pay. I would create a think tank around aiming to solve societal ills as they pertain to family and say how can be team up in order to connect the dots because we are so fragmented. Otherwise I’d say just technology. I’m a technology guy. I love having all the latest greatest tech.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

I remember when I played percussion and I was the pastoral assistant at the church so I was on the staff at the church and I played percussion. The whole teams up on stage practicing together. The speaker popped really loud in the back. The sound guy must have done something cause it went “BWAHAHAHAR” really loud and it through me off. I was in the zone. I looked back and the sound guy is laughing. I got so mad I kicked the monitor picked up something and through it across the room. In that absolute moment I knew I lost my cool big time. I had to leave. I walked off and was like what did i just do. Definitely the most embarrassing low point for me there.

Andrew of Heart Meter asked what is Charlotte missing for non-profits?

Unity. I love SVP and SEED20 because they are doing great things to get the Charlotte non-profits speaking together and meeting one another. I am forever grateful for what they’ve done for Uncommen. In that space I didn’t consider us strong collaborators. We had to initiate that. Those who wanted to collaborate. There’s a lot of great non-profits doing awesome things here and were not working together to maximize our strengths.