Our Team

Daphane Carter

Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Daphane Carter started breaking ceilings at an early age because that’s how her parents raised her in Augusta, Georgia. This led her into the traditionally male-dominated fields STEM careers in Chemistry and Advanced Mathematics. After completing advanced degrees in math and chemistry, she found her way to education by tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club where she continues to serve as a board member and advisor through KIPP.

Daphane now serves as the CEO & Founder of The Daphane Carter Group and Ignite Consulting. She is committed to assisting her clients navigate the obstacles of life and career via nearly 20 years of experience in education leadership, coaching, wellness, and personal development.

Daphane served as the Superintendent & Chief Academic Officer for KIPP Texas Public Schools from 2019 to 2022 where she worked relentlessly to ensure schools have nurturing environments where students can break ceilings early and often to build better tomorrows for themselves and their communities. Daphane manages the academics and school management for KIPP Texas Public Schools where she will oversee the academics for 30,000 students.

She also served as an Executive Leadership Coach for the KIPP Foundation. She has coached leaders at all levels and loves seeing the transformational changes that come from inquiry-based coaching. Some of her work in coaching has been featuredin Megan Tschannen-Moran’s new book, Evocative Coaching II, Transforming Classrooms one Conversation at a Time as well as Leverage Leadership written by Doug Lemov. She has also co-authored three Harvard Business Review papers that have been published in HBR publications in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Daphane Carter’s professional experience includes serving at every level in PK-12 education– chemistry teacher, assistant principal, principal, and Head of Schools. She specializes in turn-arounds and has successfully led major efforts at several schools resulting in increased student achievement and significant improvements in teaching, learning and school status.

She champions nurturing girls in STEM education and the Arts, knowing from her own experience how empowering this can be. She believes that future technology will be better when women substantially participate in its design, and passionately supports initiatives to this end. She largely credits family for her successes, saying her parents taught her about the values of working hard, and that being a mother has taught her much too.

She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc, and the Fort Bend County Links, Inc. She is also a board member for V-STAR, a mentoring organization for young women, and several other service-oriented organizations. Recently, she was recognized by Fort Bend ISD for her work with Shared Dreams.

Her most notable accomplishment is CMO (Chief Mom Officer) where she proudly serves alongside her husband, Stephen Carter, raising their two daughters, Madison and Morgan in Missouri City, Texas.

Taia Rashid

Co-Founder and Chief Branding Officer

Taia Rashid’s story begins in the small town of New Roads, Louisiana, where both her parents come from large families and humble beginnings. Determined to forge a better future, her parents moved the family to Houston, Texas, when she was two years old and, throughout her childhood, instilled the importance of hard work, community activism, and higher education into her and her two younger siblings.Armed with only a high school education themselves, they pushed those family values to all three children, and Taia would be the first to fulfill the promise of their parent’s dreams and graduate from college. While working through school, Taia earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University, a Historically Black College.

Post-graduation,Taia entered the workforce joining Frito-Lay Inc., a subsidiary of Pepsi Co., as an operations manager in the manufacturing sector in Rosenberg, Texas. Afterrelocating to New Jersey to become an operations manager on the distribution side for Frito, she was promoted to Zone Operations manager before joining the Northeast Region Leadership Team as Continuous Improvement (CI) manager. During her tenure at Frito-Lay,Taia was certified as a CI expert, received a Lean-Six Sigma certification, and became an expert in supply chain optimization and team development.

After leaving the corporate world to raise her three children(Lauryn and twins Alexander & Gabriella) with her husband and partner for life, Azim Rashid, Taia has focused her energy on community volunteer activities and leadership roles within PTO/PTA boards at her children’s schools.

In this new phase of her life, Taia wants to be an example that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Introduce her children to an entrepreneurial path and manifest that they should not be afraid to push the envelope and take chances that can lead to endless rewards.

Stephen Carter

Chief Operating Officer

Stephen Levi Carter, MBA, PMP has nearly three decades of executive, operational improvements, financial strategy, and visionary leadership in the entrepreneurial and corporate sectors. He currently manages several successful businesses including White Orchid Hospice LLC, Sterling Staffing Solutions, Carter Brothers Consulting LLP, Cartera Health LLC, Home Health Pro LLC, MyMedCred LLC, Young Millionaires Series 501(c)3, and Sterling at Home LLC. He also serves as an investor/silent partner in multiple additional companies.

Mr. Carter has a strong commitment to serving his community and his country. Heserved as a Combat Medic in the US Army for 8 years and fought in the Iraqi War: Operation Desert Shield/Storm. For his service, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service.

Additionally, he has co-led multiple community improvement endeavors. He co-founded the Fort Bend Entrepreneur Initiative which assisted over 1,000 small businesses negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He co-founded the Young Millionaires Series 501(c)3 which focuses on transforming the financial future of our youth by encouraging entrepreneurship as a vehicle to obtaining generational wealth. This organization has served over 300+ young entrepreneurs. Finally, he has served as a mentor to young men between the ages of 3-17 through his support of the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston Inc and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc Kappa League.

Stephen currently serves on the boards of the following organizations: Better Business Bureau of Houston, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston, Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, Cashid Beverage Ltd Co Executive Board, Cartera Health Executive Board, and 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston.

Stephen’s company portfoliohas been recognized nationally for their record of operational success and community impact. Awards won include Inc. 5000 list in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, & 2016 for fasting growing businesses in the US, Better Business Bureau Business Healthcare company of the year in 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020, American Business Awards Gold Stevie Awards for 2019, 2018, & 2017, Houston Business Journal Fast 100 for 2019 and 2020, and Entrepreneur 360 Award for 2019, and Top 10 Care Management Service Companies of 2022 by Healthcare Business Review.

Mr. Carter and his business partner and twin brother, Dr. Carter, released their first book on October 19th, 2018 under Forbes Magazine’s book label ForbesBooks: “Double Your Success – Principles to Build a Multimillion Dollar Business”. Their book has been deemed a #1 Amazon Bestseller in USA and Internationally. Their book will chronicle their pathway to success and give interesting nuggets of knowledge to those desiring to open a business, current entrepreneurs, and youth looking for a potential model for possible success.

Mr. Carter shares his success with his beautiful wife of 21 years Daphane, who is an executive coach and educational consultant, and his daughters Madison (17) and Morgan (15).

Azim Rashid

Chief Marketing Officer

Azim Rashid is an entertainment executive, strategist, and marketing specialist who has spent his career alongside chart-topping artists, executives, cultural icons, and industry leaders at global brands, including Motown, Universal, Atlantic, Capitol, Roc Nation, and Columbia Records. As an entrepreneur, he serves as CEO of lifestyle clothing brand Alum Apparel and Founder of Behind and Beyond the Mic, his philanthropic foundation that fosters mentorship and coaching to up-and-coming entertainment executives.

Austin Ingle

Creative Director

Austin Ingle started her dance journey dancing for a small town Competitive dance studio in Friendswood, TX. Her love & passion for dance soon drove her in the opposite direction of competitive dance, & she started to take class at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Centre. She was soon asked to join the pre-professional company, the Houston Met Too. Austin worked under the instruction of Marlana Walsh, Ray Dones, Kiki Lucas, Joe Celej, Jane Weiner, Peter Chu, Steven Boyd, & many others. She had the opportunity to dance for Steven Boyd and participate in his technique instructional videos filmed at the MET. At the age of 16, Austin went on to direct her own Non-Profit Performance Company called Dancers Against Cancer. From 2006-2008 Austin co-directed & competed with her, and her mom’s dance studio, LA Dance Productions, where she won State, Regional, and National competitions as a soloist.

She later committed to dancing every summer with iHollywood Dance in Los Angeles, CA, where she performed, & filmed at Universal Studios under the direction of well-known choreographers such as Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini, Ivan Koumaev, Sonya Tayeh, & many more from the reality show, “So You Think You Can Dance.” In 2010, Ms. Ingle started her own family, while continuing to teach and choreograph for Dance Dynamics, in The Woodlands, TX. She also worked on summercamps and judged for MA Dance Company. Since 2014, Austin has been a freelance choreographer/instructor, continuing her dance education, & judging competitions/auditions for MA & a select few dance companies. Besides dance, she dedicates her time, & energy to being a mom of two, teaching for Fierce Factory Dance & Talent, as well as going to school & pursing her career in real estate.