THE FOUNDER

Dr. Rechelle Jacobs

"I want to empower minds with the idea that we are all products of our accumulated life experience and prior knowledge, which impacts our decision-making and life trajectory. Using my personal learning experience, I want to enable the vulnerable and marginalized to use their cognitive abilities to make informed decisions," says Dr. Rechelle Jacobs.

Rechelle, who grew up in the township of Heideveld on the Cape Flats in South Africa, earned her Masters in Statistical Science in March 2014 at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She obtained her PhD in Statistics from UWC in September 2022, with a research focus on survival analysis in the financial services sector. With 15 years of experience in the financial services sector, working at three of South Africa's major banks, and extensive knowledge of business management and quantitative analytics. After finding her niche in quantitative analytics, she was able to build and re-calibrate risk models, which saved the bank millions each month in regulatory capital.

She began her academic career in 2014 and now has eight years of experience as a lecturer at UWC in the Department of Statistics and Population Studies (SPS), where she teaches credit risk, distribution theory, and business statistics. She has traveled to the United States, Germany, and Belgium to present and participate in numerous statistics and data science conferences. She is a member of the Statistical Association of South Africa (SASA), with research interests in statistics, finance, and education in South Africa. Rechelle is a 2023 fellow of the National Graduate Academy for Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. She has recently been appointed to the Board of Christian Education of the Full Gospel Church of South Africa. 

Rechelle was inspired to start Master Mind Foundation after many years of empowering individuals in her private capacity. She wants to make a difference and have a greater impact on the lives of the vulnerable and marginalized. Her background in the financial services sector, corporate management, quantitative analytics, and diversified experience as an educator reinforces her passion and capacity to make a difference in a global society.