Howard PhDOrg. Communication
25+ yearsFamilies & leaders
About
About Dr. Kimberly Oneness
Dr. Kimberly Oneness has spent her career doing one thing exceptionally well: helping people and organizations understand who they are, build on what they have, and design intentional systems for where they're going.
leaders & communities
Howard University
examinations
Her story
A life built at the intersection of identity and systems
Her academic journey began long before the credentials. Raised with a deep respect for cultural memory and multigenerational thinking — including years living internationally with her family — Dr. Oneness came to organizational development not as a career path, but as a calling. Her work has always been rooted in a fundamental belief: that the frameworks we use to build great organizations belong in every great family, too.
She holds a PhD in Organizational Communication from Howard University, and her scholarly and applied work spans the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business, Texas Southern University, Wayne State University, and an international academic context in China. She has been recognized with the Leeds School of Business Values Faculty Award, a CIBER Faculty Development Grant for immersive study in Egypt, Oman, and the UAE, and a Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Faculty Fellowship. She is also among fewer than 3% of individuals ever to pass both the written and oral U.S. Foreign Service Examinations on the first attempt — a distinction that reflects the breadth of cultural, analytical, and interpersonal intelligence she brings to all her work.
As a founder, Dr. Oneness leads three ventures: Dynasty by Design, her organizational development consultancy and flagship legacy-building brand; Kid Possible Press, an independent children's publishing imprint; and InnerYOUniversity, a transformational e-learning platform. Her debut picture book, Stars in My Skin: The Secret of the Ink, earned Amazon's #1 New Release designation and is the first title in the Kid Possible Press catalog.
The Activated Inheritance methodology — the cornerstone of Dynasty by Design — was developed over years of research, practice, and personal conviction. It is the synthesis of everything Dr. Oneness knows about organizational design, cultural intelligence, and the irreplaceable power of generational wisdom. It is, in every sense, her life's work made into a living framework.
Her journey
Decades of purpose-driven work
From the classroom to the consultancy — a career spent helping people, organizations, and families understand who they are and design what they'll become.
Early career
Roots in identity and systems
Raised with a deep respect for cultural memory and multigenerational thinking — including years living internationally — she came to organizational development as a calling, not a career path.
Howard University
PhD, Organizational Communication
Earned her doctorate from Howard University, deepening her understanding of identity, culture, and the systems that shape how people and communities see themselves.
Two decades
University professor & global educator
Taught and mentored for over twenty years across institutions including CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business, Texas Southern, and Wayne State — with international academic work reaching China and immersive study across Egypt, Oman, and the UAE.
Founder
Kid Possible Press & InnerYOUniversity
Launched an independent children's publishing imprint and a transformational e-learning platform. Her debut picture book, Stars in My Skin, earned an Amazon #1 New Release.
The methodology
Activated Inheritance℠
Developed over years of research, practice, and personal conviction — the synthesis of organizational design, cultural intelligence, and the power of generational wisdom.
Now
Dynasty by Design
Her flagship legacy-building brand — bringing Fortune 500-level thinking home to the families who build dynasties.
Recognition
Credentials & honors
- PhD, Organizational Communication — Howard University
- Leeds School of Business Values Faculty Award
- CIBER Faculty Development Grant — Egypt · Oman · UAE
- Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Faculty Fellow
- U.S. Foreign Service exams — passed (top ~3%)
- 25+ years across higher education & global communities
- Faculty & scholarly work — CU Boulder Leeds · Texas Southern · Wayne State · China
- Founder — Dynasty by Design · Kid Possible Press · InnerYOUniversity
Start here
Ready to build your family's legacy?
Begin with the free Elder Wisdom guide, or go deeper with the Activated Inheritance course.