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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.

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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.

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

2023

  • Associate of the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences

  • Member of the Assessments Standard Committee of Counsel at Umalusi

  • Certified Trainer: Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion (STEP)

  • Fellow of the National Academy of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences in South Africa. Serves on the Board of Christian Education at the Full Gospel Church of South Africa. An associate of the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences.

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2022

  • Co-supervised the industry-directed research project for Master students at UWC.

  • Facilitated the research project module for BSc Honors students at UWC.

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2020 - 2021

  • Developed content for an online blended and interactive learning experience for second-year undergraduate distribution theory students.

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2019

  • Speed oral and poster presentation on "Statistics Surviving the World of Data Science" at the Woman in Statistics and Data Science international conference in the USA.

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2018 - 2020

  • Facilitated the Retail Credit Risk Module for the Masters in Statistical Science with a Specialization in Data Science at UWC.

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2018

  • Attended a mentorship workshop at KU Leuven University in Belgium with Professor Iven Van Mechelen, who is a quantitative psychologist.

  • Attended the International European Conference and Data Analysis (ECDA) in Germany.

  • Was part of the team of UWC lecturers who launched the Masters in Statistical Science with Specialization in Data Science at UWC in collaboration with the Centre of Business, Mathematics, and Informatics at Northwest University.

  • Developed and organized the "Maths for Stats Bootcamp" for second-year undergraduate students doing their Bachelor of Science Degree at UWC.

​2017

  • Teaching Statistics and Visualization for the Postgraduate Diploma in Data Analytics and Business Intelligence.

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2016

  • Contributed to developing a module for the Postgraduate Diploma in Data Analytics & Business Intelligence at UWC

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2015

  • Teaching South African government officials and political party members Managing Information and Communication (Advanced Diploma in Public Administration) for the School of Government at UWC.

  •  Teaching basic probability theory to school teachers from the Western Cape Department of Basic Education (Math4Stats: a collaborative initiative between UWC and Stats SA).

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2015 - 2020

  • Acted as a UWC Teaching and Learning Committee representative for the Science Faculty.

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2009 - 2014

  • Developed and implemented a Basel Model that saved the bank millions per month in regulatory capital

  • Analyzed the back-end logic of the SAP product system used by the bank, and the findings resulted in significant regulatory capital savings.

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2007 - 2009

  • Instrumental in assisting with access to finance and elevating small businesses to medium-sized businesses.

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2006

  • Co-founded the Young Entrepreneurial Development Forum (endorsed by Dr. Franklin Son) to help bridge the gap between corporate South Africa and youth-owned businesses. 

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