Biography

Dr. Daphnie Swift was born in a small town raised in a Christian based home by loving parents that was very active in her life.  At a young age, Dr. Swift had a desire to march to the beat of her own drum. She always knew that she was going to law school, owning her own business, and help others.  She has managed to accomplish all three.  Dr. Swift is a strong, independent, God- fearing woman that enjoys helping others, shopping, traveling, riding horses, shooting guns, and spending time with my family and friends.  She attended the University of Memphis for a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Paralegal Studies.  She later attended the University of Phoenix, where she received a Master of Business Administration. She attended William Howard Taft Law School and now handles cases as Supreme Court Rule 31 Mediator and Arbitrator in TN and TX, specializing in: Business, Contracts, Family, General Civil, and Specially Trained Domestic Violence cases.  Dr. Swift attended University of Phoenix for her Doctor of Business Administration, where her research was dedicated to Increasing Awareness of Small Minority Businesses in the Government Sector and Utilizing Your Minority Status As Leverage to Increase Visibility and Contract Procurement in the Government Sector through Business Certifications. Dr. Swift obtained two additional doctorate degrees from Strategic Growth Leaders Bible University (SGLU), which consisted of Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Business and Leadership and Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Ethics and Management. Dr. Swift serves as a consultant to various government agencies and business/community development centers.  Dr. Swift also received an Honorary Doctorate degree in Humanitarianism. 

 She is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Pi Honor Society, Memphis Bar Association, Black Business Association, NAACP, National Society of Leadership and Success, TN Association of Professional Mediators, and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Dr. Swift is currently a professor at Strategic Growth Leaders Bible University (SGLU), and she also serves on the Board of Regents for the university, as the secretary.  Dr. Swift serves on multiple Advisory Boards and Board of Directors for various organizations, and she is very active and present in the community. She hosts several community service projects each year and donates to the community in multiple ways such as back to school drives, feeding the homeless, toy drives, adopting families on holidays, and the Annual 3K Women’s Walk for Cancer & Domestic Violence each year in October.   Dr. Swift started a scholarship fund in honor of her mother the late Gwendolyn D. Swift, which awards up five scholarships per year. 

She has received various awards over the years. Dr. Swift is also a number one best selling author.  Some of the awards include the following: Surviving in Success, (S.I.S) Award, Spirit of the Wolf Pack Award, Alpha Kappa Alpha Prominent Black Women Global Poverty Initiative Award from the University of Memphis Epsilon Epsilon chapter. Dr. Swift was the recipient of the 20 Influential Award in Memphis, TN, and she received a Proclamation Resolution from the State of TN House of Representatives by Representative Jesse Chism.  Dr. Swift was honored with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement from President Joe Biden and the Whitehouse, The Presidential Volunteer Award, and she received a Proclamation Resolution from Shelby County Government from Commissioner Dr. Charlie Caswell and a Proclamation Resolution from Houston City Councilman Member At Large Position 3 Michael Kubosh.

 She has participated in various business and leadership programs to enhance her personal growth and development skills as well as enhance entrepreneurial skills.  She is a graduate and alumni of the Propel Business Program, Leadership Memphis Grassroots Program, Sprint Pandemic Business Survival Program, 800 Initiative Business Program, Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), Seedco Business Program, Citizens Police Academy, Shelby County Citizens University, Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT), Hope Credit Union 1 Million Black Business Program, and the Small Business Administration Emerging Leaders Program.  Dr. Swift was selected to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, and traveled to New York and attended business classes and meetings on Wall Street advocating for small minority business owners.  Dr. Swift was selected as a keynote speaker for the Empowered Women Extravaganza Conference in California, where she spoke on the importance of women supporting women and various aspects of doing business in the government sector from this conference, she received the Empowered Woman Award.  Dr. Swift was a speaker on the panel of the 7 P Summit hosted by Shelby County Board of Commissioners Caswell and Wright.

Dr. Swift is the founder of Diamond Diva Empowerment, which is an organization that promotes and encourages women to pursue all of their dreams and goals, and this organization hosts two annual events, which include Back to School Bash and Diamond Diva 3K Women’s Walk for Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence. She founded A Cut Above Lawn Service Corp, which is a business that provides a variety of services to commercial businesses and government entities on local, state, and federal contracts. Dr. Swift is also the founder and CEO of GDS Properties LLC, which provides Air BNB services as well as homes that provides housing to individuals re-entering the workforce, and A Cut Above Mediation and Consulting LLC, which handles mediation and strives to empower business owners and those seeking to be business owners to conduct business the right way through strategic plans that specifically cater to each individual business.  Dr. Swift also founded Haute Boss Business Academy LLC, which targets helping individuals start, grow and scale their businesses, specifically entering the government sector as a vendor, obtaining business certifications, and preparing to access business capital. Dr. Swift describes her best and most valuable accomplishment ever achieved as being the mother to a phenomenal son.