The Founders

Karyn Watkins and Lovette Ajayi - Red Pump Co-Founders

Lovette “Luvvie” Ajayi

Luvvie Ajayi is a social media and web strategist, as well as a humor blogger over at Awesomely Luvvie. She’s passionate about social justice, is an admitted social media addict, a blogaholic and a lover of shoes. She combined all of these loves and co-founded The Red Pump Project with Karyn Watkins.

Luvvie is also on the Board of the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project, on the Blogger Advisory Board of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation, and serves as the technology chair for the Chicago chapter of the New Leader’s Council. Luvvie holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois. When she’s not “Rocking the Red Pump” or blogging, she enjoys traveling and eating red velvet cupcakes.

I Rock the Red Pump™ because when HIV affects one, it affects us all. And red pumps are pretty fierce.

Karyn Brianne Watkins

Karyn is a passionate healthcare and nonprofit communicator focused on using new media to promote positive social and health behaviors. Her support of better health outcomes in her community led her to partner with Luvvie in creation of The Red Pump Project. “HIV/AIDS is almost entirely preventable. If we ever want to nip this disease in the bud, we need more initiatives focused on education and conversation.”

In addition to her duties as the co-founder of The Red Pump Project, she is the Founder/Editor of The Fabulous Giver, a website promoting charitable initiatives in the world of style, beauty and entertainment. Karyn is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and can currently be found volunteering, living, and laughing in Chicago.