Dartanyon Crockett

Dartanyon Crockett was born in inner-city Cleveland, OH. Born with optic neuropathy, he has been severely near sighted his entire life. Despite his disability, Crockett was a league champion high school wrestler. During Crockett’s final year of high school, he and his friend, Leroy Sutton, were featured on ESPN. After Crockett’s first appearance on ESPN, many doors opened for him, not the least of which was an opportunity to train as a U.S. Paralympian in the sport of judo.

He ended his illustrious career as a London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Bronze medalist and 2014 World Champion. During Crockett’s time as an elite athlete, he also served as a U.S. Athlete Envoy for the U.S. State Department. His mission took him to Turkmenistan, where he worked to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Turkmenistan through the power of sport and break the stigma of surrounding blindness in this part of the world.

Crockett is finishing a degree in Sociology with a minor in social work. As he studies the success of traditional underdogs, Crockett is finding the answers to lie in human connection and compassionate investing.

Crockett defines compassionate investing as our human instinct to both protect and nurture our young in order for them to achieve self-sufficiency throughout their adulthood. However, in compassionate investing, this act is extended to all other members of society. Examples of compassionate investing include words of affirmation, quality time spent, expressed high, yet reasonable, expectations, and leaning into discomfort.