TJ graduated with honors from Stanford University in 2004 with a degree in Human Thought, a self-designed major that included coursework in philosophy, neurophysiology, and psychology. He was one of thirty students inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society during his junior year. During his time at Stanford, TJ sang with Stanford Talisman, a renowned collegiate performance group focused on music from the African Diaspora. He also spent time conducting research in a gene therapy laboratory and served as a research assistant to a professor at the Stanford Law School who was focused on race-related legal issues.

Following his time at Stanford, TJ participated in a year-long fellowship at the Council on African American Affairs (now the Ron Brown Scholar Community Service Foundation), where he conducted research on a range of issues, including preventive healthcare for children, civic engagement, and educational disparities. He went on to work for D. E. Shaw & Co., a $28bn global multi-strategy hedge fund. Following his stint at D. E. Shaw, TJ worked as a Venture Associate at VantagePoint Venture Partners, a $4bn venture capital fund, where he focused on investments in technology businesses.

TJ received his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2011. He is currently the CFO and Co-Founder of a stealth mode software start-up based in Silicon Valley.