2021 40 Under 40: Kaijuanda Sutton

Springfield NAACP board member Kaijuanda Sutton, 39, is active in the community advocating for the end of domestic violence and racism against women. For each of the past nine years, Sutton has led a March awareness event called Stand Up, Speak Out, during which participants walk in honor of domestic violence victims. She’s also a founding member of SWMO National Organization of Women, for which she focuses on ending racism and violence perpetrated against women.

“I took my personal experiences and found a way to make a difference for others,” says Sutton. “Domestic violence is higher in Greene County, Missouri, than both Kansas City and St. Louis. I make it a priority to create conversations around domestic violence to encourage my community to get involved.”

With Kaijuanda & Co., she works as a leasing agent assisting businesses and individuals with real estate, and she also is a vacation planning counselor for Wyndham Vacation Ownership. Kaijuanda & Co. was started out of necessity after she could not get her job back after maternity leave at a separate company, and Sutton says the success of her startup is one of her proudest accomplishments.

First job? Taco Bell.

What did you learn the hard way? The hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn was to love me first. I feel like that should have been learned earlier on.

Best celebrity meeting/sighting? Beyoncé. I realized we’re the same height.