She is a member of the Ethiopian imperial family through her marriage to Prince Joel Dawit Makonnen, the great-grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie I. Makonnen was born in Washington, D.C., to Bobby William Austin, president of the Neighborhood Associates Corporation (NAC) and the first African-American full-time faculty member at Georgetown University,[3] and Joy Ford, the former executive director of Humanities DC, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

[4][2] Five years after starting Art All Night, Makonnen founded French Thomas, a creative agency that produced cultural and educational experiences in New York City, Camden and Washington, D.C.[12] She works in philanthropy at a division of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and serves as the Goodwill Ambassador of Friends of Guyana.

[14] In November 2018 Makonnen and her husband launched Old World/New World Productions, a media company that produces documentaries, feature films, and television shows focused on Africa and the African diaspora.

[15][16] In May 2019 Makonnen was a co-host at a salon dinner for women leaders hosted by German diplomat Emily Haber.

[19] She met Prince Joel Dawit Makonnen, a great-grandson of the last Emperor of Ethiopia,[20] at Pearl nightclub in Washington, D.C. in December 2005.

[6] The wedding, which was officiated by thirteen priests, was featured in The New York Times and went viral, receiving international attention.