Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There

Author Bio: Randal D. Pinkett

Dr. Randal Pinkett has established himself as an entrepreneur, innovator, speaker, author, media personality, and DEI expert who is leading the way in business, technology, and equity for all. He is cofounder, chairman, and CEO of BCT Partners, a global, multimillion-dollar research, training, consulting, technology, and data analytics firm whose mission is to provide insights about diverse people that lead to equity. The company has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms and by Manage HR Magazine as a Top 10 Firm for Diversity & Inclusion. BCT Partners has also appeared on the Black Enterprise BE100s list of the nation's largest Black-owned businesses and the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. In 2021, Ernst & Young named Dr. Pinkett and fellow BCT Partners cofounder Lawrence Hibbert EY Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Dr. Pinkett is an expert in several areas relating to emerging technologies, "big data" analytics, social innovation, culture, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and is a regular contributor on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox Business News. An international public speaker, he is the author or coauthor of several books, including Black Faces in High Places, Black Faces in White Places, Data-Driven DEI, Campus CEO, and No-Money Down CEO. He holds five degrees, including a BS in electrical engineering from Rutgers University; an MS in computer science from the University of Oxford in England; and an MS in electrical engineering as well as an MBA and PhD from MIT. Most notably, he was the first and only African American to receive the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship at Rutgers University; he was inducted to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, as a former high jumper, long jumper, sprinter, and captain of the Rutgers men's track and field team; and he was the winner of NBC's hit reality television show, The Apprentice.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, Dr. Pinkett is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and First Baptist Church in Somerset, New Jersey, where he resides with his family, including a daughter and two sons. Dr. Pinkett firmly believes that "for those to whom much is given, much is expected," so throughout his endeavors, he places great emphasis on his responsibility to give back to the community.