2024 Eastern Time Virtual NDC Certification Program
Faculty
Leon Fraser brings his versatile experience in the corporate, academic, and certification arenas to help organizations diagnose and resolve persistent team performance and interpersonal challenges. He was formerly Director of Corporate Strategy at Verizon and has taught Corporate Strategy at Rutgers University. He earned the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification and thereby understands the importance of having a company’s HR and diversity initiatives to be fully in concert with a company’s overall strategy. He has taught Managing Workforce Diversity at Rutgers University where he also received the Faculty Leader in Diversity Award. He is a Certified Diversity Professional by the National Diversity Council and teaches in the DiversityFIRST training program. He received the Most Engaged Leader Award from the Tri-State Diversity Council for delivery of diversity programs. He received the Mentor of the Year Award from National Black MBA Association New Jersey Chapter. He has extensive consulting experience through a boutique firm which specializes in helping clients to address management and strategy issues. Not only does he have solid practical experience in consulting, he is the originator of the Management Consulting course at Rutgers, with proven techniques and sage case studies. On an individual basis, he is an Associate Certified Executive Coach per the International Coach Federation and has taught Executive Leadership at the graduate level. In addition to Verizon, Leon has corporate experience in marketing and market research at Newsday and Aetna. He was also vice president of an international start-up and a legislative aide to two Congressional committees in Washington, DC. He earned a BA cum laude from Harvard University and MBA degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Cecilia Orellana-Rojas serves as the chief of learning and consulting for the National Diversity Council. In this role, she oversees the execution of the organization’s strategic goals to generate new revenue streams. She leads the consulting function as well as innovative, high-quality educational and research initiatives in diversity and inclusion. She is the creator of the NDC Certification Program curriculum, which prepares professionals for successful careers in the DEIB space. She is also the developer of the NDC Toolkit, a unique diversity reference portal and research consolidator. Cecilia brings 15 years of experience at AT&T, where she started as a manager in diversity marketing. She spent most of her career at the telecommunications giant as associate director and lead consultant of corporate diversity. In this role, she offered support in the formulation, implementation and direction of AT&T’s diversity and inclusion strategy including metrics, communications, and training. She also provided consulting in all aspects of workforce diversity. Prior to her corporate role, she worked as a journalist and later taught in academia for more than 10 years in the area of sociology, with emphasis on U.S. race relations, gender, Latin America, and research methods. Cecilia is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She was instrumental in the launch of the Texas Diversity Council and served as the first president of the San Antonio Advisory Board. As a founding member of the Texas Hispanic/Latino Summit, she played a leadership role in establishing the mission of the summit as a venue for Latino/a voices within the Texas Leadership and Diversity Conference. She has been recognized numerous times with the Diversity Champion Award and Diversity Leadership Award for her commitment and dedication to diversity business practices. Cecilia has served on the Emeritus Board of Directors for the Masters Leadership Program of Greater San Antonio and as an external member of the Workforce and Diversity Committee for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). In addition, she has served on the Immigration and Refugees Action Team for the City of San Antonio’s Faith-Based Initiative. A native of Chile, Cecilia earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of New Mexico. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Dakota. She resides in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, Henry, and their son, Rodrigo.
Speaker
Karen A. Clark
Karen A. Clark, the first Multicultural Strategy Manager at City National Bank, creates and executes marketing strategies to attract diverse clients; and oversees diversity and inclusion strategies internally. Prior to, she was the first multicultural marketing manager for U.S. Bank and the first development director for non-profit Operation HOPE. Karen began her career in Wells Fargo’s construction lending group; then Bank of America as a commercial real estate manager of a $7 billion portfolio. She later served as a corporate diversity specialist for BofA, trained and certified by J. Howard and Associates. In that role, she traveled BofA’s footprint internationally, teaching managers how to attain greater bottom line productivity. Karen serves the following boards: Educating Young Minds (president); L.A. Women’s Theatre Festival (secretary); PCR small business development Center (treasurer); Streetlights (PA training program), and financial education director for the Duke Media Foundation. She holds a certificate of strategic marketing management (Harvard Business School), a BA in economics (CSU Sacramento); was named one of the “Top 20 Black Female Power Players in L.A. Business” Focus Magazine 2012; and received a Diversity Leadership award from the California and National Diversity Council, 2015. She is a frequent speaker on D&I topics. She is an actor, singer, songwriter, and producer. Her sophomore album, the Karen A. Clark Project, is available on iTunes, & CD Baby. Karen’s one-woman theatrical show, “The Women”, has been featured numerous times (2013 – present) at the Ivy Substation (home of The Actor’s Gang), The Electric Lodge, and The Fremont Centre Theatre.
Julie Fink is a Vice President of Human Resources for the University of Phoenix and chairman of the University’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. In her current role, Julie and her team are responsible for HR support to the Chief Operating Officer at the University and the University’s HR Shared Services functions including HRIS, Affirmative Action, Employee Services and Reporting and Analytics. Julie was instrumental in launching the University’s first Employee Resource Groups which have grown from two to five with twelve hundred members. Julie was also key to the University achieving a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, signifying UOP is a Best Places To Work for LGBT employees. Julie has over twenty years of HR experience in various industries including public utility, healthcare, distribution, transportation, energy and hi-tech. Julie has a Bachelor’s Degree from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Arts in Organization Management from the University of Phoenix. Julie is a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources from SHRM, and a Certified Diversity Professional from the National Diversity Council. Julie’s life philosophy is simple – Character is what you do when no one is watching.
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