Speakers
Kenneth Roldan has dedicated his entire life counseling and providing career guidance to professionals of color, veterans and women seeking advancement in business, academia and government. As one of the country’s reigning experts on diversity and inclusion, Kenneth joined the premier national executive search firm, Wesley Brown & Bartle (WB&B) in April 1998 as General Counsel and Managing Partner. With a BS from Cornell University and a law degree, Ken was appointed to the Civil Rights Bureau of New York State Attorney General's Office where he was instrumental in shaping and enforcing EEO legislation.
In May 2001, Kenneth was selected as WB&B’s new Chief Executive Officer – becoming the first Hispanic CEO of a national search firm. WB&B is recognized as a leading search firm with a focus on diversity and inclusion [FORTUNE, Crain’s, The Wall Street Journal]. Founded in 1973, WB&B’s founding by-laws “broke the mold” by mandating in the firm’s founding mission that highly qualified women and professionals of color be included in every candidate slate, regardless of a client’s request. According to The Conference Board, by the early 1990’s WB&B had achieved the highest record of success in bringing “high performers” reflective of multi-cultural inclusion to the management ranks in academia, not-for-profit organizations, corporate America, and government agencies. This record of success continues.
He has partnered with leading organizations inclusive of Google, Bloomberg, Amazon, Progressive, Staples, Citi, CalPERS, Microsoft, E&Y, Goodyear, Raytheon, NY Life, Moody’s, Henry Schein, AIG, Merck, Charles Schwab, UL, Cleveland Clinic and GE in creating innovative approaches to court and recruit top performers. With a passion in employment law and talent acquisition, Kenneth’s unique strategies in diversity staffing, succession planning and retention have made a difference to the ethnic, gender and cultural diversity in America's corporate structure.
Considered an expert in employment matters inclusive of minority hiring, Mr. Roldan has been interviewed by CBS News Sunday Morning, CNN, Fortune, ABC News, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Crain's New York Business, Tavis Smiley, Black Enterprise and Hispanic Magazine among others. He has expanded his audience by writing a book, Minority Rules: Turn Your Ethnicity Into a Competitive Edge, published by Harper Collins in fall 2006. Minority Rules provides a blueprint on how professionals can successfully climb the corporate ladder.
Kenneth serves as General Counsel to the Corporate Board of the New York Statewide Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce as well as Board Advisor to Veterans Across America (VAA), a veteran advocacy organization. Prior to VAA, Kenneth served on Cornell University’s prestigious Trustee Council, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – NYC Chapter as well as the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York.