The University of Kentucky College of Engineering is pleased to welcome Dr. Randal Pinkett to speak about the value of communication tthroughout his impressive career at a free public lunch from 11:30 to 12:30pm on Friday, February 24, 2012 in the Raymond Student Commons Area of the Ralph G. Anderson Building. All students, faculty and staff are invited to this free lunch event. Don’t forget to RSVP.
Dr. Pinkett has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers, where he was the first and only African American student to win a Rhodes Scholarship. He was president of the Rutgers chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and captain of the men’s track and field team. He was an academic All-American and was named the NAACP top scholar athlete in 1994. He holds an MS in Computer Science from Oxford University, England and an Electrical Engineering MS and MBA from MIT. He received his PhD in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Laboratory for a dissertation titled, Creating Community Connections: Sociocultural Constructionism and an Asset-Based Approach to Community Technology and Community Building.
A devoted family man, Dr Pinkett is known for his philanthropy and his belief in the power of technology to improve communities. He is an entrepreneur who founded, and remains the CEO, of a multimillion dollar information technology consulting firm, BCT Partners. He is the author of nine books all of which foster his mission of public service and community building. Whether he is writing about the ways computer interfaces can change communities, or providing mentoring and business strategies to aspiring students and entrepreneurs, Dr Pinkett’s books mirror his deeply held commitment, “Throughout my professional career there has always been a component of my business and entrepreneurial endeavors, speaking engagements, research, writing, and civic and volunteer activities focused on helping others.” His most recent book, Black Faces in White Spaces, (2010) discusses the complexities of race in the business world and offers a ten step plan for corporate success that is useful for anyone entering what he calls the business “game.”
He achieved national recognition for his leadership abilities when he won the second year (2005) of NBC’s reality show The Apprentice with Donald Trump. Trump praised him saying, “Rarely have I seen a leader as good as you and you lead through niceness.” As a result of his win, he was awarded an internship with Trump in which he supervised the renovation and reopening Donald Trump’s Entertainment Resorts (The Plaza, The Taj Mahal and the Marina) in Atlantic City, NJ. He has made frequent guest appearances on The Apprentice since his win and also is a regular commentator on the CNN program CEO Exchange.
Recently, he has become active in politics and is rumored to be a possible candidate for the next New Jersey gubernatorial election.
His personal website: http://www.randalpinkett.com/
His Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randal_Pinkett
Dr Pinkett on Fox news discussing his Apprentice win http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KStwFVbQwg
and on Regis and Kelly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YBhG926P-A&feature=related