DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION

Cordell brings more than 20 years to his pursuit of a society and organizational cultures where everyone belongs and has equitable opportunities to thrive. He is the incoming Chief Executive Officer of the Carson Scholars Fund, an education focused philanthropy, and concurrently the founding director of the Aspen Institute Project on Belonging. From 2017-2014, he led the Aspen Institute Socrates Program, a global education forum for leaders. Cordell also founded the Festival of the Diaspora, a Medellin, Colombia based convener of diasporic communities across the Americas. Before his current roles, Cordell held leadership roles with the TechTown Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle Public Schools, Business Roundtable, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the IBM Corporation.

Working with leaders, he curates more than three dozen off-the-record leadership seminars annually in capital cities around the world reaching more than 1,000 leaders each year. As the creator and lead facilitator of “Becoming an Inclusive Republic and co-producer of the documentary “The Road Trip to Belonging”, he is a sought-after facilitator and speaker on belonging and inclusion, post-secondary success, and democratic ideals.

Cordell is a sought-after speaker on topics ranging from belonging and its connection to our civic faith. Over the last few years, he has delivered dozens of keynote speeches, facilitated roundtables and moderated panels all over the globe. A few of his most popular topics include: “Becoming an Inclusive Republic”, “The Five Forces Impacting Liberal Democracy” and the “Four Foundings.” Over the last decade, he has spoken in 15 different countries and 20 US states. His leadership has been recognized all over the USA. In June 2021, President Joseph R. Biden appointed him as Commissioner, to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. His other honors include: a designation as a 2023 Minority Executives Making Moves by the Minority Business Review, 2021 Distinguished Alumni Leadership Awardee by Cultural Vistas, an Eisenhower Fellowship to China; designation as a “40 under 40” by business and civic organizations in Washington State and Tennessee; University of Notre Dame Law School alumni of the year awardee; selections as a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow for Young American Leaders and a Broad Foundation Resident in Urban Education and being feted by the Obama Administration as a 2016 Champion of Change for Computer Science Education.

Finally, he advises a leading upskiller, SkillStorm, on creating technology training academies in underserved communities across America via the Upskill Together Initiative. Cordell also serves as a Board Director for Concordia, Orbit Capital, Oasis Fresh Markets, Redemption Holdings and the International Advisory Committee of Danubius University (Galatz, Romania). Finally, he is a limited partner with the Fvlcrum Fund and Mendoza Ventures.

Mr. Carter earned a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, a M.Sc. in Public Policy and Management Studies from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington. He has also participated in the Salzburg Global Seminar, Army War College National Security Seminar, and the Marine Corps Executive Forum.