Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, president of Howard University, also serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Humana.
Howard has created student career development deals with Google and Amazon Studios to go beyond what he called the "transactional" nature of many diversity recruiting efforts, and Howard recently became the first HBCU to be granted a Department of Defense research center affiliation. Frederick — who currently serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Humana — recently spoke with CNBC ahead of theCNBC: As of this interview, there are only 6 Black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, which is a record. And even below the C-level, the majority of executive corporate America continues to be overwhelmingly white and male.
CNBC: How important is corporate recruiting at Howard? Can you speak to how on-campus recruiting has traditionally looked, and whether that has changed during your tenure?In terms of our campus recruiting, it has always attracted a wide variety of companies looking for diverse talent. That can be very transactional.
There IS no creating “lasting diversity” in corporate America. Do you really think corporate directors want or need OPPOSING cultural viewpoints at the water cooler? That’s why there are “tokens!” Minorities will do much better competing for the business after a short stint.