About me
When I entered the workforce after college as an inner-city kid of Puerto Rican and African heritage, I knew nothing about working in corporate America except for what I saw on TV. No one in my immediate family, no one in my immediate circles, had ever worked in the corporate world. So, I bounced around from company to company, industry to industry, trying out different roles as I struggled to discover what jobs I liked and what I was good at.
I needed mentorship. I needed opportunities. Most of all, I needed to defeat a lifetime of self-doubt, societal programming, and all that baggage that was keeping me from realizing I belonged in that world and would succeed.
And I did succeed. But I know those same obstacles and doubts still plague minority candidates up and down the org chart today.
It’s time to change that paradigm.
By 2045, the United States is going to be a country where minorities make up the majority of the population. For the sake of tomorrow’s workers and tomorrow’s businesses, we must rewrite the dynamics around race in the workplace today.
That’s what motivates me, and that’s what I’m working to do at ALPFA.
I’m here to help people reach their potential. I want to empower the business leaders of tomorrow — especially those who worry that it’s an uphill climb for a person of color — to believe in themselves, see the potential they have, and de-program all the BS we grow up with.
That’s why I’m excited to be back in the non-profit space, working with ALPFA to support that mission full-time. In addition to my professional role, I serve as vice president of the New Jersey chapter.
It’s also why I speak to dozens of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) every year to pass on the lessons I’ve learned about succeeding in business from a minority background. And its why I help companies improve their policies and culture around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I also love to network, so if you’d ever like to discuss these issues, please feel free to drop me a line.
What is your current career title or dream job?
CEO of a social services/economic development organization
LinkedIn Page -or- Company website ( for Entrepreneurs)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisrrosado/
Background/Education/Experience
Certificate, Diversity & Inclusion, Cornell School for Industrial & Labor Relations
MBA, Management & Business Strategy, Rutgers Business School, New Brunswick, NJ
BA, Psychology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
Looking for:
networking, employment, mentorship
