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Screen Shot 2021 06 10 at 2.13.36 PM - Cordell Carter

Cordell Carter

Executive Director, Socrates Program, Aspen Institute

Bio Current as of July 19, 2022

Internationally recognized for cross-sector successes in philanthropy, education, and technology; Cordell is currently managing principal of Expectant Advisory, an equity-focused consulting collaborative, and the executive director of the Aspen Institute Socrates Program, a global education forum. Before his current roles, Cordell held leadership roles with the TechTown Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Business Roundtable, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the IBM Corporation.

Through Expectant Advisory, Cordell advises leaders and boards of directors interested in organizational cultures where everyone belongs and thrives. This is done by leading learning journeys on historical contexts for contemporary issues, curating/ facilitating text-based roundtables, and coaching individual leaders at various points on their DE&I journeys. For the Aspen Institute, 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,” Mr. Carter is a sought-after facilitator and speaker on inclusion, education, and democratic ideals, over the last few years he has given keynote speeches, facilitated roundtables, and moderated panels all over the globe, a few sample events are as follows: 2021 Young Presidents’ Organization Southern Regional Summit (Asheville, NC); Concordia Summit (Digital); Concordia Summit (Bogota, Colombia); Young Leaders Academy of Macedonia (Skopje, Macedonia); Blockchain Trends Summit (Seoul, South Korea); The Wright (Golden, CO); SXSW Festival (Austin, TX); and the YSEALI Summit (Manila, Philippines).

In June 2021, President Joseph Biden appointed Cordell to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. Cordell’s other honors include an Eisenhower Fellowship to China; a White House Champion of Change for Computer Science Education; 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. 

Cordell’s expertise and global network have lead to significant board service. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards of Skillstorm, Fvlcrum Fund, Orbit Holdings, LLC, Concordia Summit and the Festival of the Diaspora, Inc. Previous board service includes the Advisory Council for the Center for Democracy and Technology, Alumni Council for Cultural Vistas, United Way of Greater Chattanooga, United Way of King County, Downtown Seattle YMCA and the Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation. 

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.