Kevin Barnhart

My life and career experiences are interconnected.

If you work hard, you reap the rewards.

I was taught at a young age to be proactive with my life. No excuses. I started my career as a cruise missile guidance systems engineer where the company had a mission to hire black engineers, however, we had all left the organization in five years or less. Seeking greater career opportunities, I went to graduate school earning an advanced degree in electrical engineering which led to a career in wireless communications. And then on to consulting and learning and development. Always being one of a few, if not the only black males in majority-white professional environments always presented a unique set of challenges.

A desire to make a difference.

Throughout my career, I’ve experienced numerous micro and macro aggressions, lack of career development and mentorship opportunities, indifference, and neglect. Whether intentional or not, my experiences are not unusual experiences and are unfortunately all too common. I’ve been exposed to a variety of diversity initiatives and training programs. Most of which have been horrible failures at worst, and ineffective at best. I saw first-hand how well-meaning leadership typically only gave lip-service to these initiatives. That combined with a not-so-secret desire for it to just go away created a stagnant, mono-culture that we see in many organizations today.

Change had to come from the top.

To combat this I began coaching young professionals of color to successfully navigate an often hostile and unwelcoming professional environment. I soon realized my approach was flawed because focusing on the individuals marginalized in corporate spaces would never produce the organizational change needed to truly transform culture. While it can certainly be beneficial for an individual professional to develop and harness the skills necessary to succeed regardless of the environment, it is not enough for professionals of color to consistently flourish and thrive. The environment must change. To have the greatest impact on professional communities of color the focus must be on the senior leadership of an organization. Meaningful change must begin at the top for maximum effectiveness. Anything less produces marginal and ineffective results. This fundamental truth is what drives our diversity training philosophy and what we look for in partners. Our partnership with Leadership in this framework becomes a meaningful and effective collaboration as we unlock their organization’s full potential.