The CDC Leaders

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

- Abraham Lincoln

James A. Nelson, Sr, PhD

Chief Diversity Officer, Office of the Chief Diversity Officer

James A. Nelson, Sr., Ph.D., was appointed Chief Diversity Officer on October 1, 2007. Dr. Nelson has achieved a distinguished career in the field of Diversity Education and Training and Development. He received a Master of Science degree in Management from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Ohio University. In addition, Dr. Nelson studied at Stanford University, and received certifications in Diversity, Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity, Mediation, Facilitation, and Survey Instrument Analysis, including the popular DiSC personality styles assessment. He also received certification from Lominger in the Leadership Architect Competency model and the Lominger Voices 360 Coaching product.

Dr. Nelson served eight years as Chief Diversity and Equal Opportunity Officer and Workforce Planning Officer in the Department of Defense, where he was responsible for Human Relations and supervised more than 150 diversity counselors across the country. Most recently, he worked for the Department of Defense and Georgia Institute of Technology in a number of key positions, including Diversity, Equal Employment Opportunities, Human Relations, and Training. Dr. Nelson also served as a special facilitator for the state of California in its discussion on the future of healthcare in the United States.

Among his many professional activities, Dr. Nelson has served as a member of the Diversity Task Force for the Southeastern Association of College Student Administrators. He is also a graduate from the Center for Creative Leadership’s African American Leadership Program, and has received numerous awards and distinctions for his consultation work in the field of Diversity Management.