James A. Felton III, Chief Diversity Officer for SUNY Cortland was just recently selected as Top Chief Diversity Officer of the Year for 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the profession.
While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a few members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, longevity in the field, other affiliations and contributions to their communities. All honorees are invited to attend the IAOTP’s annual award gala at the end of this year for a night to honor their achievements. www.iaotp.com/award-gala
With having over two decades of professional experience as a noted leader, educator, mentor, author, and scholar-practitioner in the field of diversity in higher education, Mr. Felton has certainly proven himself as an extraordinary professional, and expert in the field. Mr. Felton is a dynamic, results-driven leader who has demonstrated success not only as a Chief Diversity Officer but in every position he has ever held. His impressive repertoire of prior roles have included Director of Diversity and Minority Student Affairs for HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College; Assistant Director for Diversity and Equal Opportunity for Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; Director of Diversity for Elizabethtown College; Director of Multicultural Affairs for Lebanon Valley College; Inaugural Director of Intercultural Affairs for Western Carolina University; and Inaugural Chief Diversity Officer for Anne Arundel Community College.
Some of Mr. Felton’s celebrated accomplishments include contributing to the development of several diversity and strategic plans including the University of Wisconsin’s Plan 2008; and he was responsible for managing three major scholarship and mentor programs for underrepresented students at a number of selective private liberal arts colleges and state-system universities across the country. Mr. Felton has also partnered with corporate, nonprofit and federal agencies and NGO’s to promote international programs and initiatives on diversity and social justice. Most recently, he served as the project team leader on behalf of Anne Arundel Community College’s participation in the Committing to Equity and Inclusive Excellence: Campus-Based Strategies for Student Success project sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
As Chief Diversity Officer for SUNY Cortland, Mr. Felton’s key responsibilities are identifying specific goals and objectives for diversity and inclusion, conducts assessment, updates and implements the campus-wide Diversity Strategic Plan, collaborates with student organizations, academic departments and programs, and develops partnerships within the greater community.
Mr. Felton is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Association of Liaisons and Officers for Multicultural Affairs (PALOMA), a statewide organization that provides advocacy, support, best practices, and continual renewal for diversity professionals in the field. He also served as the former co-chair of the Maryland Community College Diversity Roundtable. He currently serves as a member of the National Advisory Council for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), and is on the Editorial Board for INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine. Mr. Felton is an Affiliate Consultant for Credo and serves as a standing member to the System Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer for the State University of New York Diversity Advisory Board.
Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Felton has received many awards, accolades and has been recognized worldwide for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the profession. For 2020, he is being considered to be featured in TIP (Top Industry Professionals Magazine), and is also being considered for IAOTP’s Male Visionary of the Year Award. He will be honored at IAOTP’s Annual Awards Gala, being held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas for his selection as Top Chief Diversity Officer of the Year for 2019.
Mr. Felton received his Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Psychology from McDaniel College, his Master of Science Degree in Administration from McDaniel College and has almost completed his Ph.D in Global Leadership-Academic Administration from Indiana Institute of Technology. Stephanie Cirami, President of IAOTP stated, “Choosing Mr. Felton for this honor was an easy decision for our panel to make. Mr. Felton’s awards, accolades and accomplishments are extremely impressive. He has tremendous foresight, extensive knowledge, is brilliant at what he does and was exactly what we were looking for. We are truly honored to have him as our Top Chief Diversity Officer of the Year and we are looking forward to meeting him at the gala.”
Looking back, Mr. Felton attributes his success to his education, mentors he had along the way and the passion for his work. James says he has been blessed. He loves doing what he is doing and feels this is just the beginning. When not working, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. For the future, he hopes to continue making a difference in people’s lives any way that he can.
For more information on Mr. Felton please visit:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-felton-267307a/
About IAOTP
The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization who handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.
IAOTP's experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires. IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals to one place.
For more information on IAOTP please visit: www.iaotp.com
