Dr. Nelson was appointed Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) in October 2007. The position established in January 2006, is the result of a major recommendation by NAPA (National Academy of Public Administration), which conducted an exhaustive analysis of diversity within CDC. Dr. Nelson has achieved a distinguished career in the field of Diversity Management and Education Development.
He has a Master of Science degree in Management from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Ohio University. He has also studied at Stanford University, and has certifications in Diversity, Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity, Mediation, Facilitation, and Survey Instrument Analysis, including the popular DiSC personality styles assessment, as well as certification from Lominger in the Leadership Architect Competency model and the Lominger Voices 360 Coaching product.
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.
Dr. Nelson served eight years as CDC 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. Dr. Nelson also 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. He served as a special facilitator for the state of California, in its discussion on the future of healthcare in the United States.