2007 News Release
Senior Government Official Wins 2007 CCL Distinguished Alumni Award
John Robinson serves in the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence
John Robinson, Senior Government Official Wins 2007 CCL Distinguished Alumni Award
October 2007 - Greensboro, N.C. - As an African-American growing up in the segregated southern United States in the 1950s, John Robinson learned to keep his thoughts to himself and to be suspicious of people around him. As he rose through the leadership ranks in his career, he never thought about changing his style - until a program at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) helped change his mind.
Robinson, who now serves as Chief of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity for the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has been named the winner of CCL's 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award. He will receive the award during a ceremony in San Diego, Calif., on October 18.
Robinson attended CCL's flagship Leadership Development Program (LDP)® in 1987. He credits the experience with increasing his own self-awareness and advancing his career. He has since sent dozens of his employees through CCL programs.
"The higher you climb in organizations and the more visible your role is, you can't be as private," says Robinson. "You have to be more open, and people need to know more about you and what you're thinking. CCL helped me understand that. It's the organization that sets the standard by which I judge other leadership development providers."
During his distinguished career in government and higher education, Robinson has also served as chief of equal employment opportunity and diversity for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, as a senior policy adviser to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and as deputy assistant secretary in the Employment and Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor. In the early 1990s, Robinson was director of the Rhode Island Department of Employment and Training. Prior to that, he was a senior dean at Brown University.
"John Robinson's lifelong commitment to learning, challenging himself and developing the skills of his colleagues confirms what an exemplary leader he is," CCL President John Ryan said. "We are privileged to have worked with him and grateful for his enduring support of CCL."
A former officer in the U.S. Navy, Robinson earned his bachelor's degree at Brown and a master's degree at Tuskegee University.
About the Center for Creative Leadership
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that accelerates strategy and business results by unlocking the leadership potential of individuals and organizations. Founded in 1970, CCL offers an array of research-based programs, products and services for leaders at all levels. Ranked among the world's Top 10 providers of executive education by Bloomberg BusinessWeek and the Financial Times, CCL is headquartered in Greensboro, NC, with offices in Colorado Springs, CO; San Diego, CA; Brussels; Moscow; Singapore; New Delhi - NCR, India and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its work is supported by 500 faculty members and staff.
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