BairesDev

Senior Business Advisor

J D Rolle & Associates LLC

• Founded and lead J.D. Rolle & Associates LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in inclusive innovation and economic development. 
 
• Advise Fortune 500 companies on workforce development strategies and digital transformation initiatives, enhancing organizational performance.  

• Authored three influential volumes on the future of work, focusing on entrepreneurship for underserved communities.  

• Developed partnerships between HBCUs and global institutions, fostering collaboration and innovation across four continents.

Founder

JoAnn Rolle Consulting

With a unique blend of skills and experiences, Dr. Rolle facilitates companies with up-skilling and re-tooling diverse talent pools in today’s shared, gig, and knowledge based economy. She has mentored multi-discipline, multi-cultural and divergent thinking leaders and entrepreneurs. with a knack for planning, new strategies, innovative processes, navigating changes, she consistently delivers measurable ROI.

* Businesses and organizations:
- Workforce transitioning, training, retooling, upskilling, diverse talents. 
- Identifying market needs, improving efficiency for resources and capital.
- Scale existing systems by re-creating and re-allocating resources. 
-Taught business school courses in entrepreneurial finance, growth strategies and practicum, small business consulting, and Executive MBA  graduate courses of economics and managerial economics. 
- As a marketing and sales specialist At IBM, collaborated with a team to create a sales briefing for new application software for improving customers’ productivity. 

* Funded startup/entrepreneurs:
- Prepare entrepreneurial leadership and molding business mindsets for over 20 years. 
Work with incubators, accelerators, and student start-ups.
- Reviewed, ranked and graded grant proposals for advanced technology programs at the National Institute of Standards & Technology and NASA.
- As part of the mentor/protege programs,  helped entrepreneurs write the grant proposals at the DOD-DISA (Department of Defense, Defense Information System Agency) and IBM.

* The federal or state government: 
- Advised various departments and commissions. Diversity training for federal agencies.
  
* Education institutions: 
- As an economist in the Ed Tech space, Dr. Rolle leads with innovative online programs that increased ROI substantially and decreased cost by as much as 85%. A long track record for improving organizational effectiveness can be found  at "JoAnn Rolle Consulting" Page for more details.)

Consultant, workforce development | Corporate, non-profit, educational institutions & entrepreneurs

Experfy

Experfy is an intellectual powerhouse where industry thought leaders combine consulting and teaching to reinvent the future by offering a powerful learning platform for upskilling based on industry use-cases.

Future of Work Ambassador

Medgar Evers College, CUNY

As Dean, I led a comprehensive transformation of the School of Business, advancing inclusive excellence through innovative academic programs, global partnerships, and strategic student success initiatives. My leadership focused on expanding access, equity, and economic mobility for underserved communities.

Key Achievements:

Secured several million in grants to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and workforce development.

Established partnerships with more than 10 international universities and 25 industry organizations to broaden student opportunities.

Connected over 500 students to global innovation ecosystems, fostering international exposure and career readiness.

Launched award-winning experiential learning programs that integrated academic theory with practical application.


Signature Initiatives:

 Innovation Lab

Entrepreneurship Incubator for Underserved Communities

Social Media Certificate Program

International Study Abroad Initiatives

Retired Dean School of Business

National HBCU Business Deans Roundtable

• Served as Immediate Past President, and President providing strategic leadership and fostering executive partnerships.  
• Spearheaded initiatives that increased corporate sponsorships, stakeholder development programs and enhanced organizational revenue streams
• Led the Development, Awards, and Nominations Committees, promoting excellence and driving growth.  
• Contributed to the strategic vision of the National HBCU Business Deans Roundtable over a five-year tenure.

Immediate Past President

• Led strategic initiatives as Program Chair, President-Elect, and Immediate Past President at National HBCU Business Deans Roundtable.
• Spearheaded membership engagement improvements and supported a successful shift in the business model.
• Enhanced development operations, resulting in increased efficiency and effectiveness.

Member Board of Directors

LIM College

Inaugural Senior VP responsible for Academic & Student Affairs organizations accountable for strategic academic and student affairs leadership. Focused on defining and executing long-term strategic plans in alignment with institutional priorities, this included the achievement of enrollment and revenue targets, developing new revenue sources, and enhancing learning communities.

SVP, Academic & Student Affairs | Chief Academic Officer

South Carolina State University

Directed strategic and tactical Academic Affairs plans, with particular eye towards improving performance of educational systems and increasing student capacity by investing in new learning systems, upgrading distance education, and creating new online courses and attendant training.

VP, Academic Affairs | Chief Academic Officer

Excelsior College

Led development of Computer Information, Electronics Engineering and Nuclear Engineering programs. Initiated the first strategic plan for the school; developed a strategy and launched the school’s first MBA graduate program; developed the first online undergraduate course for a corporate client; developed and launched the school’s first online business & tech courses.

Increased gender and ethnic diversity of both faculty and staff; increased staff diversity by 40% within two years. Initiated and developed new and creative articulation agreements and relationships with community colleges, corporate partners and Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs).

Collaborated with international academic institutions in Mexico and France and secured the first corporate grant and Department of Energy funding for nuclear programs. Honored by the Technology faculty with the inaugural Dean’s Commendation of Support award.

Academic Dean of Business & Technology

University of Maryland University College, School of Undergraduate Studies

Led innovations in online course development. Developed the first online course, "Women as Entrepreneurs." Led innovations in faculty support services.

Associate Dean of Administration

Past President, National HBCU Business Deans Roundtable. Ph.D. in Economics, Certified in Immersive Tech. 5+ yrs on Executive Committee, specialized in strategic corporate partnerships and workforce development

Building Inclusive Futures Where Technology, Education, and Entrepreneurship Converge

Dr. JoAnn Rolle is an accomplished economist, higher education executive, and global strategist with a distinguished career at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment. As Dean of the School of Business at Medgar Evers College (CUNY) for a decade, she pioneered experiential learning initiatives that connected hundreds of underserved students to global innovation ecosystems — fueling inclusive entrepreneurship and future-of-work readiness.

An international thought leader and editor of three major volumes on the future of work and entrepreneurship for underserved communities, Dr. Rolle bridges academic excellence with real-world impact. Her leadership roles span government (U.S. Department of Defense and Housing and Urban Development) industry (IBM), and academia, empowering institutions across North America, Europe, Africa, and Latin America to advance equity-driven digital transformation.

As Immediate Past President of the National HBCU Business Deans Roundtable, Dr. Rolle strengthened strategic partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and global universities, elevating pathways for faculty development, student entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration.

Now, as CEO of J.D. Rolle & Associates LLC, she continues to shape the future by advising organizations on inclusive innovation, economic development, and leadership strategy — always with a mission to transform opportunity landscapes for those historically left behind.

Areas of Expertise:
•	Innovation in Education and Workforce Development
•	Global Partnerships and Strategic Alliances
•	Entrepreneurship Ecosystems for Underserved Communities
•	Equity-Centered Leadership and Digital Transformation
•	Future of Work Strategy and Policy Engagement

On Black Friday, (the day after
Thanksgiving),

everyone's asking "What's on sale?" 

I'm asking a different question: 

"What was your family trained on?"

If AI models are trained on massive datasets to make decisions, what about Black families? 

What knowledge, resilience, and genius are we trained on—and are we protecting it? 

Today I'm launching The Black Family Series: 12 Afrofuturist portraits that visualize cultural inheritance as data. 

Featured at the Art of Humanity Experience at Art Basel 2025, now available for the first time on the Etsy platform. 

Which archetype is your family? 

Read to find out. →

Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d.

Economist | Author, Tech-Enabled Futures | AI Workforce Integration Strategist | Keynote Speaker

Dr. JoAnn Rolle | AI Workforce Integration Economist & Afrofuturist Artist On the biggest shopping day of the year, I'm not selling what's cheapest. I

Open article: Which Black Family Archetype Are You? The First Light, Memory Keeper, or Joy Warrior? by Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d. • 5 min read

Which Black Family Archetype Are You? The First Light, Memory Keeper, or Joy Warrior?

Every organization trying to "upskill" Boomers to think like Gen Z about AI is solving the wrong problem.

The goal isn't making boomers code like 22-year-olds. It's creating systems where a Gen Alpha student's theory, a Gen X connector's context, and a Boomer economist's lived experience combine into something none of them could create alone.

Last night at 8PM, my daughter's phone rang. A Gen Alpha middle schooler needed evidence for his debate on whether AI democratizes art. By 10 PM, three generations had collaborated across 50+ years of lived experience to give him exactly what he needed: a Boomer's testimony about becoming an artist through AI.

This is what the Future of Work actually looks like—and it's nothing like what most companies are building.

Here's what happened in those 24 hours that should change how you think about intergenerational AI collaboration...

[Click "see more"]

AI + Future of Work + 3 Generations = The collaboration model most organizations are missing. Last night, Gen Alpha, Gen X, and me a Boomer economist 

Open article: Gen Alpha + Gen X + Boomers: How 3 Generations Collaborated on AI in 24 Hours—And Why This Is the Future of Work Everyone's Missing
 by Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d. • 5 min read

Gen Alpha + Gen X + Boomers: How 3 Generations Collaborated on AI in 24 Hours—And Why This Is the Future of Work Everyone's Missing

Everyone's chasing the latest AI model. But the most valuable asset in this revolution costs nothing: intergenerational trust.

On this Thanksgiving, looking at this image of a family gathered around what I call a "digital hearth," I'm reminded of where real transformation happens.

The future isn't being built in isolation. It's being built here—in the exchange between heritage and innovation.

I am deeply grateful for:

✨ The Elders: Seasoned leaders who could choose comfort but are instead leaning into Digital Transformation, asking the tough questions about ethics, sustainability, and longevity that keep our AI adoption grounded in human values.

✨ The Youth: Digital natives who bring fluency in Generative AI and Prompt Engineering, challenging us to move faster while imagining possibilities we might too quickly dismiss as impossible.

✨ The Exchange: The magic that happens when 40 years of business wisdom meets 22 years of digital intuition. When historical context informs algorithmic design. When lived experience validates data insights.

As an economist who has tracked  AI implementations across sectors, I've observed a consistent pattern: Organizations that prioritize multi-generational upskilling don't just move faster—they demonstrate measurably higher project success rates and show deeper resilience when facing disruption.

As an artist, I see the beauty in co-creating futures where technology amplifies our stories rather than erasing them. Where progress honors the past while reaching for what's possible.

To everyone bridging the gap—teaching a senior leader to prompt, or sitting with an elder who reminds you why governance frameworks matter—thank you. You are the real engine of sustainable, Human-Centered AI.

Your turn:

Who has taught you the most about navigating this AI era—someone older or younger than you? 

Tag them below and share one thing they taught you. 👇

#AIWorkforce #IntergenerationalLeadership #GenerativeAI   #WorkforceDevelopment  #LeadershipDevelopment

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Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d.

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