Robert Rodriguez

Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Management
Kaplan University

Robert Rodriguez

Dr. Robert Rodriguez is the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Management at Kaplan University. His responsibilities curriculum design, course development, and course delivery for Kaplan’s Newsweek MBA programs. Prior to Kaplan, Robert taught at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and also was a faculty chair at Capella University.

Prior to academia, Robert held human resource leadership roles at several Fortune 500 firms including Target Corporation, 3M Company, BP Amoco and RR Donnelley & Sons. Along with teaching at Kaplan, Dr. Rodriguez is the Managing Partner at Astira Group, a human capital services firm based in Chicago. Robert leads the firm’s Talent Management Practice and some of his clients include Wachovia, SuperValu, Allianz Life, Darden Restaurants, 3M Company, Thompson NETg and DaimlerChrysler. He helps firms develop proactive strategies in the area of succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement and diversity initiatives.

Robert’s experience and education serve him well in his role as a frequent contributor for HR Magazine where he writes articles that focus on talent management issues. He has also published numerous articles on human resource topics in such publications as The Chicago Tribune, Chief Learning Officer Magazine, The OD Practitioner Journal, Workforce Performance Solutions, and I-Street Magazine.

Robert has also been featured in such publications as Workforce Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, FastCompany Magazine and Crains Chicago Business. Dr. Rodriguez is an Advisory Council member for The Conference Board and he is frequently called upon to speak by associations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Chief Learning Officer Symposium.

Dr. Rodriguez currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (www.hace-usa.org), a national non-profit organization dedicated to incubating and nurturing Latinos throughout their career continuum and working to develop increasing numbers of successful Latino professionals and leaders. Robert just finished a book that will be published by Wiley & Sons Publications in Sept. '07 titled, Latino Talent: Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Hispanic Professionals.

Dr. Rodriguez received his doctorate in Organization Development at Benedictine University in Chicago. His research interests include career branding, talent management, succession planning, leadership development and diversity. Dr. Robert Rodriguez can be reached at Kaplan University at RRodriguez2@kaplan.edu

Partial Listing of Publications:

Rodriguez, Robert (2006) Creating an Employment Brand for your Company. Workforce Performance Solutions Magazine, November. Vol. 2, Issue 6, pp. 31-36.
Rodriguez, Robert (2006) Diversity Finds Its Place. HR Magazine, Aug. Volume 51, Issue 8, pp. 56-61.
Rodriguez, Robert (2006) HR’s New Breed. HR Magazine, January, Volume 51, Issue (1) pp. 67-72.
Rodriguez, Robert (2006) A CLO’s Role in Scenario Planning. Chief Learning Officer Magazine, Jan. 4 p34-36.
Rodriguez, Robert (2005) Bridging the Diversity Gap. Chief Learning Officer Magazine, Dec, 3 (12) pp. 71-73.
Rodriguez, Robert (2005) Involving Employees in Leadership Development. Workforce Performance Solutions Magazine, June, Vol. 1, Issue 2, pp. 28 – 31.
Rodriguez, Robert (2005) Meet the New Learning Executives. HR Magazine, April, Vol. 50, Issue 4, pp. 64-69.
Rodriguez, Robert (2004) Grooming Your Next CLO. Chief Learning Officer Magazine Oct. Web Article.
Rodriguez, Robert (2004) Filling the HR Pipeline. HR Magazine, September, Vol. 49, Issue 9, pp. 72-79.
Rodriguez, Robert. (2004). Organization Development in Barbados: An O.D. case study. In P. Sorensen, T. Head, Yaeger & D. Cooperrider (Eds.) Global and International Organization Development: 357-370. Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publishing.
Rodriguez, Robert (2004) HR Impact on Corporate Culture. HR.Com, August 30, online Web Article.
Rodriguez, Robert (2004) Tapping the Hispanic Labor Pool. HR Magazine, April, Vol. 49, Issue 4, pp. 72-79.
Rodriguez, Robert (2002). Want Top Talent? Offer Lifetime Employability E-Prairie Magazine, Nov. 1, Online Web Version
Rodriguez, Robert (2002). If you aren’t keeping your Job, Learn how to leave it. Chicago Tribune, Apr 3, p. 1.
Rodriguez, Robert (2002). Enhancing People Performance. I-Street Magazine, February 15, p. 22
Rodriguez, Robert (2002). A Growing Trend: Outsourcing HR Needs. I-Street Magazine, January 7, p. 20
Rodriguez, Robert (2002). Organization Development in Barbados. OD Practitioner Journal, Vol.34, pp. 37-43.
Rodriguez, Robert (2001). Enhancing Executive Team Effectiveness. I-Street Magazine, December 15, p. 22
Rodriguez, Robert (2001). Refining Your Employee Value Proposition. I-Street Magazine, November 12, p. 32.
Rodriguez, Robert (2001). Chicago Technology Talent Flow. I-Street Magazine, October 13, p. 30.
Rodriguez, Robert (2001). Best Firms Allow Your Voice to be Heard. Chicago Tribune, Sept. 9, Section 6, p. 1.
Rodriguez, Robert (2001). The Right Fit takes Careful Evaluation. Chicago Tribune, July 1, Section 6, p. 1.
Rodriguez, Robert (2001). New Roles for HR Professionals. E-Prairie Magazine, Jan. 16, Online Web Version.

Partial Listing of Presentations:

People Like Me Work There – Creating an Employment Brand to Attract a Diverse Talent Pool The Conference Board Annual Diversity Conference (April 25, 2007, New York, NY)
Educating Leaders about Corporate Culture” The Conference Board Enterprise Learning Conference (February 15, 2007, New York, NY)
Establishing Partnerships with Corporations Chief Learning Officer Symposium (October 5, 2006, Austin, Texas)
Involving Employees in Leadership Development Efforts Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference (June 27, 2006, Washington DC)
Top 10 Tips for Recruiting Latinos The Conference Board Diversity Seminar (May 15, 2006, New York, New York)
Latinos in the Workplace – What every Chief Learning Officer should Know Chief Learning Officer Annual Symposium (March 15, 2006, Amelia Island, Florida)
Latinos in America Online Webcast Seminar Feature Presenter for The Washington Post (April 12, 2006)
Managing Multiple Generations in the Workplace Online web seminar for Johnson and Johnson employees. (February 18, 2006, Minneapolis, MN)
Understanding Latinos in the Workforce Hispanic Heritage Month Featured Speaker – DaimlerChrysler Corporation (September 12, 2005, Auburn Hills, MI)
HR's Impact on Corporate Culture Online Webcast Seminar Feature Presenter for HR.Com (September 10, 2005, Minneapolis, MN)
Quality Measures in Corporate Education National University Telecommunications Network (NUTN) National Conference (June 12, 2005, San Francisco, CA)
Winning the Military War for Talent through Corporate Culture Air Force Training and Development Leadership Group, MacDill Air Force Base (March 22, 2005, Tampa, FL)
Partnering with Universities to Meet Leadership Development Needs Chief Learning Officer Annual Symposium (September 24, 2004, Fort Myers, FL)
Talent Engagement Chicago Software Association HR Roundtable Meeting (August 10, 2004, Chicago, IL)
Overcoming Organizational Silence Midwest Academy of Management—Annual Conference (February, 2004, Minneapolis, MN)
Positive Talent Flow Computer Systems Institute—Employer Symposium (April 2002, Skokie, IL)
The Impact of Organizational Culture” Chicago Association of Industrial and Organizational Psychologist—Monthly Meeting (April 2002, Chicago, IL)

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