Cordell Carter

Founder of The Festval of the Diaspora

Cordell Carter, Esq. created the Festival of the Diaspora in 2020 to establish a secular tent revival for the Americas. His motivation was sparked by a concern that political divisions were receiving excessive attention, while broader issues such as building connections and finding joy were being overlooked.

​

On top of founding FOTD, Cordell is also the Executive Director for the Aspen Institute Socrates Program - leading a global education forum for leaders learning from leaders and the Founding Director of the Aspen Institute Project on Belonging, which equips leaders to create a society where everyone belongs and enjoys equitable opportunities to thrive. Previous to his current roles, Cordell held leadership roles with TechTown Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Business Roundtable, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the IBM Corporation.

​

Cordell serves on the Board of Directors of Concordia; and the advisory boards of SkillStorm, for whom he chairs their UpSkill Together Initiative, EVPassport, a manufacturer of EV charging devices, Fvlcrum Fund, a private equity fund focused on scaling Black & Brown-led SMEs and Tulsa Innovation Labs. In June 2021, President Joseph Biden appointed him as Commissioner to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.