School of Education Welcomes Cisco’s Raphael T. Richard G’12 as Convocation Speaker

Syracuse University’s School of Education is pleased to announce that Advisory Board Member Raphael T. Richard G’12 will address graduates at the 2024 Convocation Ceremony on Saturday, May 11, at 4:30 p.m., in the John A. Lally Athletics Complex.

Raphael T. Richard

Richard is the emerging talent recruiting lead for tech giant Cisco’s university partnerships, driving recruitment strategies and engaging programs that connect emerging and university talent with career opportunities at the Fortune 100 company.

While earning a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and public policy at Dillard University—a historically Black university in New Orleans—Richard experienced the educational and career benefits created by student leadership. Inspired by his experiences during and after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, Richard launched his professional career as a diversity education specialist at Syracuse University, where he received a master’s degree in higher education from the School of Education.

Continuing his higher education career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (as coordinator of multicultural and diversity programs) and at Columbia University (as assistant director of the office of multicultural affairs), Richard designed, branded, and expanded social justice, intercultural, and dialogue initiatives.

Richard then transferred his passion for diversity recruitment into the non-profit sector, spending four years managing a national internship program for college students at the T. Howard Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing diversity in the media industry. At the foundation, Richard helped more than 700 students secure internships at more than 40 media, entertainment and tech companies, such as Paramount, NBCUniversal, Snap Inc., The New York Times, and ABC/ESPN.

In 2021, Richard earned a certificate in diversity and inclusion through the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, and he joined Cisco in the same year, first as an emerging talent and campus channel manager.

Committed to furthering his impact through service, in addition to advising the School of Education, Richard is an advisory board member for the National Capital Region of Per Scholas, a senior fellow in the Melton Foundation and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.