The DEJ Group

The DEJ Group is an executive search and recruiting firm dedicated to connecting exceptional diverse candidates and exceptional inclusive companies across the country.  Our specialty is placing top executive talent within a variety of roles within your organization.  If you need help finding the right person for your opportunity, feel free to reach out and have a conversation.

Founder and Managing Principal

The DEJ Media Company

The DEJ Media Company is a dynamic and innovative media company dedicated to producing high-quality content in various formats. Our mission is to educate, inspire, and entertain our audience with engaging and informative books, videos, courses, and online content.

Owner

University of St. Thomas - Opus College of Business

Recently joined the faculty to teach entrepreneurship and business courses part-time

Adjunct Faculty

University of Minnesota

Serving as an entrepreneur-in-residence with the Discovery Launchpad MN Program and helping the university turn research ideas and innovation into companies.  Providing startup guidance and expertise to founders and their teams for growth and scalability.

Entrepreneur-In-Residence

Bethel University

Teaching business analytics in the CAPS program for adult learners

Andersen Corporation

Promoted to create and lead DEI strategy and related initiatives across organization. Executed 4-pillar strategy to attract and hire diverse talent, build inclusive workplace through learning and development opportunities, engage diverse communities to build future talent pipelines, and collaborate with procurement professionals to create supplier and channel diversity.

Partnered with talent acquisition team to identify new sources of diverse talent from middle school and high school levels. Led recruitment efforts at top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to diversify slates of internship and rotational candidates resulting in 3 new hires in sales, finance, and engineering.

Developed governance framework for employee resource networks (ERNs) and led launch of 5 new networks within 12-month period.

Collaborated with community relations and corporate giving to identify new funding opportunities for organizations representing diverse communities.

Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Renewal by Andersen

Led team of 7 in implementation of a replacement project for manufacturing execution system (MES) used in 120 workstations and led manufacturing IT team at Renewal by Andersen manufacturing facility.  Developed 5-year technology roadmap supporting engineering, supply chain, and operations groups leveraging balanced scorecard methodology in partnership with the executive leadership team. 

Structured team workflow enabling concentration on individual projects 20% of the time, accelerating the development of the project that alleviated issues with staging products shipped to customers.

Implemented intake process for projects that emphasized business value as criteria for prioritizing work, resulting in 5X return on invested capital based on project output.

Selected to participate on inaugural diversity and inclusion council while volunteering to recruit diverse candidates for open roles in IT organization. Completed cultural competence training and represented organization in several marketing campaigns and collateral materials.

IT Manager - Manufacturing Technology

Spearheaded $1.2M manufacturing execution system (MES) replacement project as foundation for additional product line expansion. Designed strategy and led implementation of initial project plan and approach for initiative. Developed and facilitated the business model canvas and value proposition framework for organization’s internal teams.

Improved shop floor efficiency by upgrading archaic system, providing increased functionality.  Created strategy to gain approval to start the project by requesting a seed investment of $100K to complete a thorough risk analysis. Worked with cross-functional team to complete risk analysis and validate project budget and resource plan.

Designed and implemented business continuity status reporting framework, leveraging agile methodology to ensure timely notification of all stakeholders on project progress to enable mitigation of any operational problems or concerns.

Developed and facilitated 4 business modeling workshops (1-day seminars) with teams across company, enhancing understanding of value and benefit contributed by teams to the overall company strategy.

IT Project Leader

Be The Match

Partnered with senior IT leadership team to create and implement the business engagement group for a $400M nonprofit organization that facilitated tissue matches for bone marrow transplantation. Developed metrics, strategy, structure, and governance for new organization.

Collaborated with marketing, human resources, and patient services groups to implement partner management approach for IT engagement; completed RFP process for new HRIT system using new engagement model.

IT Strategic Business Partner

Led 2 technical project teams as part of multimillion-dollar business transformation initiative. Completed resource planning, vendor procurement, and development strategy for implementing clinical data repository and product fulfillment capability.

Launched enhanced process system that contacted targeted bone marrow donors during preliminary search for transplant matches. Led refactoring and deployment of 4 legacy applications into new enterprise architecture platform.

Senior Project Manager

Best Buy

Led and implemented projects supporting the joint venture between Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse. Directed strategic initiative to launch mobile phone upgrade eligibility system within network of 950 retail stores.

Partnered with internet retailer of mobile devices in United Kingdom to study and learn business model and how it could be implemented in the United States. Worked abroad to document the business model and understand logistics.

Directed project to capture mobile user information from major carriers to assist with upgrading mobile equipment and service, resulting in 4K additional upgrade requests per week and increasing gross margin by $2M in 1st 6 months of service.

Led project to improve data transfer efficiency for upgrading mobile phones within Best Buy retail stores, improving customer experience.

Project Manager

I'm David Edgerton Jr, and I'm dedicated to fostering more inclusive workplaces through the recruitment of top talent from diverse backgrounds. As the Founder and Owner of The DEJ Group, I specialize in assisting organizations in identifying, evaluating, and hiring exceptional candidates with diverse experiences.

My approach to recruitment is customized to align with each organization's unique requirements, with a strong emphasis on ensuring candidates have positive and engaging job search experiences. Beyond merely identifying outstanding employees who bring fresh perspectives and skill sets, I am committed to delivering enduring value to companies by connecting them with exceptional talent tailored to their specific needs.

I firmly believe that a diverse workforce is a crucial asset for any organization, benefiting both its mission and bottom line. Let's collaborate to drive meaningful change within your workplace. Reach out to me today to initiate the process!

"Confidence is when you say you are good.  Excellence is when everyone agrees with you" - DEJ

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DAVID EDGERTON JR (DEJ)

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DAVID EDGERTON JR (DEJ)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

DAVID EDGERTON JR (DEJ)'s Linkedin Analytics