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

Students Hijacked the AI Revolution While Schools Were Still in Meetings

Can we talk about the elephant in every classroom?

86% of students are using AI. Only 10% of schools have guidelines for it.
This gap isn't a crisis—it's the biggest opportunity education has seen in decades.  

Here's what nobody's telling you about the #AI revolution already happening in our schools...  Read more in the article.

Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d.

Transforming Opportunity Landscapes Through Innovation | CEO & Former Business Dean | HBCU Business Deans Past President | EdTech & Social Impact Leader | Global Speaker & Author

Recently, I shared how Pakistani students proved that AI isn't just about flashy demos—it's about real impact. Today, let's talk about an uncomfortabl

Open article: The Gap Nobody's Talking About: Why 86% of Students Use AI While Only 10% of Schools Have Guidelines
 by Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d. • 3 min read

The Gap Nobody's Talking About: Why 86% of Students Use AI While Only 10% of Schools Have Guidelines

New World Bank Report: The $21 Trillion Education Crisis AI Could Solve (But Isn't)

The education crisis in Latin America just hit a devastating milestone: 80% of children at the end of primary school can't read with comprehension—up from 50% pre-pandemic. Yet Silicon Valley keeps promising "superintelligence" while only 45% of low-income students even have internet access.
I've spent my career at the intersection of technology and education—from my start as a research assistant at the World Bank to IBM to leading business education reform. What I'm seeing now is a dangerous disconnect between AI hype and educational reality.

Here's what nobody's telling you: While Meta builds "Superintelligence Labs" and OpenAI claims near-human AI, I watched a 10-year-old collaborate with others to use basic AI tools to publish her first book. That's the revolution that matters. Not waiting for artificial general intelligence, but using today's tools to unlock human creativity.

The hard truth? Many students are becoming so dependent on ChatGPT some report graduating "with no retained knowledge." Teachers are drowning in administrative tasks while lacking basic training. With only 77% of LAC students having internet at home—and just 45% among low-income families—AI could actually worsen educational inequality.

But there's hope. I've seen adaptive learning platforms transform outcomes. AI mentoring systems that reduce teacher isolation. Real solutions that don't require superintelligence—just smart implementation.
In my latest piece, I break down:

·       Why the World Bank's pragmatic approach beats Silicon Valley's AGI promises
·       A 3-phase roadmap that actually works 
·       How to prevent AI dependency while leveraging its benefits
·       What educators, policymakers, and students each need to know today

Here's my question for you: 
Are you seeing AI transform education in meaningful ways, or just more expensive distractions? What's working in your classroom, institution, or community? 

What's failing?

Drop your experience in the comments—whether you're an educator battling ChatGPT dependency, a student navigating these tools, or a policymaker trying to make sense of it all. Let's build a real conversation about what works, because our students can't wait for AGI to save them.

They need solutions now.

[Read the full article →]
#AIinEducation #EducationCrisis #LatinAmerica #EdTech

by JoAnn Rolle, Ph.d. As an economist and educator who has spent decades bridging the gap between technology and transformative education, I've watche

Open article: 70% of Latin American & Caribbean 10 Year Old  Students Can't Read: Here's How AI Can Actually Help (Not Hype) by Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d. • 4 min read

70% of Latin American & Caribbean 10 Year Old  Students Can't Read: Here's How AI Can Actually Help (Not Hype)

Future Empowered — Inaugural Edition 

Welcome to the very first issue of Future Empowered, your  snapshot of ideas at the intersection of tech, education, leadership, entrepreneurship and impact. 

In this launch edition, I’m sharing quick, powerful takeaways from my latest LinkedIn posts — from the rise of #AI and #Women in STEM, to #Leadership lessons that stand the test of time.

If you’re short on time but big on purpose, this digest is for you. Each highlight includes a bite-sized summary, a visual to spark inspiration, and a direct link for when you’re ready to dive deeper.

Let’s build futures that are not just tech-enabled, but human-centered.

Digest of Ideas That Matter, Not Just Trend Why This Newsletter Exists In a world where algorithms decide what goes viral, the best insights often get

Open article: Future Empowered — Inaugural Edition by Jo-Ann Rolle, Ph.d. • 3 min read

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