CenterState CEO Announces Promotion of Dr. Juhanna Rogers to Its Management Team

SYRACUSE, NY – CenterState CEO announces the promotion of Dr. Juhanna Rogers to its leadership team as its new vice president for racial equity and social impact. In this new role she will lead the newly formed Racial Equity and Social Impact portfolio within the organization.                                           

Specifically, Dr. Rogers will deliver diversity, equity and inclusion training for CenterState CEO staff, and will develop DEI organizational metrics and processes to ensure its DEI goals are being met. She will also lead the development and implementation of CenterState CEO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) services, including enhanced partner/vendor engagement, sales, delivery and evaluation, and the development and deployment of new DEI training and consulting services to be offered by the organization to the business community. While this emerges, Dr. Rogers  will continue to lead the community engagement and empowerment work associated with the organization’s JPMC AdvancingCities grant, as well as CenterState CEO’s participation in the Syracuse Surge program, including planning and executing Surge tech and culture summits, and managing the Surge fellow program. Additionally, she will lead CenterState CEO’s Generation Next and Tech and Culture initiatives.

 “At a time when so many communities are facing the systemic issues behind racial injustice and inequality head-on, we recognize the important leadership role we can play to drive social and economic equity as part of our mission driven work to create greater opportunity for all,” said Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO. “We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Juhanna Roger’s experience, talent and leadership on our team to further guide us as we take our internal efforts to the next level, while supporting our members and community partners to drive positive change in our community.”

Previously, Dr. Rogers served as CenterState CEO’s director of community engagement and empowerment within its Economic Inclusion portfolio, developing communication and engagement activities and strategies that drive change in Syracuse, New York. Her work to date includes spearheading the Generation Next initiative, co-leading the successful JPMC AdvancingCities application process and championing internal talent attraction and recruitment efforts at CenterState CEO to yield a more diverse organization. Prior to working at CenterState CEO she was the director for health services at Syracuse Community Connections.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State in integrative arts and a Master of Science from Indiana University in higher education student affairs. She is also a part of Indiana University’s history. While completing her doctoral program in 2016, she and seven of her colleagues were deemed “The Great 8,” recognized as the largest number of Black women to complete doctorate degree requirements simultaneously. The Great 8 were selected as Ebony Magazine Power 100 Honorees for being change makers in education. Her academic and professional training was provided by some of the nation’s more prominent scholars on race and equity. Dr. Rogers was trained and has a proven track record of diversifying workspaces and leadership.  Achieving racial equity and driving systemic change continues to drive her professional work to date. Her prior work on race issues include national and international work in the Caribbean, United Kingdom and Central America.

“Issues of racial inequality and injustice impact the entire community and prevent us from realizing our true potential,” said Dr. Juhanna Rogers, Vice President for Racial Equity and Social Impact. “My experience and passion to lead this work and shift culture is about the future. I look forward to engaging with my colleagues to ensure they have the tools to drive inclusion to strengthen the economy. I have studied race, the intersections of race, business, economy, and education. It’s all connected. My educational and professional experiences are uniquely aligned to create the programs, policies and metrics to address head-on and I am grateful that CenterState CEO has created this position and elevated this work because it is central to our ability to create a place where all businesses thrive and people prosper.” 

Dr. Rogers is a scholar-artist and is the creator of Behind the Woman, a television production that shares personal stories from Central New York diverse women leaders to empower other woman to pursue their goals and dreams. She currently lives in Syracuse and is the mother of a fifteen year-old son, Nile.

To learn more about the work of CenterState CEO’s Racial Equity and Social Impact portfolio please Contact Dr. Juhanna Rogers at jrogers@centerstateceo.com.

About CenterState CEO

CenterState CEO is an independent and forward thinking economic development strategist, business leadership organization and chamber of commerce; dedicated to the success of its members and the prosperity of the region. We serve as an advocate and resource for smart business, catalyze and facilitate regional growth, and promote community prosperity through results-driven partnerships, planning and problem-solving. www.centerstateceo.com

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