Members of the community are invited to join Darton State College in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this Thursday, January 15, 2015. Sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Special Initiatives, Darton will host guest speaker Calvin Foster, Sr., CEO of Manasseh Consulting Services. The event will be held in the Student Center, room 266, from noon – 1:00 p.m.

Foster, a retired military veteran, is the founder and CEO of Manasseh Consulting Services and Launch Pad Military Transitional Services. It was during Foster’s military service that he began to cultivate a passion for human relations and talent management, which allowed him to work his way through the ranks to become a Senior Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion Officer – providing consultation to policymakers at the Department of Defense (DOD). During this time, Foster was part of many “firsts” as the DOD began to adapt a deeper embrace of cultural competency, diversity, and inclusion.

Foster later was personally requested to act as a Senior Policy Consultant and Instructor at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, the DOD’s premier Human Relations, Equality, and Diversity Research and Training Institute.      In 2007 and 2009, he was awarded the Model Equal Opportunity Program Award, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medial for outstanding Achievements in Human Relations.

In May 2011, Foster launched Manasseh Consulting - a premier organizational design and talent development firm. Recently, in April 2014 Foster was hired as the Organizational Development Manager at Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. He is a member of the NAACP, and assisted in mentoring a Chapter of 100 Black Men in Pensacola, FL. Foster continuously works to empower disadvantaged and underprivileged children to find a path to educational and economic freedom while embracing the diversity and culture of everyone.

Foster holds an Associate in Science in Business Management, a Bachelors of Science in Human Resources Management, and master’s degree in development and training. He is a certified Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner through Northwestern University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in sociology.