Presented to an HBCU Business Deans Roundtable Advisory Board Member, who has made a long-term, substantive, and/or transformational contribution to the HBCU Business Deans Roundtable (HBDR) and its member institutions, particularly in advancing business education. ​This is the highest honor bestowed by the HBCU Business Deans Roundtable for an Advisory Board Member. It is named after Bernie Milano, former President of the KPMG Foundation, where he led initiatives such as the PhD Project.

Throughout his career, Milano has been a leader in driving diversity and corporate responsibility efforts. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the development of The PhD Project—a KPMG Foundation program initiated in 1994 to increase diversity in corporate America. Founded on the premise that advancements in workplace diversity could be accelerated by increasing the diversity of business school faculty, The PhD Project, along with a network of supporters, sponsors, and universities, helps Black/African Americans, Latinx/Hispanic American, and Native Americans attain PhDs and become the business professors who will mentor the next generation of leaders. 



 

2026 Bernie Milano Service Award Recipient

Derrick Tinsley

Derrick Tinsley's Bio

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Derrick Tinsley is a Manager at Deloitte with over four years of experience leading and advancing HBCU strategy and programs. A proud graduate of Livingstone College, Derrick has built a career centered on developing high-performing talent teams and executing strategic recruiting initiatives for several Fortune 500 organizations. His work is driven by a passion for expanding access to opportunity, strengthening partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities, and building sustainable pipelines of talent across various industries.  Outside of his work, Derrick is an avid runner, competing in several marathons & ½ marathons and enjoys spending quality time with his wife and their two young children, Eden (3) and Elijah (1), who keep him grounded and inspired.