Rhonda Crichlow

In October 2016, Rhonda Crichlow was appointed Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for Charter Communications, the nation’s second largest TV, internet and voice company, operating under the Spectrum brand. In this position, Rhonda is the executive responsible for the development and management of Charter’s diversity and inclusion strategy, including the company’s D&I Center of Excellence. Reporting to the Senior Executive Vice President, in 2019, Rhonda’s portfolio was expanded to include leadership of Charter’s Community Impact function, which encompasses the company’s strategic philanthropic investments in 41 states, and employee volunteerism initiatives supporting 98,000 employees.

An innovator in D&I, prior to working with Charter, Rhonda served as a member of the Innovative Medicines Executive Committee for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC). At Novartis, she was the Vice President and Head, US Diversity & Inclusion, and President of the Novartis US Foundation. Under her leadership, NPC was recognized by DiversityInc as the leading company for Diversity & Inclusion in 2014 and 2015, the only company to achieve this distinction consecutively since the recognition’s inception in 2001. Rhonda joined the company in 2006 as the Executive Director of Philanthropy & Community Development.

An attorney admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and Washington DC, earlier in her career, Rhonda was involved in the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman landmark national class action lawsuits brought by African-American farmers alleging racial discrimination in the US Department of Agriculture’s farm credit and non-credit benefit programs. Rhonda oversaw the reexamination process that restored farmers’ eligibility to pursue their claims in federal court. As a tax attorney specializing in federal litigation and business planning matters for more than a decade, Rhonda advised leading corporations and institutions on complex tax matters. She began her career as a federal judicial law clerk for the Honorable Ronald L. Buckwalter in the United States District Court, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The recipient of numerous awards, in 2018, Cablefax named Rhonda one of the Most Influential Minorities in Cable, within two years of her joining the cable communications industry. In 2018, Black Enterprise recognized her as one of the Top Executives in Corporate Diversity, a recognition she also received in 2016. In 2016, she was also the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary Award winner, in recognition of her significant contributions to the healthcare industry. In 2015, Rhonda was a Top Blacks in Healthcare Award Honoree, which recognizes leaders in healthcare whose work creates access to healthcare for African Americans in underserved communities.

Currently a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (Omicron Xi Omega Chapter) and The Links, Incorporated (North Jersey Chapter), Rhonda has served on the Board of Trustees of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and is a past Board Chair of the Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals. Previously, Rhonda served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the United Way of Northern New Jersey, the Human Needs Food Pantry, Cornerstone Family Programs, and the New Jersey Center for Non-Profits.

Rhonda received her undergraduate degree from The George Washington University, a Master of Public Policy from Duke University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, David, and is the proud parent of two children, Drew and Joelle.