Born and raised in Illinois, Robert Hatchett, Jr. has always had a passion for service and leadership, along with a gift for problem-solving and preparing others to succeed.

Robert studied accounting at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma, before beginning his career in customer service. He worked in the healthcare, academic, financial, and hospitality sectors before making a move to FedEx Service Corporation in 1987 as a Customer Service Agent. Robert quickly worked his way up the ladder, training professional customer integrations consultants before moving into management, where he remained in various roles until 2008. Whether in customer-facing or leadership roles, executing projects or working with executives, every position formed and enhanced the leadership style that he utilizes today to build relationships, affect change, and move companies forward.

He began working with both NAMAD and TLMODA while still at FedEx, coordinating conferences and events, spearheading projects, and developing TLMODA’s website. After a seven-year stint as the Executive Service Specialist for the US Department of Agriculture, Robert launched R.D. Hatchett Company LLC, a consulting company dedicated to providing leadership and strategic direction to companies to facilitate growth and opportunity.

In 2015, Robert became the full-time executive director of TLMODA. Having partnered with NAMAD for fourteen years and TLMODA for eight, Robert was uniquely prepared to bring the organization to the next level. Robert’s impact on the organization has been tremendous—from qualifying it as a 501(c)(6) organization to establishing a new website and social media presence to substantially increasing membership.

Known for being fashion-forward, detail oriented, and dependable, Robert is passionate about helping others reach their maximum potential in both his professional and personal life. Part of a large extended family that includes track star and Olympic medalist Wilma Rudolph, Robert is close to all of his nieces and nephews and enjoys mentoring young African American men who are facing challenges or lack a positive male role model. He serves his church, Mt. Ennon Baptist Church of Clinton, Maryland in the Trustee Ministry and sings in the Community Concert Choir of Baltimore.