Georgette Bennett, Ph.D.

A widely published author, organizational development consultant, popular lecturer, broadcast journalist, and public affairs/marketing specialist, she is an innovative and entrepreneurial leader. Always at the cutting edge, the hallmark of Georgette Bennett’s vision is an institutionally-based approach to creating change, and she has spearheaded a range of ground-breaking, impactful initiatives in several fields – conflict resolution, policing, victim services and diversity education. Dr. Bennett has also had an extensive career in the financial services field. In the 1970s, she managed a $1.3 billion budget for the New York City Office of Management and Budget as the head of its Criminal Justice Task Force. She also served as a consultant to Chemical Bank’s Operations Division. In the 1980s, she had a successful banking career, while earning a graduate banking degree, with highest honors, as Chief Marketing Officer and head of the Private Bank for The First Women’s Bank in New York. Since 1991, she has been retained as a government relations and public affairs consultant by the Milstein organization. In that capacity, she has served Emigrant Bank - the largest privately owned bank in the country – Milstein Properties and all of the Milstein Foundations. A former faculty member of the City University of New York, Dr. Bennett taught sociology, criminology, evaluation and action research, in addition to a broad range of other courses. She also taught in NYU’s School of Education. Earlier in her career, Dr. Bennett addressed human resources issues with diverse organizations ranging from TIAA-CREF and the NYPD to Chemical Bank (now JPMorganChase), the Cleveland Civil Service Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice. She won two national awards from the American Society for Public Administration for her work in organizational development. She also instituted crisis management programs, such as crime victim services and rape response units, that later became national movements. In her broadcasting career, she was a Network Correspondent for NBC News, where she was nominated for an Emmy Award, and host of Walter Cronkite’s PBS series, “Why in the World?” Also a regular commentator for FOX-TV’s “10 O’Clock News” and PBS “Special Edition,” she made frequent guest appearances on programs including: ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “20/20” and countless other shows in New York and nationwide. Dr. Bennett was also a syndicated radio personality and a story development consultant for “MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour,” “20/20” and “60 Minutes.” Author of four books and over 50 articles in scholarly, professional and popular publications, Dr. Bennett’s book, Crimewarps: The Future of Crime in America, was proposed for a Pulitzer Prize in 1987. Crimewarps contains chapters on hate crimes generated by intergroup conflict and violence waged in the name of religion.