From the first time he heard about National Fatherhood Initiative, Roland C. Warren knew this was an organization he wanted to be involved with. But even after joining the organization’s Board of Directors in 1998, he could not have imagined that just over three years later, he would be working to promote responsible fatherhood full-time.

Fatherhood is an issue that Roland cares about deeply. As President of National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), Roland is dedicated to NFI’s mission of improving the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children that are raised with involved, responsible and committed fathers.

Under Roland’s direction, NFI works to accomplish its mission through a variety of activities. Through Roland’s leadership, the organization has quickly become the most quoted authority on fatherhood and the nation’s #1 provider of fatherhood resources to communities, schools, prisons, hospitals, businesses, the military and communities of faith. FatherSOURCE (TM), a national fatherhood resource center run by NFI, now offers the most extensive assortment of specialized fatherhood resources in the world. Roland has played a key role in helping the organization establish strategic partnerships with businesses, government and non-profit organizations across the country.

In addition to leading NFI’s varied public service advertising campaigns –- which have generated over $500 million in donated advertising –- Roland represents NFI in the national media, including appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, CNN, C-SPAN, Dateline NBC, Fox News Channel and Black Entertainment Television. He has been interviewed by major radio and newspaper outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, O Magazine, Ebony, Sports Illustrated, Christianity Today, Essence, the Tavis Smiley Show and Janet Parshall’s America. He has also written a monthly column called “Pop Culture” for The Washington Times.

Roland brings to NFI almost two decades of experience in the business world and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his position at NFI, Roland worked for Goldman, Sachs and Co., a leading global investment banking firm, where he managed investments for the firm’s select group of high net worth clients, and served as a liaison to the firm’s asset management and investment banking groups. He has held management positions for both IBM and PepsiCo. and worked as an associate director of development for his undergraduate alma mater, Princeton University.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Roland stays active in community and civic activities. He served on the Fatherhood Task Force of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and on the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for the U.S. Department of Justice. He now serves as a board member for World Vision and Christian Union and was a former board member for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, the Advisory Council for the Ready to Learn Partnership and the membership committee for the National PTA. A resident of Clarksburg, Maryland, Roland is married to Dr. Yvette Lopez-Warren and has two adult sons, Jamin and Justin Warren.

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