William O. Roberts, Jr. is the founder of Roberts Consulting, Inc. The career path that led him to this stage is rather unusual in that he did one type of work for nearly twenty-five years before making a major change.

For over two decades he worked as an academician (Assistant Dean of Admissions and Lecturer in Religion at Wesleyan University) and a clergyman (first as a Presbyterian minister in Henderson, Nevada and then as the Senior Minister of the First Church of Christ, Congregational, in Middletown, Connecticut).

In the late 1980s he entered the world of big business by joining KPMG Peat Marwick as a senior consultant in their Change Management practice.

In 1989, while Bill was on assignment to Merrill Lynch Realty on a major change management project, the Prudential Insurance Company purchased Merrill Lynch Realty. At that point he was hired as a Senior Vice President of Prudential Residential Services. His job was "to manage this massive change and protect our investment." Subsequently, he became a Vice President of Prudential Connecticut Realty.

In May of 1993 he began his own private consulting practice. In addition to his consulting he is an educator:

  • In 1995 he was appointed to the faculty of DUXX, Graduate School in Business Leadership in Monterrey, Mexico.
  • In 2000 he became an associate with Otto Kroeger Associates (OKA) of Fairfax, Virginia; OKA is the premier organization in the country that qualifies people to use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.
  • In 2002 he became a leader in a program called the Community Leadership Program in New Haven, Connecticut, which is supported by the William C. Graustein Memorial Fund.
  • In 2004-5 he was the lead educator for Public Allies, Connecticut, a program that identifies promising young women and men, many from our poorest cities, and gives them a year of leadership training in community service.
  • In the fall of 2005 he will be teaching a course in Wesleyan University's Continuing Studies Program on The Art of Leadership.

In 1982 Pilgrim Press published his book, INITIATION TO ADULTHOOD: AN ANCIENT RITE OF PASSAGE IN CONTEMPORARY FORM.

His second book, CROSSING THE SOUL'S RIVER: A RITE OF PASSAGE FOR MEN, was published in 1998. He is also the author of numerous articles and a frequent workshop leader and speaker. Bill can be reached by phone at (860) 347-3935 or fax at (860) 347-7213. His email address is bill@robertsconsultinginc.com.

 

Resume for William O. Roberts, Jr.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE
Roberts Consulting Inc. -- President (1993 to present)

  • Founded a small consulting practice specializing in the Management of Change, Transition and Transformation
  • Partial client list is attached.

DUXX - Graduate School of Business Leadership in Monterrey, Mexico -- Professor (1995-2002)

  • Taught courses on Emotional Intelligence (Interpersonal Skills and Intrapersonal Awareness)
  • Responsible for developing healthy group dynamics among the students

OKA (Otto Kroeger Associates) in Fairfax, Virginia -- Associate (1999-present)

  • Led qualifying workshops for users of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator
  • Offered workshops on consulting skills

Prudential Connecticut Realty -- Vice President (1991 to 1993)

  • Shared operational responsibility for 30 managers, 80 employees, and over 800 sales associates

Prudential Residential Services -- Senior Vice President (1989 to 1990)

  • Managed three Vice Presidents, 50 managers and thousands sales associates through changes resulting from Prudential's purchase of Merrill Lynch Realty

KPMG Peat Marwick -- Senior Consultant (1989)

  • Created a new offering in Career and Life Transition Consulting
  • Contributed to the development of their consulting practice in Change Management

First Church of Christ, Congregational, of Middletown -- Minister (1970-89)

  • For twenty years led a thriving congregation with a significant commitment to the community
  • Received extensive training as a consultant to Congregations in Crisis

Wesleyan University -- Assistant Dean of Admissions and Lecturer in Religion (1968-1970)

First Presbyterian Church, Henderson, Nevada - Minister (1964-1966)

EDUCATION

Union Theological Seminary, New York City -- M.Div. 1966

  • Majored in Practical Theology
  • Graduate of the Presbyterian Institute for Industrial Relations, Chicago, Illinois
  • Recipient of Rockefeller Brothers Fellowship

Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut -- B.A. 1963

  • Graduated with High Honors and Distinction in History
  • President of the Student Body

PUBLICATIONS

  • Crossing the Soul's River: A Rite of Passage for Men, Pilgrim Press, 1998
  • Initiation to Adulthood: An Ancient Rite of Passage in Contemporary Form, Pilgrim Press, 1982
  • "The Male Mid-Life Passage," in Celebrating Passages in the Church Theology and Practice, edited by Hugh Sanborn of Rice University, Chalice Press, 1998
  • "What Made King David Do It? -- Toward an Understanding of the Male Psyche," Transitions (January - February, 1999)
  • "One Man's Attempt to Explain Women's Loyalty to Clinton," Mentor (January, 1999)

PERSONAL AND CIVIC

  • Member and Chair of the Jones Fund for the Poor of the City (Middletown)
  • Member and Chair, the Board of Ethics, City of Middletown, Connecticut
  • Trustee, The Independent Day School, Middlefield, Connecticut
  • Trustee, The Children's Home of Cromwell, Cromwell, Connecticut
  • Married to Melissa Roberts, a retired social worker with the Wallingford Schools
  • Father of three grown sons; grandfather of Oscar Lee Roberts Morrison

SPECIAL TRAINING AND CERTIFICATIONS

  • Myers Briggs Qualifying Workshop (Otto Krueger Associates)
  • Myers Briggs Advanced Team Building Workshop (Otto Krueger Associates)
  • Strength Deployment Inventory (Personal Strengths Publishing)
  • Enneagram Qualifying Workshop (Lifeworx)
  • Sexual Harassment Training (CBIA)
  • Sexual Harassment Training (Middlesex Chamber of Commerce)
  • Self-Organizing Systems (Kellner-Rogers and Wheatley, Inc.)
  • Transition Management with Bill Bridges (William Bridges and Associates)
  • Conflict Management with Speed Leas (Alban Institute)
  • Action Research: Process Based Consulting (The Connecticut Conference)
  • Midlife Passage with Allan Chinen (Kirkridge)
  • The Elder Passage with Bob Raines (Kirkridge)
  • Spirituality in the Workplace with David Whyte (Kripalu)