As a well-respected professional, Dr. Huddleston has over twenty years of experience in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) space. During his corporate experience, Dr. Huddleston’s dedication to providing a platform where people can be their authentic selves, translated into more comprehensive outreach initiatives and profitability for minority-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned companies. During his corporate experiences, Dr. Huddleston organized initiatives that shed a light on underrepresented business enterprises and partnerships, served on the mergers and acquisitions team, and increased profitability throughout the respected organizations. He also developed partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to diversify the talent pool as well as to expose more young people to corporate experiences. Dr. Huddleston then transferred his expertise from the corporate world to higher education.

As the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Implementation at Grand Valley State University, Dr. Huddleston utilized this skill set to increase the diversity of underrepresented populations of faculty, staff, and students. Understanding the need for DEI work in academia and the importance of belonging and social justice, Dr. Huddleston became the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Framingham State University as well as at the University of Indianapolis. In these roles, Dr. Huddleston was instrumental in developing, organizing, and implementing various strategic plans, addressing gaps in the retention rates of minoritized students, and increasing and retaining tuition revenue. Dr. Huddleston accomplished these major milestones while pursuing his degrees as an adult learner.