Alumnus Brings SHU Diversity Experience into Career

Rudy Favard ’15 is proud of bringing historically Black fraternity to campus

Rudy Favard ’15 is fully dedicated to diversity and inclusion. As part of the diversity talent acquisition team at the U.S. division of KPMG, an international professional services company, he strategizes on how the firm recruits employees from various backgrounds to ensure the company recruits diverse candidates from across the country.

It was a sense of community that brought Favard to Sacred Heart University. “When I visited, I saw a community of people who came from all different backgrounds but had the same spirit about them. It felt warmer and more welcoming than other institutions,” he said of his decision to choose SHU.

While an undergrad at SHU, which had him recruited to play Division I football for the Pioneers, Favard was an active diversity advocate. One accomplishment that brought Favard the most pride was when he, along with Roger Harris ’14, Moses Webb ’16, ’18, Brandon Hutchinson ’14, Kemoy Powell ’16, TaMaric Wilson ’16, ’17, Robert Johnson ’16, ’17, Evan Pittman ’15, Tavon Bookman and Jamal Vinson ’16 brought a Divine Nine fraternity, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., to campus. The Divine Nine refers to historically Black Greek organizations that date back to 1906. According to Iota Phi Theta’s website, it is “America’s fifth largest, predominately African-American social service fraternity.”

Through the fraternity, the brothers started a social media campaign to raise awareness of social injustice. The campaign, “#IWearAllBlackBecause,” highlighted the Black Lives Matter movement in 2016 and recruited allies who joined in spreading the word.

Iota Phi Theta also worked with students in Bridgeport middle and high schools. “It was so important to go into the schools because those students don’t always get to see young men of color who look like them in college, due to college access disparities,” Favard said.

He has seen the strides Sacred Heart has taken toward inclusion. “While nothing is ever perfect, I’m proud of the steps Sacred Heart is currently taking. Hiring a director of inclusion and diversity and opening the multicultural center—those are steps in the right direction. The change that we want to see is not going to happen overnight, but these incremental changes are laying the foundation for the future.”

Favard said he appreciates the variety of experiences that were available to him during his years at the University. “The biggest thing about Sacred Heart is that I could cater my experience to myself. It’s so easy to put someone in a box. For the longest time, I could have just been an athlete or just been someone in Greek life,” he said. “At SHU, I was always able to reinvent myself, whether it was being part of a phone-a-thon, singing in the choir or whatever else I wanted to experience. The SHU box allowed me to get out of my own box.”

As a marketing major in the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, Favard said, Peter Maresco’s consumer marketing class has helped him tremendously in his career. “I always joke with my wife, who is a psychology major, that marketing is just business psychology with a fancier title behind it,” he said.

Maresco taught that the issue with most companies’ campaigns is that they get so caught up in being subject-matter experts, they feel they need to impress their audience with big, fancy words in their marketing and don’t understand why people aren’t interested in their product, said Favard. “That has translated into my career, because when I am proposing these business cases for inclusion and diversity, I’m able to avoid getting caught up in my own expertise in the science and logic. I articulate it in a way that’s most effective for whomever I am presenting it to so they will perceive its importance.”

Favard said the opportunities available at Sacred Heart are part of what makes the University special. “Not only did I get to play Division I football, but I was educated at an AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited school with Jack Welch’s name on it. I was able to dip into other sides of myself, too. I sang in the choir and received a scholarship for it. I was able to bring a Divine Nine fraternity onto campus. All these experiences helped shape my college career and stuck with me as a professional. I would not have had the opportunity to be a part of these experiences without being at SHU.”

Mark Nofri, head coach of Sacred Heart’s football team, recalled Rudy’s time at Sacred Heart with admiration. “Rudy is one of the best individuals who ever played for SHU football. He is a true SHU person who loves and believes in the SHU way. Rudy made a huge impact, not only on the football field, but in the SHU community. He was very well respected by his teammates for how hard he worked on and off the field. He took great pride in helping individuals in need and led the team in community service hours every year. When he graduated, he took a job in the admissions office here at SHU. There was no better way to express his passion and love for SHU. Anyone who has come in contact with Rudy would know he is a positive male role model who puts others first, and his love for SHU is off the charts,” Nofri said.

Favard suggests that, when starting at SHU, students should keep relationships in mind. “The biggest thing for new students at SHU is to make sure you are nice to everybody. Always make sure you are constantly building relationships. The Sacred Heart alumni network is strong. You never know who will help you out down the road. Don’t be the person who is mean to the girl next door. You never know if she’ll be at a company you interview for or know your future boss. I strongly believe that the reason I was able to break into KPMG and the role I have now was because I had a referral from a cheerleader I knew at SHU.”

Rudy and his teammates celebrating an NEC Championship in 2014; from left with Rudy (bottom) in 2014 are fellow Iota Phi Theta fraternity brothers Rob Johnson, Moses Webb, TaMaric Wilson, Tavon Bookman and Evan Pittman.